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If The Gentleman Is Not Serious, He Will Not Be Respected, And His Learning Will Not Be On A Firm Foundation. He Considers Loyalty And Faithfulness To Be Fundamental, Has No Friends Who Are Not Like Him, And When He Has Made Mistakes, He Is Not Afraid Of Correcting Them.

-Confucius

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If The Gentleman Is

Confucius

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If The Gentleman Is Not Serious, He Will Not Be Respected, And His Learning Will Not Be On A Firm Foundation. He Considers Loyalty And Faithfulness To Be Fundamental, Has No Friends Who Are Not Like Him, And When He Has Made Mistakes, He Is Not Afraid Of Correcting Them.

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

A Reasonable Man Adjusts Himself To The World. An Unreasonable Man Expects The World To Adjust Itself To Him. Therefore All Progress Is Made By Unreasonable People.

Slater Soaks Into The Mind As Water Into Low And Marshy Places, Where It Becomes Stagnant And Offensive.

If What One Has To Say Is Not Better Than Silence, Then One Should Keep Silent.

To Rein A Kingdom Efficiently It Is Necessary, Before All, To Put Into Good Order The Family. It's Impossible For A Man Who Doesn't Know How To Lead His Own Family To Know How To Lead A Country.

The Man Of Noble Mind Seeks To Achieve The Good In Others And Not Their Evil. The Little-minded Man Is The Reverse Of This.

Even If I Could, I Would Not Exahnge Their Virtues For My Own. And That Is Why They Are Intent On Learning From Me.

All Wisdom Is Rooted In Learning To Call Things By The Right Name. When Things Are Properly Identified, They Fall Into Natural Categories And Understanding Becomes Orderly.

There Are Not The Weeds The Ones That Drown The Good Seed, But The Negligence Of The Peasant.

The Expectations Of Life Depend Upon Diligence; The Mechanic That Would Perfect His Work Must First Sharpen His Tools.

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.

A Man Without A Mustache Is A Man Without A Soul.

Learning Without Thought Is Labor Lost; Thought Without Learning Is Perilous.

If Language Is Not Rectified, Words Do Not Correspond To Meaning, And If Words Do Not Correspond To Meaning, Our Deeds Cannot Be Accomplished.

Never Do To Others What You Would Not Like Them To Do To You.

The Person Who Is Not Strong Enough Gives Up At The Halfway Point - But You Are Limiting Yourself Before Even Starting.

When Wealth Is Centralized, The People Are Dispersed. When Wealth Is Distributed, The People Are Brought Together.

A Good Man Does Not Make A Warrior, Just As Good Steel Does Not Go For Nails.

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

To Err And Not Reform, This May Indeed Be Called Error.

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

A Good Man Regards The Root; He Fixes The Root, And Ail Else Flows Out Of It. The Root Is Filial Piety; The Fruit Brotherly Love.

A Gentleman Would Be Ashamed Should His Deeds Not Match His Words.

Deeds And Words

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

He Who Needs Only Coarse Food, Water And Drink, And As Pillow His Folded Arms Will Find Happiness Without Further Search.

Finding Happiness

If You Chase Two Rabbits, You Catch None.

I Transmit But Do Not Create. I Place My Trust In The Teachings Of Antiquity.

The Man Who Says He Can, And The Man Who Says He Can Not.. Are Both Correct

What The Wise Seek Is In Themselves

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

When One Cultivates To The Utmost The Principles Of His Nature, And Exercises Them On The Principle Of Reciprocity, He Is Not Far From The Path.

The Master Said, “what A Worthy Man Was Yan Hui! Living In A Narrow Alley, Subsisting Upon Meager Bits Of Rice And Water—other People Could Not Have Borne Such Hardship, And Yet It Never Spoiled Hui’s Joy. What A Worthy Man Was Hui!” (analects 6.11)

Study The Past If You Would Define The Future. I Am Not One Who Was Born In The Possession Of Knowledge; I Am One Who Is Fond Of Antiquity, And Earnest In Seeking It There. Learning Without Thought Is Labor Lost; Thought Without Learning Is Perilous.

There Is No Body But Eats And Drinks. But They Are Few Who Can Distinguish Flavors.

To Know It Is Not As Good As To Love It, And To Love It Is Not As Good As To Take Delight In It.

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

Charity, Like The Sun, Brightens Every Object On Which It Shines.

In Dealing With The Dead, If We Treat Them As If They Were Entirely Dead, That Would Show A Want Of Affection And Should Not Be Done; Or, If We Treat Them As If They Were Entirely Alive, That Would Show A Want Of Wisdom And Should Not Be Done.

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

With A Heavy Load And A Long Journey

The Nobler Sort Of Man Emphasizes The Good Qualities In Others, And Does Not Accentuate The Bad. The Inferior Does.

Roads Were Made For Journeys Not Destinations

A Man Who Has Committed A Mistake And Does Not Correct It Is Committing Another Mistake.

Do Not Let A Leader Lead You On A Bad Path.

A Gentleman Is Calm And Spacious: The Vulgar Are Always Fretting.

Give A Bowl Of Rice To A Man And You Will Feed Him For A Day. Teach Him How To Grow His Own Rice And You Will Save His Life.

Keep It Simple And Focus On What Matters. Don't Let Yourself Be Overwhelmed.

The Superior Man Has A Dignified Ease Without Pride. The Mean Man Has Pride Without A Dignified Ease.

Virtue Is Not Solitary; It Is Bound To Have Neighbors

The Man Of Perfect Virtue, Wishing To Be Established Himself, Seeks Also To Establish Others; Wishing To Be Enlarged Himself, He Seeks Also To Enlarge Others.

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

We Should Keep The Dead Before Our Eyes, And Honor Them As Though Still Living

If A Man Takes No Thought About What Is Distant, He Will Find Sorrow Near At Hand.

Wouldst Thou Know If A People Be Well Governed, Or If Its Laws Be Good Or Bad, Examine The Music It Practices.

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.

I Could See Peace Instead Of This.

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

Never Give A Sword To A Man Who Can't Dance.

One Hundred Women Are Not Worth A Single Testicle.

Recompense Injury With Justice, And Recompense Kindness With Kindness.

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

If You Want To Change The World, First Change Your Heart.

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.

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.

There Are Some With Whom We May Study In Common, But We Shall Find Them Unable To Go Along With Us To Principles. Perhaps We May Go On With Them To Principles, But We Shall Find Them Unable To Get Established In Those Along With Us. Or If We May Get So Established Along With Them, We Shall Find Them Unable To Weigh Occurring Events Along With Us.

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

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?

A Good Man Is Not Mine To See. Could I See A Man Possessed Of Constancy, That Would Satisfy Me.

If A Man In The Morning Hear The Right Way, He May Die In The Evening Without Regret.

The Master Said, "a True Teacher Is One Who, Keeping The Past Alive, Is Also Able To Understand The Present."

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Transport A Handful Of Earth Everyday And You Will Make A Mountain.

A Nation's Character Is Typified By Its Dancers.

I Used To Take On Trust A Man's Deeds After Having Listened To His Words. Now Having Listened To A Man's Words I Go On To Observe His Deeds.

At Fifteen My Mind Was Directed To Study, And At Thirty I Knew Where To Stand.

Good People Strengthen Themselves Ceaselessly

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

When You Breathe, You Inspire, And When You Do Not Breathe, You Expire.

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.

Respect Yourself And Others Will Respect You.

An Oppressive Government Is More To Be Feared Than A Tiger.

The People May Be Put Into The Way They Should Go, Though They May Not Be Put Into The Way Of Understanding It.

The Gentleman Is Calm And At Ease. The Gentleman Is Dignified But Not Proud; The Small Man Is Proud But Not Dignified.

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

The Superior Person Is In Harmony, But Does Not Follow The Crowd. The Lesser Person Follows The Crowd, But Is Not In Harmony.

The Superior Man Is Distressed By The Limitations Of His Ability; He Is Not Distressed By The Fact That Men Do Not Recognize The Ability That He Has.

The Shortest Distance Between Any Two Points On A Golf Course Is A Straight Line That Passes Directly Through The Center Of A Very Large Tree.

Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself: Do Not Do To Others What Thou Wouldst Not Wish Be Done To Thyself: Forgive Injuries. Forgive Thy Enemy, Be Reconciled To Him, Give Him Assistance, Invoke God In His Behalf.

Virtue Is Not Left To Stand Alone. He Who Practices It Will Have Neighbors.

It Is The Obligation Of The Ruler To Continually Renew Himself In Order To Renew The People By His Example.

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

The Gentleman Holds Justice To Be Of Highest Importance. If A Gentleman Has Courage But Neglects Justice, He Becomes Insurgent. If An Inferior Man Has Courage But Neglects Justice, He Becomes A Thief.

Fix Your Mind On Truth, Hold Firm To Virtue, Rely On Loving Kindness, And Find Your Recreation In The Arts.

He Who Is Harmony With Nature Hits The Mark Without Effort And Apprehends The Truth Without Thinking.

Be Aroused By Poetry; Structure Yourself With Propriety, Refine Yourself With Music.

Acquire New Knowledge Whilst Thinking Over The Old, And You May Become A Teacher Of Others.

Great As Heaven And Earth Are, Men Still Find Some Things In Them With Which To Be Dissatisfied. Thus It Is That, Were The Superior Man To Speak Of His Way In All Its Greatness, Nothing In The World Would Be Found Able To Embrace It, And Were He To Speak Of It In Its Minuteness, Nothing In The World Would Be Found Able To Split It.

It Doesn't Make A Difference How Gradually You Go So Long As You Don't Stop.

Making A Difference

When You See A Worthy Person, Endeavor To Emulate Him. When You See An Unworthy Person, Then Examine Your Inner Self.

For Benefits Return Benefits; For Injuries Return Justice Without Any Admixture Of Revenge.

Make Fair Agreements And Stick To Them

A Scholar Who Loves Comfort Is Not Fit To Be Called A Scholar.

A Gentleman Is Ashamed To Let His Words Outrun His Deeds.

The Superior Man Is Universally Minded And No Partisan. The Inferior Man Is A Partisan And Not Universal.

Excess And Deficiency Are Equally At Fault.

Some May Study Side By Side, And Yet Be Asunder When They Come To The Logic Of Things.

If A Man Is Respectful He Will Not Be Treated With Insolence. If He Is Tolerant He Will Win The Multitude. If He Is Trustworthy In Word His Fellow Men Will Entrust Him With Responsibility. If He Is Quick He Will Achieve Results.

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

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

What Is God-given Is Called Nature; To Follow Nature Is Called Tao (the Way); To Cultivate The Way Is Called Culture. Before Joy, Anger, Sadness And Happiness Are Expressed, They Are Called The Inner Self; When They Are Expressed To The Proper Degree, They Are Called Harmony. The Inner Self Is The Correct Foundation Of The World, And The Harmony Is The Illustrious Way. When A Man Has Achieved The Inner Self And Harmony, The Heaven And Earth Are Orderly And The Myriad Of Things Are Nourished And Grow Thereby.

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.

Confucius Say... Politician Is One Who Shakes Your Hand Before Elections And Your Confidence After.

When A Man Is Guided By The Principles Of Reciprocity And Consciousness, He Is Not Far From The Moral Law. Whatever You Don't Wish For Yourself Don't Do Unto Others.

Life Is Really Simple, But We Insist On Making It Complicated.

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

Be In Harmony, Yet Be Different.

The More You Know Yourself, The More You Forgive Yourself.

You Do Not Understand Even Life. How Can You Understand Death?

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

When You See A Good Person, Think Of Becoming Like Her/him. When You See Someone Not So Good, Reflect On Your Own Weak Points.

Do Not Unto Another That You Would Hot Have Him Do Unto You. Thou Needest This Law Alone. It Is The Foundation Of All The Rest.

A Wise Man Seeks By Music To Strengthen His Soul: The Thoughtless One Uses It To Stifle His Fears.

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.

When You Locate Good In Yourself, Approve Of It With Determination. When You Locate Evil In Yourself, Despise It As Something Detestable.

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.

That A Man Lives Is Because He Is Straight. That A Man Who Dupes Others Survives Is Because He Has Been Fortunate Enough To Be Spared.

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

One Dedicated Worker Is Worth A Thousand Slaves.

Woman Is The Masterpiece.

The Journey With A 1000 Miles Begins With One Step.

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

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.

He Who Learns But Does Not Think, Is Lost. He Who Thinks But Does Not Learn Is In Great Danger.

Sincerity Is The Way Of Heaven.

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

The Administration Of Government Lies In Getting Proper Men. Such Men Are To Be Got By Means Of The Ruler's Own Character. That Character Is To Be Cultivated By His Treading In The Ways Of Duty. And The Treading Those Ways Of Duty Is To Be Cultivated By The Cherishing Of Benevolence.

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

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 Chase Of Gain Is Rich In Hate

The Essence Of Knowledge Is, Having It, To Use It.

What Is Necessary Is To Rectify Names.

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

What Is Most Needed For Learning Is A Humble Mind.

Because The Newer Methods Of Treatment Are Good, It Does Not Follow That The Old Ones Were Bad: For If Our Honorable And Worshipful Ancestors Had Not Recovered From Their Ailments, You And I Would Not Be Here Today.

There Is One Word Which May Serve As A Rule Of Practice For All One's Life -reciprocity.

An Orchid In A Deep Forest Sends Out Its Fragrance Even If No One Is Around To Appreciate It.

The Superior Man Undergoes Three Changes. Looked At From A Distance, He Appears Stern; When Approached, He Is Mild; When He Is Heard To Speak, His Language Is Firm And Decided.

With Coarse Rice To Eat, With Water To Drink, And My Bent Arm For A Pillow - I Have Still Joy In The Midst Of All These Things.

Every Truth Has Four Corners: As A Teacher I Give You One Corner, And It Is For You To Find The Other Three.

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

Those Whose Courses Are Different Cannot Lay Plans For One Another.

In A State, Pecuniary Gain Is Not To Be Considered To Be Prosperity, But Its Prosperity Will Be Found In Righteousness.

Be Not Ashamed Of Mistakes And Thus Make Them Crimes.

I'd Rather Die For Speaking Out, Than To Live And Be Silent.

The Wise Man Admires Water, The Kind Man Admires Mountains. The Wise Man Moves, The Kind Man Rests. The Wise Man Is Happy, The Kind Man Is Firm.

A Man Exercising No Forethought Will Soon Experience Present Sorrow.

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

Be Strict With Yourself But Least Reproachful Of Others And Complaint Is Kept Afar.

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

If Names Be Not Correct, Language Is Not In Accordance With The Truth Of Things.

Make Faithfulness And Truth Thy Masters: Have No Friends Unlike Thyself: Be Not Ashamed To Mend Thy Faults.

Wherever You Go, Go With All Your Heart.

The Gentleman Prefers To Be Slow In Word But Diligent In Action.

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?

Not Too Isolated, Not Too Many Relationships, The Middle, That's Wisdom.

The Gentleman Calls Attention To The Good Points In Others; He Does Not Call Attention To Their Defects. The Small Man Does Just The Reverse Of This.

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

To Be Poor Without Murmuring Is Difficult. To Be Rich Without Being Proud Is Easy.

The Three Armies Can Be Deprived Of Their Commanding Officer, But Even A Common Man Cannot Be Deprived Of His Purpose.

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

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

Those Who Know The Truth Are Not Equal To Those Who Love It.

All Things Are Nourished Together Without Their Injuring One Another. The Courses Of The Seasons, And Of The Sun And Moon, Are Pursued Without Any Collision Among Them. The Smaller Energies Are Like River Currents; The Greater Energies Are Seen In Mighty Transformations. It Is This Which Makes Heaven And Earth So Great.

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

Charity Is That Rational And Constant Affection Which Makes Us Sacrifice Ourselves To The Human Race, As If We Were United With It, So As To Form One Individual, Partaking Equally In Its Adversity And Prosperity.

You Judge Yourself By What You Think You Can Achieve, Others Judge You By What Have Achieved.

Let A Man Be Stimulated By Poetry, Established By The Rules Of Propriety, And Perfected By Music.

Study The Past, If You Would Divine The Future.

The Superior Man Has Nothing To Compete For. But If He Must Compete, He Does It In An Archery Match, Wherein He Ascends To His Position, Bowing In Deference. Descending, He Drinks The Ritual Cup.

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.

Every House Guest Brings You Happiness. Some When They Arrive, And Some When They Are Leaving

The Man Of Upright Life Is Obeyed Before He Speaks.

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

Faced With What Is Right, To Leave It Undone Shows A Lack Of Courage.

Don't Be Concerned That You Have No Position; Be Concerned How You May Fit Yourself To Occupy One. .

Never Hesitate To Ask A Lesser Person.

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

An Angry Person Is Always Full Of Poison.

Therefore The Superior Man Is Watchful Over Himself, When He Is Alone.

Do Not Use A Cannon To Kill A Mosquito.

If The People Be Led By Laws, And Uniformity Sought To Be Given Them By Punishments, They Will Try To Avoid The Punishment, But Have No Sense Of Shame.

Even In Killing Men, Observe The Rules Of Propriety.

When You Have Faults, Do Not Fear To Abandon Them.

Only By Perfect Virtue Can The Perfect Path, In All Its Courses, Be Made A Fact.

Know What You Know And Know That You Don't Know What You Don't Know — That Is The Characteristic Of One Who Knows.

The Requisites Of Government Are That There Be Sufficiency Of Food, Sufficiency Of Military Equipment, And The Confidence Of The People In Their Ruler.

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 Path May Not Be Left For An Instant. If It Could Be Left, It Would Not Be The Path.

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

If You Would Govern A State Of A Thousand Chariots (a Small-to-middle-size State), You Must Pay Strict Attention To Business, Be True To Your Word, Be Economical In Expenditure And Love The People.

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