Confucious

"In guiding a state of a thousand chariots, approach your duties with reverance and be trustworthy in what you say; avoid excesses in expenditure and love your fellow men."

"Do not accept as friend anyone who is not as good as you."

"At fifteen I set my heart on learning; at thirty I took my stand; at forty I came to be free from doubts; at fifty I understood the decree of heaven; at sixty my ear was atuned; at seventy I followed my hearts desire without overstepping the line."

"To attack a task from the wrong end can do nothing but harm."

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

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

"While the gentleman cherishes a respect for the law, the small man cherishes generous treatment."

"When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal."

"I have set my heart on this...to bring peace to the old, to have trust in my friends, and to cherish the young."

"The wise are joyful; the benevolent are long-lived."

"When I have pointed out one corner of a square to anyone and he does come back with the other three, I will not point it out to him a second time."

"(to lead the armies) if I took anyone it would have to be a man who, when faced with a task, was fearful of failure and who, while fond of making plans, was capable of successful execution."

"(about Confucious...) He is the sort of man who forgets to eat when he trys to solve a problem, who is so full of joy that he forgets his worries, and who does not notice the onset of old age."

"I am a fortunate man; Whenever I make a mistake, other people are sure to notice it."

"The common people can be made to follow a path but not to understand it."

"I have yet to meet a man who is as fond of virtue as he is of beauty in women."

"When a man reaches the age of forty or fifty without distinguishing himself, one can say that he does not deserve to be held in awe."

"Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire."

"In hearing litigation, I am no different from any other man. But, if you insist on a difference, it is, perhaps, that I try to get the parties not to resort to litigation in the first place."

"The gentleman helps others to realize what is good in them; he does not help them realize what is bad in them. The small man does the opposite."

"To govern is to correct."

"In administering your government, what need is there for you to kill? Just desire the good yourself and the common people will be good. The virtue of the gentleman is like wind. The virtue of the small man is like grass. Let the wind blow over the grass and it is sure to bend."

"Unbending strength, resoluteness, simplicity and reticence are close to benevolence."

"It is more difficult not to complain of injustice when poor than not to behave with arrogance when rich."

"A man of benevolence never worries; a man of wisdom is never in two minds; a man of courage is never afraid."

"To be neither modest nor deferential whan young, to have passed on nothing worthwhile when grown up, and to refuse to die when old, that is what I call a pest."

"To fail to speak to a man who is capable of benefiting is to let a man go to waste. To speak to a man who is incapable of benefiting is to let one's words go to waste. A wise man lets neither men nor words go to waste."

"He who gives no thought to difficulties in the future is sure to be beset by worries much closer at hand."

"What the gentleman seeks, he seeks within himself; what the small man seeks, he seeks in others."

"It is Man who is capable of broadening the Way. It is not the Way that is capable of broadening man."

"Those who are born with knowledge are the highest. Next come those who attain knowledge through study. Next again come those who turn to study after having been vexed by difficulties. The common people, in so far as they make no effort to study even after having been vexed by difficulties, are the lowest."

"There are nine things the gentleman turns his thought to: to seeing clearly when he uses his eyes, to hearing acutely when he uses his ears, to looking cordial when it comes to his contenance, to appearing respectful when it comes to his demeanor, to being conscientious when he speaks, to being reverent when he performs his duties, to seeking advice when he is in doubt, to the consequences when he is enraged, and to what is right at the sight of gain."

"Men are close to one another by nature. They diverge as a result of repeated practice."

"Learn widely and be steadfast in your purpose, inquire earnestly and reflect on what is at hand, and there is no need for you to look for benevolence elsewhere."

"The gentleman is judged wise by a single word he utters; equally, he is judged foolish by a single word he utters. That is why one really must be careful of what one says."

"The gentleman is generous without it costing him anything, works others hard without their complaining, has desires without being greedy, is casual without being arrogant, and is awe-inspiring without appearing fierce."

A Few Truths from Confucious