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How Great Is The Path Proper To The Sage! Like Overflowing Water, It Sends Forth And Nourishes All Things, And Rises Up To The Height Of Heaven. All-complete Is Its Greatness! It Embraces The Three Hundred Rules Of Ceremony, And The Three Thousand Rules Of Demeanor. It Waits For The Proper Man, And Then It Is Trodden. Hence It Is Said, 'only By Perfect Virtue Can The Perfect Path, In All Its Courses, Be Made A Fact.'

-Confucius

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How Great Is The

Confucius

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How Great Is The Path Proper To The Sage! Like Overflowing Water, It Sends Forth And Nourishes All Things, And Rises Up To The Height Of Heaven. All-complete Is Its Greatness! It Embraces The Three Hundred Rules Of Ceremony, And The Three Thousand Rules Of Demeanor. It Waits For The Proper Man, And Then It Is Trodden. Hence It Is Said, 'only By Perfect Virtue Can The Perfect Path, In All Its Courses, Be Made A Fact.'

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You Can Successfully Force People To Follow A Certain Course, But You Cannot Force Them To Understand It.

He Who Learns But Does Not Think, Is Lost! He Who Thinks But Does Not Learn Is In Great Danger... Men Of Superior Mind Busy Themselves First Getting At The Root Of Things; When They Succeed, The Right Course Is Open To Them.

To Take What You Know For What You Know, And What You Do Not Know For What You Do Not Know, That Is Knowledge Indeed.

To Acknowledge Our Faults When We Are Blamed, Is Modesty; To Discover Them To One's Friends In Ingenuousness, Is Confidence; But To Preach Them To All The World, If One Does Not Take Care, Is Pride.

The Gods Should Certainly Be Revered, But Kept At A Distance... . The Way Is Not Beyond Man; He Who Creates A Way Outside Of Man Cannot Make It A True Way. A Good Man Is Content With Changing Man, And That Is Enough For Him.

Without Feelings Of Respect, What Is There To Distinguish Men From Beasts?

The Superior Man Does Not Mind Being In Office; All He Minds About Is Whether He Has Qualities That Entitle Him To Office. He Does Not Mind Failing To Get Recognition; He Is Too Busy Doing The Things That Entitle Him To Recognition.

Things Have Their Roots And Branches. Affairs Have Their Beginnings And Their Ends. To Know What Is First And What Is Last Will Lead One Near The Way.

I Could See Peace Instead Of This.

I Have Never Seen A Man As Fond Of Virtue As Of Women.

Therefore Only Through Education Does One Come To Be Dissatisfied With His Own Knowledge, And Only Through Teaching Others Does One Come To Realize The Uncomfortable Inadequacy Of His Knowledge. Being Dissatisfied With His Own Knowledge, One Then Realizes That The Trouble Lies With Himself, And Realizing The Uncomfortable Inadequacy Of His Knowledger.

Even If People Do Not Know What Real Kindness Is, They Nonetheless Have It Within Them.

To Learn And From Time To Time To Apply What One Has Learned - Isn't That A Pleasure?

Those Who Cannot Forgive Others Break The Bridge Over Which They Themselves Must Pass.

A Good Man Will Certainly Also Possess Courage; But A Brave Man Is Not Necessarily Good.

It Is The Law Of Nature That Woman Should Be Held Under The Dominance Of Man.

When The Multitude Detests A Man, Inquiry Is Necessary; When The Multitude Likes A Man, Inquiry Is Equally Necessary.

The Superior Man, Extensively Studying All Learning, And Keeping Himself Under The Restraint Of The Rules Of Propriety, May Thus Likewise Not Overstep What Is Right.

It Is When Those Who Are Not Strong Enough Have Made Some Moderate Amount Of Progress That They Fail And Give Up.

Although Your Father And Mother Are Dead, If You Propose To Yourself Any Good Work, Only Reflect How It Will Make Their Names Illustrious, And Your Purpose Will Be Fixed.

Old Age, Believe Me, Is A Good And Pleasant Thing. It Is True You Are Gently Shouldered Off The Stage, But Then You Are Given Such A Comfortable Front Stall As Spectator.

The Demands That Good People Make Are Upon Themselves; Those That Bad People Make Are Upon Others.

Fine Words And An Insinuating Appearance Are Seldom Associated With True Virtue.

Tea Tempers The Spirits And Harmonizes The Mind, Dispels Lassitude And Relieves Fatigue, Awakens Thought And Prevents Drowsiness, Lightens Or Refreshes The Body, And Clears The Perceptive Faculties.

Big Head, Target For Enemy; Big Heart, Target For Friend.

The Man Who Asks A Question Is A Fool For A Minute, The Man Who Does Not Ask Is A Fool For Life.

Let Every Man Consider Virtue As What Devolves On Himself. He May Not Yield The Performance Of It Even To His Teacher.

What Can A Man Do With Music Who Is Not Benevolent?

In The Book Of Poetry There Are Three Hundred Poems, But The Meaning Of All Of Them May Be Put In A Single Sentence: Have No Debasing Thoughts.

Excess Weakens The Spirits.

Sincerity Is The End And Beginning Of Things; Without Sincerity There Would Be Nothing.

An Inch Of Time On The Sundial Is Worth More Than A Foot Of Jade.

A Happy Union With Wife And Child Is Like The Music Of Lutes And Harps.

To Be Fond Of Learning Is Near To Wisdom; To Practice With Vigor Is Near To Benevolence; And To Be Conscious Of Shame Is Near To Fortitude.

The Good Man Does Not Grieve That Other People Do Not Recognize His Merits. His Only Anxiety Is Lest He Should Fail To Recognize Theirs.

The Young Should Be Dutiful At Home, Modest Abroad, Careful And True, Overflowing In Kindness For All, But In Brotherhood With Love. And If They Have Strength To Spare They Should Spend It On The Arts.

Just As Lavishness Leads Easily To Presumption, So Does Frugality To Meanness. But Meanness Is A Far Less Serious Fault Than Presumption.

Do Not Wish For Quick Results, Nor Look For Small Advantages. If You Seek Quick Results, You Will Not Reach The Ultimate Goal. If You Are Led Astray By Small Advantages, You Will Never Accomplish Great Things.

Happiness Does Not Consist In Having What You Want, But In Wanting What You Have

Finding Happiness

To Know Your Faults And Be Able To Change Is The Greatest Virtue.

If We Don't Know Life, How Can We Know Death?

It Is Goodness That Gives To A Neighborhood Its Beauty. One Who Is Free To Choose, Yet Does Not Prefer To Dwell Among The Good - How Can He Be Accorded The Name Of Wise?

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

The Superior Man Is Aware Of Righteousness, The Inferior Man Is Aware Of Advantage.

Unify Your Attention. Do Not Listen With Your Ears, But With Your Mind. Do Not Listen With Your Mind But With Your Essence.

Study As If You Have Not Reached Your Goal - Hold It As If You Were Afraid Of Losing What You Have.

When A Man Comes To Me, I Accept Him At His Best, Not At His Worst. Why Make So Much Ado? When A Man Washes His Hands Before Paying A Visit, And You Receive Him In That Clean State, You Do Not Thereby Stand Surety For His Always Having Been Clean In The Past.

The Man Of Humanity Delights In Mountains

There Are 3 Elements Essential In The Matters Of The State, Food, Military Equipment, And Confidence Of The People In The Ruler. Of These 3, Military Equipment Is The Least Important, Food Being The 2nd Important, And Confidence Of The People Being The Most Important. All Men Rather Die Of Starvation Than In War, But Nevertheless All Men Do Die Of Old Age. Lacking In Confidence From The People, A State Cannot Survive.

He Who Is Really Good Can Never Be Unhappy. He Who Is Really Wise Can Never Be Perplexed. He Who Is Really Brave Is Never Afraid.

A Fool Despises Good Counsel, But A Wise Man Takes It To Heart.

When Superiors Are Fond Of Showing Their Humanity, Inferiors Try To Outstrip One Another In Their Practice Of It.

You Can Cheat An Honest Man But Not Make A Fool Out Of Him.

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The Superior Man Limits His Achievements.

Before You Embark On A Journey Of Revenge, Dig Two Graves.

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I Am Not Concerned That I Am Not Known, I Seek To Be Worthy To Be Known.

In Teaching There Should Be No Distinction Of Classes.

When Nature Exceeds Culture, We Have The Rustic. When Culture Exceeds Nature, We Have The Pedant.

Better A Diamond With A Flaw Than A Pebble Without.

The End Of The Day Is Near When Small Men Make Long Shadows.

The End Of The Day

Heaven Begat Virtue In Me; What Can Man Do Unto Me?

Reading Without Thinking Will Confuse You.thinking Without Reading Will Place You In Danger.

If A Man Remembers What Is Right At The Sign Of Profit, Is Ready To Lay Down His Life In The Face Of Danger, And Does Not Forget Sentiments He Has Repeated All His Life When He Has Been In Straitened Circumstances For A Long Time, He May Be Said To Be A Complete Man.

The One Who Was Born A Genius Can't Win Against The One Who Tries, And The One Who Tries Can't Win Against The One Who Enjoys.

But If You Do Not Have The Tao Yourself, What Business Have You Spending Your Time In Vain Efforts To Bring Corrupt Politicians Into The Right Path?

Not To Mend One's Ways When One Has Erred Is To Err Indeed.

The Superior Man Is Anxious Lest He Should Not Get The Truth; He Is Not Anxious Lest Poverty Should Come Upon Him.

It Is Better To Light One Small Candle Of Gratitude Than To Curse The Darkness.

The Real Fault Is To Have Faults And Not Amend Them.

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Look For An Occupation That You Like, And You Will Not Need To Labor For A Single Day In Your Life.

When A Man Feels The Difficulty Of Doing, Can He Be Other Than Cautious And Slow In Speaking?

In A Country Well Governed, Poverty Is Something To Be Ashamed Of. In A Country Badly Governed, Wealth Is Something To Be Ashamed Of.

Countries Of The World

The Virtuous Will Be Sure To Speak Uprightly; But Those Whose Speech Is Upright May Not Be Virtuous.

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The Great Mountain Must Collapse, The Mighty Beam Must Break And The Wise Man Wither Like A Plant.

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Learning, Undigested By Thought, Is Labor Lost.

Conscience Is The Inner Voice Which Warns Us That Someone Might Be Looking. Hear And You Forget, See And You Remember, Do And You Understand.

Not To Converse With A Man Worthy Of Conversation Is To Waste The Man. To Converse With A Man Not Worthy Of Conversation Is To Waste Words. The Wise Waste Neither Men Nor Words.

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Ceremonies Are The First Thing To Be Attended To In The Practice Of Government.

Man Who Stand On Hill With Mouth Open Will Wait Long Time For Roast Duck To Drop In.

The Superior Man Is Slow In His Words And Earnest In His Conduct.

Man Who Want Pretty Nurse, Must Be Patient.

If Either Wealth Or Poverty Are Come By Honesty, There Is No Shame.

Do Not Impose On Others What You Yourself Do Not Desire.

Everything Has Its Beauty But Not Everyone Sees It. To See It A Person Only Needs To Imagine How It Could Be Worse.

Humankind Differs From The Animals Only By A Little And Most People Throw That Away.

The Way Of The Superior Person Is Threefold; Virtuous, They Are Free From Anxieties; Wise They Are Free From Perplexities; And Bold They Are Free From Fear.

I Hear And I Forget. I See And I Remember. I Do And I Understand.

Of Course You Want To Be Rich And Famous. It's Natural. Wealth And Fame Are What Every Man Desires. The Question Is: What Are You Willing To Trade For It?

A Ruthless Man Extends His Ruthlessness From Those He Does Not Love To Those He Loves.

Love Makes A Spot Beautiful: Who Chooses Not To Dwell In Love, Has He Got Wisdom?

What The Great Learning Teaches, Is To Illustrate Illustrious Virtue; To Renovate The People; And To Rest In The Highest Excellence.

Past Scholars Studied To Improve Themselves; Today's Scholars Study To Impress Others.

Learn As Though You Would Never Be Able To Master It; Hold It As Though You Would Be In Fear Of Losing It.

Be Not Ashamed Of Mistakes And Thus Make Them Crimes.

What Is Necessary Is To Rectify Names.

Everyone Calls His Son His Son, Whether He Has Talents Or Has Not Talents.

He Who Works For His Own Interests Will Arouse Much Animosity

It's Only In Winter That The Pine And Cypress Are Known To Be Evergreens.

To Study And Constantly, Is This Not A Pleasure? To Have Friends Come From Far Away Places, Is This Not A Joy? If People Do Not Recognize Your Worth, But This Does Not Worry You, Are You Not A True Gentleman?

Happiness Is Not At The Top Of The Mountain, But In How To Climb.

By Three Methods We May Learn Wisdom: First, By Reflection, Which Is Noblest; Second, By Imitation, Which Is Easiest; And Third By Experience, Which Is The Bitterest.

Between Friends, Frequent Reproofs Make The Friendship Distant.

Lost Friendship

A Youth Is To Be Regarded With Respect.

A Man Should Practice What He Preaches, But A Man Should Also Preach What He Practices.

A Heart Set On Love Will Do No Wrong.

How Should I Know Anything About Another World When I Know So Little Of This?

The Master Said, “a True Gentleman Is One Who Has Set His Heart Upon The Way. A Fellow Who Is Ashamed Merely Of Shabby Clothing Or Modest Meals Is Not Even Worth Conversing With.” (analects 4.9)

Men's Natures Are Alike; It Is Their Habits That Separate Them.

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.

To Be Wronged Is Nothing Unless You Continue To Remember It.

If A Man Sets His Heart On Benevolence He Will Be Free From Evil.

He Who Requires Much From Himself And Little From Others, Will Keep Himself From Being The Object Of Resentment.

Be Loyal And Trustworthy. Do Not Befriend Anyone Who Is Lower Than Yourself In This Regard.

Girl Who Sit On Judge's Lap Get Honorable Discharge.

From The Son Of Heaven Down To The Mass Of The People, All Must Consider The Cultivation Of The Person The Root Of Everything Besides.

To Know Everything Is To Know Nothing, But To Know Nothing Is To Know Everything.

The Master Said, A Gentleman, In His Plans, Thinks Of The Way; He Does Not Think How He Is Going To Make A Living. Even Farming Sometimes Entails 5 Times Of Shortage; And Even Learning May Incidentally Lead To High Pay. But A Gentleman's Anxieties Concern The Progress Of The Way; He Has No Anxiety Concerning Poverty.

If Doing What Ought To Be Done Be Made The First Business And Success A Secondary Consideration--is Not This The Way To Exalt Virtue?

The Superior Person Is Calm And Composed; The Lesser Person Is Continuously Worried And Distressed.

A Man Living Without Conflicts, As If He Never Lives At All.

Be Versed In Ancient Lore, And Familiarize Yourself With The Modern; Then May You Become Teachers.

The Father Who Does Not Teach His Son His Duties Is Equally Guilty With The Son Who Neglects Them.

Cultivated People Foster What Is Good In Others, Not What Is Bad. Petty People Do The Opposite.

To Study And At Times Practice What One Has Learned, Is This Not A Pleasure?

When A Nation Or Family Is About To Flourish, There Are Sure To Be Happy Omens; And When It Is About To Perish, There Are Sure To Be Unlucky Omens.

Cultivate The Root; The Leaves And Branches Will Take Care Of Themselves.

Every Thoughtful Pin On Pinterest Has Beauty. But Not Everyone Can See.

Instead Of Being Concerned That You Have No Office, Be Concerned To Think How You May Fit Yourself For Office. Instead Of Being Concerned That You Are Not Known, Seek To Be Worthy Of Being Known.

A Man Who Reviews The Old So As To Find Out The New Is Qualified To Teach Others.

The Superior Man Understands What Is Right; The Inferior Man Understands What Will Sell.

What You Know, You Know, What You Don't Know, You Don't Know. This Is True Wisdom.

A Bit Of Fragrance Always Clings To The Hand That Gives Roses. If You Are Generous, You Will Gain Everything.

Not Knowing Life, How Can We Know Death? Why Talk Of Spirits When You Do Not Understand Men?

It Is Better Not To Proceed At All Than To Proceed Without Purpose.

The Superior Man Does What Is Proper To The Station In Which He Is; He Does Not Desire To Go Beyond This.

Silence Is A True Friend Who Never Betrays.

Listen Much, Keep Silent When In Doubt, And Always Take Heed Of The Tongue; Thou Wilt Make Few Mistakes. See Much, Beware Of Pitfalls, And Always Give Heed To Thy Walk; Thou Wilt Have Little To Rue. If Thy Words Are Seldom Wrong, Thy Deeds Leave Little To Rue, Pay Will Follow.

Only One Who Bursts With Enthusiasm Do I Instruct; Only One Who Bubbles With Excitement Do I Enlighten. If I Hold Up One Corner And You Do Not Come Back To Me With The Other Three, I Do Not Continue The Lesson.

Faithfulness And Sincerity Are The Highest Things.

There Has Never Been A Man Mean And At The Same Time Virtuous.

To Be In One's Own Heart In Kindly Sympathy With All Things; This Is The Nature Of Righteousness

When You Meet Someone Better Than Yourself, Turn Your Thoughts To Becoming His Equal. When You Meet Someone Not As Good As You Are, Look Within And Examine Your Own Self.

I Want You To Be Everything That's You, Deep At The Center Of Your Being.

An Angry Person Is Always Full Of Poison.

Think No Vice So Small That You May Commit It, And No Virtue So Small That You May Over Look It.

Things Being Investigated, Knowledge Became Complete. Their Knowledge Being Complete, Their Thoughts Were Sincere. Their Thoughts Being Sincere, Their Hearts Were Then Rectified. Their Hearts Being Rectified, Their Persons Were Cultivated. Their Persons Being Cultivated, Their Families Were Regulated. Their Families Being Regulated, Their States Were Rightly Governed. Their States Being Rightly Governed, The Whole Kingdom Was Made Tranquil And Happy.

Sincerity Is That Whereby Self-completion Is Effected, And Its Way Is That By Which Man Must Direct Himself.

Only The Wisest And Stupidest Of Men Never Change.

It Does Not Matter How Slowly You Go As Long As You Do Not Stop.

Exemplary People Concern Themselves With Virtue, Small People Concern Themselves With Territory. The Ruling Class Thinks Of Punishment, The Lower Classes Hope For Benevolence.

I Daily Examine Myself On Three Points: In Planning For Others, Have I Failed In Conscientiousness? In Intercourse With Friends, Have I Been Insincere? And Have I Failed To Practice What I Have Been Taught?

It Is Only The Very Wisest And The Very Stupidest Who Never Change.

To Govern Is To Correct. If You Set An Example By Being Correct, Who Would Dare To Remain Incorrect?

To Know And Not Do, Is To Not Yet Know.

What The Superior Man Seeks Is In Himself; What The Small Man Seeks Is In Others.

A True Gentleman Makes Demands Upon Himself But Not Upon Others.

Make Fair Agreements And Stick To Them

A Man Of Humanity Is One Who, In Seeking To Establish Himself, Finds A Foothold For Others And Who, In Desiring Attaining Himself, Helps Others To Attain.

The Only People Who Cannot Change Are The Most Wise And The Most Stupid.

There Is Nothing Impossible In All The World Except That The Heart Of Man Is Wanting In Resolution.

In Antiquity Men Studied For Their Own Sake; Nowadays Men Study For The Sake Of Impressing Others.

Labor, But Slight Not Meditation; Meditate, But Slight Not Labor.

The Person Of Benevolence Never Worries.

With A Heavy Load And A Long Journey

I Used To Listen To What Others Said, And Expect Them To Act Accordingly. But Nowadays, I Listen To What They Say, And Then Observe What They Do.

The Superior Man * * * In Regard To His Speech * * * Is Anxious That It Should Be Sincere.

The Superior Person Gathers His Weapons Together In Order To Provide Against The Unforeseen.

It Is Not Possible For One To Teach Others Who Cannot Teach His Own Family.

The Chase Of Gain Is Rich In Hate

The Gem Cannot Be Polished Without Friction Nor Man Without Trials.

The Journey With A 1000 Miles Begins With One Step.

The Wise Find Pleasure In Water; The Virtuous Find Pleasure In Hills. The Wise Are Active; The Virtuous Are Tranquil. The Wise Are Joyful; The Virtuous Are Long-lived.

The Virtuous Man Is Driven By Responsibility, The Non-virtuous Man Is Driven By Profit.

There Is One Single Thread Binding My Way Together...the Way Of The Master Consists In Doing One's Best...that Is All.

At Seventy, I Could Follow The Dictates Of My Own Heart; For What I Desired No Longer Overstepped The Boundaries Of Right.

Man Who Eat Many Prunes Get Good Run For Money.

Do Not Answer The Person Whose Questions Are Vile. Do Not Question A Person Whose Answers Are Vile.

He Who Remembers From Day To Day What He Has Yet To Learn, And From Month To Month What He Has Learned Already, May Be Said To Have A Love Of Learning.

If You Make A Mistake And Do Not Correct It, This Is Called A Mistake.

The Scholar Does Not Consider Gold And Jade To Be Precious Treasures, But Loyalty And Good Faith.

Lead The People With Administrative Injunctions And Put Them In Their Place With Penal Law, And They Will Avoid Punishments But Will Be Without A Sense Of Shame. Lead Them With Excellence And Put Them In Their Place Through Roles And Ritual Practices, And In Addition To Developing A Sense Of Shame, They Will Order Themselves Harmoniously

Do Unto Others As You Wish Others Do Unto You.

Teachers Open The Door ... You Enter By Yourself.

Forget Injuries, Never Forget Kindnesses.

A Gentleman Considers What Is Right; The Vulgar Consider What Will Pay.

If You Don't Know The Life Yet, How Could Be Possible For You To Know The Death?

When A Wise Man Points At The Moon The Imbecile Examines The Finger.

In Vain I Have Looked For A Single Man Capable Of Seeing His Own Faults And Bringing The Charge Home Against Himself.

The Cautious Seldom Err.

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