148 Quotes by Mencius

There’s only one way to know if people are good or evil: look at the choices they make. We each contain precious and worthless, great and small. Never injure the great for the sake of the small, or the precious for the sake of the worthless. Small people nurture what is small in them; great people nurture what is great in them.

Words that defy reality are ominous. And it’s ominous reality that confronts those who would obscure the wise and worthy.

Words that speak of things close at hand and carry far-reaching implications – those are the good words.

I understand what lies hidden beneath beguiling words. I understand the trap beneath extravagant words. I understand the deceit beneath depraved words. And I understand the weariness beneath evasive words.

Integrity, wisdom, skill, intelligence – such things are forged in adversity.

Getting something done is like digging a well. You can dig a well seventy feet deep, but if you don’t hit water it’s just an abandoned well.

All beneath Heaven is rooted in nation. Nation is rooted in family. And family is rooted in self.

All tongues savor the same flavors, all ears hear the same music, and all eyes see the same beauty.

Don’t do what should not be done, and don’t desire what should not be desired. Abide by this one precept, and everything else will follow.