... thoughts : "Quotable Confucian quotes"

Confucius says...

Book I

1. "Is it not a pleasure, having learned something, to try it out at due intervals? Is it not joy to have friends come from afar? Is it not gentlemanly not to take offence when others fail to appreciate your abilities?"

2. "It is rare, indeed, for a man with cunning words and an ingratiating face to be benevolent."

3. "In guilding a state of a thousand chariots, approach your duties with reverence and be trustworthy in what you say; avoid excesses in expenditure and love your fellow men; employ the labour of the common people only in the right seasons."

4. "A young man should be a good son at home and an obedient young man abroad, sparing of speech but trustworthy in what he says, and should love the multitude at large but cultivate the friendship of his fellow men. If he has any energy to spare from such action, let him devote it to making himself cultivated."

5. "A gentleman who lacks gravity does not inspire awe. A gentleman who studies is unlikely to be inflexible."

6 "Make it your guilding principle to do your best for others and to be trustworthy in what you say. Do not accept as friend anyone who is not as good as you."

7. "When you make a mistake, do not be afraid of mending your ways."

8. "It is not the failure of others to appreciate your abilities that should trouble you, but rather your failure to appreciate theirs."


Book II

1. "Guide them by edicts, keep them in line with punishments, and the common people will stay out of trouble but will have no sense of shame. Guide them by virtue, keep them in line with the rites, and they will, besides having a sense of shame, reform themselves."

2. "A man is worthy of being a teacher who gets to know what is new by keeping fresh in his mind what he is already familiar with."

3. (A gentleman) "He puts his words into action before allowing his words to follow his action."

4. "If one learns from others but does not think, one will be bewildered. If, on the other hand, one thinks but does not learn from others, one will be in peril."

5. "To say you know when you know, and to say you do not when you do not, that is knowledge."

6. "Raise the straight and set them over the crooked and the common people will look up to you. Raise the crooked and set them over the straight and the common people will not look up to you."

7. "Rule over them with dignity and they will be reverent; treat them with kindness and they will do their best; raise the good and instruct those who are backward and they will be imbued with enthusiasm."

8. "Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows as lack of courage."


Book III

1. "With the rites, it is better to err on the side of frugality than on the side of extravagance; in mourning, it is better to err on the side of grief than on the side of formality."

2. "What can I find worthy of note in a man who is lacking in tolerance when in high position, in reverence when performing the rites and in sorrow when in mourning?"


Book IV

1. "Of neighbourhoods benevolence is the most beautiful. How can the man be considered wise who, when he has the choice, does not settle in benevolence?"

2. "If a man sets his heart on benevolence, he will be free from evil."

3. "In his errors a man is true to type. Observe the errors and you will know the man."

4. "There is no point in seeking the views of a Gentleman who, though he sets his heart on the Way, is ashamed of poor food and poor clothes."

5. "In his dealings with the world the gentleman is not invariably for or against anything. He is on the side of what is moral."

6. "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."

7. "If one is guided by profit in one's actions, one will incur much ill will."

8. "If a man is able to govern a state by observing the rites and showing deference, what difficulties will he have in public life? If he is unable to govern a state by observing the rites and showing deference, what good are the rites to him?"

9. "Do not worry because you have no official position. Woarry about your qualifications. Do not worry beause no one appreciates your abilities. Seek to be worthy of appreciation."

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

11. "When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine your own self."

12. "When your parents are alive, you should not go too far afield in your travels. If you do, your whereabouts should always be known."

13. "A man should not be ignorant of the age of his father and mother. It is a matter, on the one hand, for rejoicing and, on the other, for anxiety."

14. "In antiquity men were loath to speak. This was because they counted it shameful if their person failed to keep up with their words."

15. "It is rare for a man to miss the mark through holding on to essentials."

16. "The gentleman desires to be halting in speech but quick in action."

17. "Virtue never stands alone. It is bound to have neighbours."

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