148 Quotes by Mencius

When I say that all men have the mind which cannot bear to see the suffering of others, my meaning is illustrated this way: when two men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they all have a feeling of alarm and distress, not to gain friendship with the child's parents, nor to seek the praise of their neighbors and friends. From such a case, we see that a man without the feeling of commiseration is not a man. The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanity.

Benevolence is one of the distinguishing characters of man.

A real man is he whose goodness is a part of himself.

He who respects others is respected by them.

The great man does not think beforehand of his words that they may be sincere, nor of his actions that they may be resolute- he simply speaks and does what is right.

The tendency of mans nature to good is like the tendency of water to flow downward.

By exhaustively examining one's own mind,one may understand his nature.One who understands his own nature understands Heaven.

A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him.

A great man is one who has not lost the child's heart.