Quote collection
904 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety."
"Be sincere and true to your word, serious and careful in your actions; and you will get along even among barbarians, But if you are not sincere and untrustworthy in your speech, frivolous and careless in your actions, how will you get along even among your own neighbors? When stand, see these principles in front of you; in your carriage see them on the yoke. Then you may be sure to get along."
"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved."
"The man who in view of gain thinks of righteousness; who in the view of danger is prepared to give up his life; and who does not forget an old agreement however far back it extends - such a man may be reckoned a complete man."
"To acknowledge our faults when we are blamed, is modesty; to discover them to one's friends in ingenuousness, is confidence; but to preach them to all the world, if one does not take care, is pride."
"Eat at your own as you would the table of a king."
"The end of the day is near when small men make long shadows."
"To learn without thinking is labour in vain, to think without learning is desolation."
"A man without persistence will never make a good shaman or a good physician."
"I used to listen to what others said, and expect them to act accordingly. But nowadays, I listen to what they say, and then observe what they do."
"They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who delight in it."
"Shall I tell you what knowledge is? It is to know both what one knows and what one does not know."
"To be fond of learning is to draw close to wisdom. To practice with vigor is to draw close to benevolence. To know the sense of shame is to draw close to courage. He who knows these three things knows how to cultivate his own character. Knowing how to cultivate his own character, he knows how to govern other men. Knowing how to govern other men, he knows how to govern the world, its states, and its families."
"He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them."
"The really faithful lover of learning holds fast to the Good Way till death."
"Not to mend one's ways when one has erred is to err indeed."
"When you see a good man, think of emulating him; when you see a bad man, examine your own heart."
"An angry person is always full of poison."
"The nobler sort of man emphasizes the good qualities in others, and does not accentuate the bad. The inferior does."
"To throw oneself into strange teachings is quite dangerous."