"The perfecting of one's self is the..." - Quote by Confucius

“Character is the backbone of our human culture. Music is the flowering of character.”

“Labor, but slight not meditation; meditate, but slight not labor.”

“The highest kind of man is the one who does before talking and practices what he professes.”

“Certainly, we do not need to be soothed and entertained always like children. He who resorts to the easy novel, because he is languid, does no better than if he took a nap.”

“Work hard at your job and you can make a living. Work hard on yourself and you can make a fortune.”

“Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life.”

“It is a mistake to regard age as a downhill grade toward dissolution. The reverse is true. As one grows older, one climbs with surprising strides.”

“Only you can choose the nature of what grows, or what doesn't, within you.”

“Great people do things before they're ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you're afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that - that is what life is. You might be really good. You might find out something about yourself that's really special and if you're not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself.”