Quotes from Confucius

He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions

The Master said, "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous." The Master said, "The study of strange doctrines is injurious indeed!"               The Master said, "Yu, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it;-this is knowledge.

lesson about knowledge? When you know a thing, maintain that you know it; and when you do not, acknowledge your ignorance. This is characteristic of knowledge.

The Jitong chapter of the Book of Rites says, "There are three ways of caring for one's parents: when they are alive, look after them; when they are deceased, tend to the death rites; when the death rites have been completed, offer them sacrifice.

The Master said, "When you meet persons of exceptional character think to stand shoulder to shoulder with them; meeting persons of little character, look inward and examine yourself.

If the search for riches were sure to be successful, though I should become a groom with a whip in my hand to get them, I will do so. As the search may not be successful, I will follow after that which I love.

Very few go astray who comport themselves with restraint.

A Journey of a thousand miles becomes with a single step.

You do not understand even life. How can you understand death?

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life

I was not born with wisdom. I love the ancient teachings and have worked hard to attain to their level.

An educated woman is a stupid woman

Staying with good people is like entering a room with orchids. You won't notice the fragrance, but you'll be soaked in the scent. Staying with evil people is just like going inside a stinky fish store. You won't smell it after a while because you will blend with the stench. Keep red things and you'll turn red. Keep lacquer, and you'll turn black ...So a wise man should be careful of where he stays...

It is true that we shall not be able to reach perfection, but in our struggle toward it we shall strengthen our characters and give stability to our ideas, so that, whilst ever advancing calmly in the same direction, we shall be rendered capable of applying the faculties with which we have been gifted to the best possible account.

I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.

To know oneself is the beginning of wisdom.

Men's natures are alike, it is their habits that carry them far apart.

The Master said, "I do not open the way for students who are not driven with eagerness; I do not supply a vocabulary for students who are not trying desperately to find the language for their ideas. If on showing students one corner they do not come back to me with the other three, I will not repeat myself.

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.

It is only when the cold season comes that we know the pine and cypress to be evergreens.

The Master replied, "The person who would wrestle a tiger bare-handed or march across the Yellow River,106 and who would go to his death without regret—this person I would not take along. It would have to be someone who would approach any situation with trepidation, and who would be fond of planning with an eye to success.

To give comfort to the old, to have the trust of my friends, and to have the young seeking to be near me

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

The Master said, "How could one but comply with what model sayings have to say? But the real value lies in reforming one's ways. How could one but find pleasure in polite language? But the real value lies in drawing out its meaning. What can possibly be done with people who find pleasure in polite language but do not draw out its meaning, or who comply with model sayings but do not reform their ways.