Confucius

Find the best quotes, maxims and aphorisms of Confucius

Biography : Confucius (Kong Qiu, courtesy name Zhongni), a Spring and Autumn period Chinese philosopher, is the paragon of sages whose teachings shaped Chinese civilization and the Sinosphere's cultural heritage.
Born: -551 - Died: -479
Period:
5th century BC
6th century BC
Place of birth: China
China

China

Confucius - Quotes

Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.
Confucius - Analects /

Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
Confucius /

beauty

To assail one's own wickedness and not assail that of others.
Confucius - Analects /

Faithfully admonish your friend, and skillfully lead him on. If you find him impracticable, stop.
Confucius - Analects /

friendship

The virtuous rest in virtue.
Confucius - Analects /

virtue

Demand much from yourself, little from others, and you will prevent discontent.
Confucius - Analects /

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
Confucius /

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.
Confucius /

He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it.
Confucius - Analects /

The mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.
Confucius - Analects /

The mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.

The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.
Confucius /

question

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
Confucius /

By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.
Confucius /

nature

Want of forbearance in small matters confounds great plans.
Confucius - Analects /

Want of forbearance in small matters confounds great plans.

The cautious seldom err.
Confucius /

Prudence

Learning without thought is labor lost thought without learning is perilous.
Confucius - Analects /

The superior man seeks to perfect the admirable qualities of men, and does not seek to perfect their bad qualities. The mean man does the opposite of this.
Confucius - Analects /

sage

In hearing litigations, I am like any other body. What is necessary, however, is to cause the people to have no litigations.
Confucius - Analects /

Justice

To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.
Confucius - Analects /

limit

Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles, and be moving continually to what is right;—this is the way to exalt one's virtue.
Confucius - Analects /

I will not be afflicted at men's not knowing me; I will be afflicted that I do not know men.
Confucius - Analects /

sage

While you do not know life, how can you know about death?
Confucius - Analects /

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.
Confucius /

He with whom neither slander that gradually soaks into the mind, nor statements that startle like a wound in the flesh, are successful, may be called intelligent indeed.
Confucius - Analects /

If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music will not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot.
Confucius - Analects /

The superior man does not put aside good words because of the man.
Confucius - Analects /

If a man take no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.
Confucius - Analects /

Learn as if you will never catch up, as though you are afraid of losing whatever you have already understood.
Confucius - Analects /

In archery we have something like the way of the superior man. When the archer misses the center of the target, he turns round and seeks for the cause of his failure in himself.
Confucius - Doctrine of the Mean /

Earnest in practicing the ordinary virtues, and careful in speaking about them, if, in his practice, he has anything defective, the superior man dares not but exert himself; and if, in his words, he has any excess, he dares not allow himself such license. Thus his words have respect to his actions, and his actions have respect to his words; is it not just an entire sincerity which marks the superior man?
Confucius - Doctrine of the Mean /