Confucius BIO » 3 sources by this author »[Chinese: 孔夫子, transliterated Kong Fuzi or K'ung-fu-tzu, literally "Master Kong"] (traditionally 28 September 551 B.C. – 479 B.C.) Chinese social philosopher, whose teachings deeply influenced East Asian life and thought.
hide Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.
It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.
When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.
To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.
If you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage.
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.
The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
Respect yourself and others will respect you.
The Superior Man has nothing to compete for.
Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
When anger rises, think of the consequences.
It does not matter the number of times we fall but the number of times we rise when we fall.
To love a thing is to want it to live.
When things are investigated, then true knowledge is achieved;
When true knowledge is achieved, then the will becomes sincere;
When the will is sincere, then the heart is set right;
When the heart is set right, then the personal life is cultivated;
When the personal life is cultivated, then the family life is regulated;
When the family life is regulated, then the national life is orderly;
And when the national life is orderly, then there is peace in the world.
When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them.
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.
At fifteen my heart was set on learning;
At thirty I stood firm;
At forty I had no more doubts;
At fifty I knew the mandate of heaven;
At sixty my ear was obedient;
At seventy I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing the norm.
If a man sets his heart on benevolence he will be free from evil.
An oppressive government is more to be feared than a man-eating tiger.
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
What the superior man seeks is in himself; What the mean man seeks is in others.
To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue: gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.
When you serve your mother and father it is okay to try to correct them once in a while. But if you see that they are not going to listen to you, keep your respect for them and don't distance yourself from them. Work without complaining.
With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow — I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a floating cloud.
To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.