Confucius Quotes

Respect the gods, but have as little to do with them as possible. ~ Confucius

As the water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it, so a wise man adapts himself to circumstances. ~ Confucius

As Confucius once said, 'He who does nothing is the one who does nothing.'"
Gabby pondered the words, the furrowed her brow. "did Confucius really say that?"
Sunglasses in place, Stephanie managed the tiniest of shrugs. "No, but who cared? The point is, they handled, and most likely they found some sort of self-satisfaction in their industrious-ness. Who am I to deprive them of that? ~ Nicholas Sparks

Don't grieve when people fail to recognize your ability. Grieve for your lack of ability instead. ~ Confucius

Humanity is the equity of the heart. ~ Confucius

Do not let a leader lead you on a bad path. ~ Confucius

You are what you think. ~ Confucius

敬鬼神而遠之
'while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them ~ Confucius

The real fault is to have faults and not amend them. ~ Confucius

Golden Rule has been rediscovered many times: by the authors of Leviticus and the Mahabharata; by Hillel, Jesus, and Confucius; by the Stoic philosophers of the Roman Empire; by social contract theorists such as Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke; and by moral philosophers such as Kant in his categorical imperative. ~ Steven Pinker

A township where one primitive forest waves above, while another primitive forest rots below, - such a town is fitted to raise not only corn and potatoes, but poets and philosophers for the coming ages. In such a soil grew Homer and Confucius and the rest, and out of such a wilderness comes the Reformer eating locusts and wild honey. ~ Henry David Thoreau

When you have become one with the Great Universal, you will have no partiality, and when you are part of the process of transformation, you will have no rigidity. ~ Confucius

Confucius say man who get kicked in testicles left holding bag. ~ Confucius

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. ~ Confucius

While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve spirits of the dead ... While you do not know life, how can you know about death ~ Confucius

Yes, but bad language is bound to make in addition bad government, whereas good language is not bound to make bad government. That again is clear Confucius: if the orders aren't clear they can't be carried out. Lloyd George's laws were such a mess, the lawyers never knew what they meant. And Talleyrand proclaimed that they changed the meaning of words between one conference and another. The means of communication breaks down, and that of course is what we are suffering now. We are enduring the drive to work on the subconscious without appealing to the reason. They repeat a trade name with the music a few times, and then repeat the music without it so that the music will give you the name. I think of the assault. We suffer from the use of language to conceal thought and to withhold all vital and direct answers. There is the definite use of propaganda, forensic language, merely to conceal and mislead. ~ Ezra Pound

A picture is poem without words. ~ Confucius

To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right. ~ Confucius

With a heavy load and a long journey ~ Confucius

In a hamlet of ten households, there are bound to be those who are my equal in doing their best for others and in being trustworthy in what they say, but they are unlikely to be as eager to learn as I am. ~ Confucius

What you know you know. What you don't know, you don't know. This is knowledge. ~ Confucius

A man who lacks reliability is utterly useless. ~ Confucius

How abundantly do spiritual beings display the powers that belong to them! We look for them, but do not see them; we listen to, but do not hear them; yet they enter into all things, and there is nothing without them. ~ Confucius

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

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

To know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning. ~ Confucius

As Confucius said many years ago: ~ Robin S. Sharma

The commander of the forces of a large State may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken from him. ~ Confucius

When a man comes to me, I accept him at his best, not at his worst. Why make so much ado? When a man washes his hands before paying a visit, and you receive him in that clean state, you do not thereby stand surety for his always having been clean in the past. ~ Confucius

You know, I met a wise man centuries ago in China who said to me, 'He who lets fear rule him, has fear for a master. (Acheron)
Confucius? (Talon)
No, Minh-Quan. He was a fisherman who used to sell what I'm told was the best zong zi ever made. (Acheron) ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon

The general of a large army may be defeated, but you cannot defeat the determined mind of a peasant. ~ Confucius

Where one is hopelessly undecided as to what to say, there (as Confucius would have said, if they had given him the opportunity) silence is golden. ~ Lewis Carroll

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

Coarse rice to eat, water to drink, my bended arm for a pillow - therein is happiness. Wealth and rank attained through immoral means are nothing but drifting clouds. ~ Confucius

Whatever heaven ordains is best. ~ Confucius

If you know, recognise that you know. If you don't know, realise that you don't know. That is knowledge. ~ Confucius

Knowing it does not compare with loving it; loving it does not compare with delighting in it. ~ Confucius

Please stop waiting for a better and more appropriate time to become happy and focus on the moment you live in. Happiness is not an arrival, it is the journey itself. Many people seek for happiness above the height of human beings, some below. Yet, happiness is exactly at the exact height of human beings. ~ Confucius

Does Heaven ever speak? The four seasons come and go, and all creatures thrive and grow. Does Heaven ever speak! ~ Confucius

Love thy neighbor as thyself: Do not do to others what thou wouldst not wish be done to thyself: Forgive injuries. Forgive thy enemy, be reconciled to him, give him assistance, invoke God in his behalf. ~ Confucius

A wise man seeks by music to strengthen his soul: the thoughtless one uses it to stifle his fears. ~ Confucius

A youth, when at home, should be filial and, abroad, respectful to his elders. He should be earnest and truthful. He should overflow in love to all and cultivate the friendship of the good. When he has time and opportunity, after the performance of these things, he should employ them in polite studies. ~ Confucius

When prosperity comes, do not use all of it. ~ Confucius

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. ~ Confucius

Cultivate the root; the leaves and branches will take care of themselves. ~ Confucius

Knowledge is merely brilliance in organization of ideas and not wisdom. The truly wise person goes beyond knowledge. ~ Confucius

A man is great not because he hasn't failed; a man is great because failure hasn't stopped him. ~ Confucius

The archer who misses his mark does not blame the target. He stops, corrects himself and shoots again. ~ Confucius

The man who is master of himself drinks gravely and wisely. ~ Confucius

It is only the very wisest and the very stupidest who cannot change. ~ Confucius

What the wise seek is in themselves ~ Confucius

Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established ~ Confucius

Give me a few more years so that I am studying at fifty, and surely I may avoid major errors. ~ Confucius

A good man is not mine to see. Could I see a man possessed of constancy, that would satisfy me. ~ Confucius

A gentleman does not promote a man on account of what he says; nor does he reject sayings, because the speaker is what he is. ~ Confucius

There are few men under heaven who can love and see the defects, or hate and see the excellence of an object. ~ Confucius

The nobler sort of man emphasizes the good qualities in others, and does not accentuate the bad. The inferior does. ~ Confucius

The nobler type of man is broad-minded and not prejudiced. The inferior man is prejudiced and not broad-minded. ~ Confucius

There are three degrees of filial piety. The highest is being a credit to our parents, the second is not disgracing them; the lowest is being able simply to support them. ~ Confucius

Faithfulness and sincerity are the highest things. ~ Confucius

A noble minded person is not an implement. ~ Confucius

If I cannot get men who steer a middle course to associate with, I would far rather have the impetuous and hasty. For the impetuous at any rate assert themselves. ~ Confucius

I do not enlighten those who are not eager to learn, nor arouse those who are not anxious to give an explanation themselves. If I have presented one corner of the square and they cannot come back to me with the other three, I should not go over the points again. ~ Confucius

To see the right and not to do it is cowardice. ~ Confucius

If you yourself desire establishment, then help others to get establishment; if you yourself want success, then help others to attain success. ~ Confucius

In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations, they first harmonized their families. Wishing to harmonize their families, they first cultivated themselves. Wishing to cultivate themselves, they first rectified their minds. Those who wished to rectify their minds first made their intentions sincere. ~ Confucius

The sun and moon shine on all without partiality. ~ Confucius

Once Confucius was walking on the mountains and he came across a woman weeping by a grave. He asked the woman what here sorrow was, and she replied, We are a family of hunters. My father was eaten by a tiger. My husband was bitten by a tiger and died. And now my only son! Why don't you move down and live in the valley? Why do you continue to live up here? asked Confucius. And the woman replied, But sir, there are no tax collectors here! Confucius added to his disciples, You see, a bad government is more to be feared than tigers. ~ Lin Yutang

Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you. ~ Confucius

Do not use a cannon to kill a mosquito. ~ Confucius

The way of Heaven and Earth may be completely declared in one sentence: They are without any doubleness, and so they produce things in a manner that is unfathomable. ~ Confucius

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~ Confucius

The scholar does not consider gold and jade to be precious treasures, but loyalty and good faith. ~ Confucius

Without that innate sense of human worth, a man cannot long endure adversity, nor can he long enjoy prosperity. ~ Confucius

When respect is shown according to what is proper, one keeps far from shame and disgrace. ~ Confucius

When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points. ~ Confucius

Sincerity is the end and beginning of things; without sincerity there would be nothing. ~ Confucius

Confucius say ... politician is one who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after. ~ Confucius

In your promises cleave to what is right, And you will be able to fulfill your word. ~ Confucius

It is better to play than do nothing. ~ Confucius

It is goodness that gives to a neighborhood its beauty. One who is free to choose, yet does not prefer to dwell among the good - how can he be accorded the name of wise? ~ Confucius

To be excellent when engaged in administration is to be like the North Star. As it remains in its one position, all the other stars surround it. ~ Confucius

Do unto others what you want done unto you. ~ Confucius

A man who reviews the old so as to find out the new is qualified to teach others. ~ Confucius

To see high merit and be unable to raise it to office, to raise it but not to give such promotion precedence, is just destiny. ~ Confucius

For one word a man is often deemed to be wise, and for one word he is often deemed to be foolish. We should be careful indeed what we say. ~ Confucius

When a man's knowledge is sufficient to attain, and his virtue is not sufficient to enable him to hold, whatever he may have gained, he will lose again. ~ Confucius

To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace. ~ Confucius

The superior man, extensively studying all learning, and keeping himself under the restraint of the rules of propriety, may thus likewise not overstep what is right. ~ Confucius

To know what is the right thing to do and not do it is the greatest cowardice. ~ Confucius

It cannot be when the root is neglected that what springs from it will be well ordered. ~ Confucius

If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children. ~ Confucius

Charity, like the sun, brightens every object on which it shines. ~ Confucius

The rich fool is like a pig that is choked by its own fat. ~ Confucius

On matters beyond his ken a gentleman speaks with caution. If names are not right, words are misused. When words are misused, affairs go wrong. When affairs go wrong, courtesy and music droop, law and justice fail. And when law and justice fail them, a people can move neither hand nor foot. So a gentleman must be ready to put names in speech, to put words into deeds. A gentleman is nowise careless of words. ~ Confucius

At fifteen, my mind was bent on 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 receptive to truth.
At seventy, I could follow my heart's desires without sin. ~ Confucius

In the worship of Bacchus, we have sacrificed too freely ... Why not consecrate ourselves to the queen of the Camelias, and revel in the warm stream of sympathy that flows from her altar? In the liquid amber within the ivory-porcelain, the initiated may touch the sweet reticence of Confucius ... ~ Okakura Kakuzo

In dealing with the dead, if we treat them as if they were entirely dead, that would show a want of affection and should not be done; or, if we treat them as if they were entirely alive, that would show a want of wisdom and should not be done. ~ Confucius

The scholar doesn't consider gold and jade as his precious treasures,but knowledge and faith. ~ Confucius

Ability will never catch up with the demand for it. ~ Confucius