Confucius Quotes

The cautious seldom err

The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools

When a person’s knowledge is sufficient to attain, and his virtue is not sufficient to hold, whatever he may have gained, he will lose again

The Master said, The gentleman seeks harmony but not conformity. The petty person seeks conformity but not harmony.

Only the wisest and the most foolish of men never change

If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?

It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop

To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short

The Master said, The superior man is anxious lest he should not get the truth; he is not anxious lest poverty come upon him

Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles

Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star

Learning without reflection is a waste. Reflection without learning is dangerous

The Master said, When one cultivates to oneself, virtue becomes real

When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them

The Master said, If your conduct is determined solely by considerations of profit you will arouse great resentment

When a country is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are things to be ashamed of. When a country is ill-governed, riches and honor are things to be ashamed of.

The demands that a gentleman makes are upon himself; those that a small man makes are upon others

He who acts with a constant sense of respect will be free from shame

He who learns but does not think is lost; he who thinks but does not learn is in great danger

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones

To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness

Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire

When you see someone worth thinking about, try to match their virtue. When you see someone not worthy, examine yourself and avoid their faults

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance

To see what is right and not do it is lack of courage

The Master said, The cautious man seldom errs

When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves

Is it not a pleasure, having learned something, to try it out at due intervals? Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?

The Master said, Yu, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to recognize that you know it, and when you do not know a thing, to recognize that you do not know it: that is knowledge.

Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others

The Master said, To see the virtuous and desire to emulate them; to see the not virtuous and examine one’s own character

The Master said, When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves

The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large

He who exercises government by means of virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it

He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good

When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves

When you are laboring for others let it be with the same zeal as if it were for yourself

The Master said, Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them

The gentleman understands what is moral. The small man understands what is profitable

The cautious seldom err

In the presence of three people, there must be one I can learn from

When a prince’s personal conduct is correct, his government is effective without the issuing of orders. If his personal conduct is not correct, he may issue orders, but they will not be followed

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without

When anger rises, think of the consequences

He who aims to be a man of complete virtue in his food does not seek to gratify his appetite, nor in his dwelling place is he solicitous about comfort

When one rules by means of virtue it is like the north star— it dwells in its place, and the other stars pay reverence to it

Silence is a true friend who never betrays

The faults of a superior man are like the sun and moon. They have their faults, and all men see them; they change and all men look up to them

If I walk with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself

The faults of people are like the lines on a white jade; they appear, but do not obscure the beauty

The Master said, Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue

The Master said, In the Book of Poetry are three hundred pieces, but the design of them all may be embraced in one sentence: Have no depraved thoughts

The Master said, Give instructions only to those who can understand them

Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous, and lo! virtue is at hand

Ruler, minister, father, son, each acts according to his position

Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen people perish in water and fire, but I have never seen a person perish from virtue

When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves

Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand

Reviewing what you have learned and learning anew, you are fit to be a teacher

The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large

The superior man is distressed by his lack of ability, not by men's failure to recognize him

The Master said, To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous

He who requires much from himself and little from others, will keep himself from being the object of resentment

By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart

Righteousness is the foundation of everything

When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it—this is knowledge

The Master said, A gentleman helps others to realize their good qualities, not their bad ones

The Master said, At fifteen, I set my heart upon learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was obedient. At seventy, I could follow my heart’s desire without transgressing what was right.

To be wrong is nothing, unless you remember it afterward

Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous

The demands that a gentleman makes are upon himself; those that a small man makes are upon others

Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star

The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions

To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue: gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness

The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools

When we see persons of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see persons of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves

To govern is to rectify. If you lead on the people with correctness, who will dare not to be correct?

He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own

The Master said, He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it

Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace

In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country poorly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of

When the wind blows over the grass, it must bend

When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves

To see the right and not to do it is want of courage

The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves

The Master said, In education there should be no class distinctions

Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men

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

Respect yourself and others will respect you

Respect yourself and others will respect you

In archery we have something like the way of the superior man. When the archer misses the center, he turns round and seeks for the cause of his failure in himself

Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors