Quote collection
100 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"Treat your elders as elders, and extend it to the elders of others; treat your young ones as young ones, and extend it to the young ones of others; then you can turn the whole world in the palm of your hand"
"He who attends to his greater self becomes a great man, and he who attends to his smaller self becomes a small man."
"The gap between enthusiasm and indifference is filled with failures. The great man is he that does not lose his child's heart."
"Friends are the siblings God never gave us."
"Truth uttered before its time is dangerous."
"In abundance prepare for scarcity."
"He who wishes to be benevolent will not be rich."
"It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families."
"A real man is he whose goodness is a part of himself."
"Kindly words do not enter so deeply into men as a reputation for kindness."
"He who loves others is always loved by them, and he who respects others is always respected by them."
"Secure property in hand leads to peace in mind."
"Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue, and does not admit of assumptions of superiority."
"The Tao is near and people seek it far away."
"Listen to a man's words and look at the pupil of his eye. How can a man conceal his character?"
"Benevolence is one of the distinguishing characters of man."
"It is true that water will flow indifferently to east and west, but will it flow equally well up and down? Human nature is disposed toward goodness, just as water tends to flow downwards. There is no water but flows downwards, and no man but shows his tendency to be good. Now, by striking water hard, you may splash it higher than your forehead, and by damming it, you may make it go uphill. But, is that the nature of water? It is external force that causes it to do so. Likewise, if a man is made to do what is not good, his nature is being similarly forced."
"All things are already complete in us. There is no greater delight than to be conscious of right within us. If one strives to treat others as he would be treated by them, he shall not fail to come near the perfect life."
"Men must be decided on what they will not do, and then they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do."
"A small country cannot contend with a great; the few cannot contend with the many; the weak cannot contend with the strong"