1,153 Quotes by Confucius

Great as heaven and earth are, men still find some things in them with which to be dissatisfied. Thus it is that, were the superior man to speak of his way in all its greatness, nothing in the world would be found able to embrace it, and were he to speak of it in its minuteness, nothing in the world would be found able to split it.

These are the four abuses: desire to succeed in order to make oneself famous; taking credit for the labors of others; refusal to correct one's errors despite advice; refusal to change one's ideas despite warnings.

It is because men are prone to be partial towards those they love, unjust to those they hate, servile to those above them, and either harsh or overindulgent to those below them in station, poverty or distress, that it is difficult to find anyone capa

In language clarity is everything.

If you reflect within yourself and find nothing to be ashamed of, how could you have anxiety or fear.

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

I will not be concerned at other men's not knowing me;I will be concerned at my own want of ability.

It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.

The superior man is intelligently, not blindly, faithful.