Superior Man Quotes

A superior man in dealing with the world is not for anything or against anything. He follows righteousness as the standard.

The superior man is distressed by the limitations of his ability; he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability that he has.

The superior man does what is proper to the station in which he is; he does not desire to go beyond this.

A person of character takes as much trouble to discover what is right as the lesser men take to discover what will pay.

The superior man is slow in his words and earnest in his conduct.

While the gentleman cherishes benign rule, the small man cherishes his native land. While the gentleman cherishes a respect for the law, the small man cherishes generous treatment.

A gentleman considers what is right; the vulgar consider what will pay.

Possessed of courage but devoid of morality, a superior man will make trouble while a small man will be a brigand.

The superior man does not mind being in office; all he minds about is whether he has qualities that entitle him to office. He does not mind failing to get recognition; he is too busy doing the things that entitle him to recognition.

Great as heaven and earth are, men still find some things in them with which to be dissatisfied. Thus it is that, were the superior man to speak of his way in all its greatness, nothing in the world would be found able to embrace it, and were he to speak of it in its minuteness, nothing in the world would be found able to split it.

The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.

If a superior man abandon virtue, how can he fulfil the requirements of that name?

The superior man limits his achievements.

There are three marks of a superior man: being virtuous, he is free from anxiety; being wise, he is free from perplexity; being brave, he is free from fear.

Cultivated people foster what is good in others,not what is bad.Petty people do the opposite.

A superior man is one who is free from fear and anxieties

The gentleman sees what is right while the small man sees what is profitable.

The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of advantage.

The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come.

The superior person is in harmony, but does not follow the crowd. The lesser person follows the crowd, but is not in harmony.

The Superior Man has nothing to compete for. But if he must compete, he does it in an archery match, wherein he ascends to his position, bowing in deference. Descending, he drinks the ritual cup.

The superior man will watch over himself when he is alone. He examines his heart that there may be nothing wrong there, and that he may have no cause of dissatisfaction with himself.

The superior man is easy to serve, but difficult to please ... The inferior man is difficult to serve, but easy to please.

The superior man is intelligently, not blindly, faithful.

The Superior Man is all-embracing and not partial. The inferior man is partial and not all-embracing.

The superior man is firm in the right way and not merely firm.

Gentlemen cherish worth; the vulgar cherish dirt. Gentlemen trust in justice; the vulgar trust in favor.

The Master said, “A true gentleman is one who has set his heart upon the Way. A fellow who is ashamed merely of shabby clothing or modest meals is not even worth conversing with.” (Analects 4.9)