Background Image

...

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.

-Confucius

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

The Master Said, A

Confucius

...

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.

Views: 10

Topic

More From Confucius

Wisdom Is Rooted In Watching With Affection The Way People Grow.

Being In Humaneness Is Good. If We Select Other Goodness And Thus Are Far Apart From Humaneness, How Can We Be The Wise?

To Know Is To Know That You Know Nothing. That Is The Meaning Of True Knowledge.

There Are Three Marks Of A Superior Man: Being Virtuous, He Is Free From Anxiety; Being Wise, He Is Free From Perplexity; Being Brave, He Is Free From Fear.

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 Gentleman Desires To Be Halting In Speech But Quick In Action.

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

The Great Man Is Sparing In Words But Prodigal In Deeds.

Expect Much From Yourself And Little From Others And You Will Avoid Incurring Resentments

When We Have Intelligence Resulting From Sincerity, This Condition Is To Be Ascribed To Nature; When We Have Sincerity Resulting From Intelligence, This Condition Is To Be Ascribed To Instruction. But Given The Sincerity, And There Shall Be The Intelligence; Given The Intelligence, And There Shall Be The Sincerity.

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

Humility Is The Solid Foundation Of All Virtues.

Choose A Job You Love, And You Will Never Have To Work A Day In Your Life.

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.

Those Who Understands Is Not Better Than Those Who Appreciates, Those Who Appreciates Is Not Better Than Those Who Enjoys.

He Who Flatters A Man Is His Enemy. He Who Tells Him Of His Faults Is His Maker.

By Gaining The People, The Kingdom Is Gained; By Losing The People, The Kingdom Is Lost.

Silence Is A True Friend Who Never Betrays.

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

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.

Success Depends Upon Previous Preparation, And Without Such Preparation There Is Sure To Be Failure.

Congratulations

Of Neighborhoods, Benevolence Is The Most Beautiful. How Can The Man Be Considered Wise Who When He Had The Choice Does Not Settle In Benevolence.

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.

The Nobler Sort Of Man Emphasizes The Good Qualities In Others, And Does Not Accentuate The Bad. The Inferior Does The Reverse. . . . The Nobler Sort Of Man Pays Special Attention To Nine Points. He Is Anxious To See Clearly, To Hear Distinctly, To Be Kindly In His Looks, Respectful In His Demeanor, Conscientious In His Speech, Earnest In His Affairs. When In Doubt, He Is Careful To Inquire; When In Anger, He Thinks Of The Consequences; When Offered An Opportunity For Gain, He Thinks Only Of His Duty.

There Are Three Things To Beware Of Through Life: When A Man Is Young, Let Him Beware Of His Appetites; When He Is Middle-aged, Of His Passions; And When Old, Of Covetousness, Especially.

If My Mind Be Not Engaged In Worship, It Is As Though I Worshipped Not.

Be Sincere And True To Your Word, Serious And Careful In Your Actions; And You Will Get Along Even Among Barbarians, But If You Are Not Sincere And Untrustworthy In Your Speech, Frivolous And Careless In Your Actions, How Will You Get Along Even Among Your Own Neighbors? When Stand, See These Principles In Front Of You; In Your Carriage See Them On The Yoke. Then You May Be Sure To Get Along.

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

When Prosperity Comes, Do Not Use All Of It.

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

Deeds And Words

There Are Three Degrees Of Filial Piety. The Highest Is Being A Credit To Our Parents, The Second Is Not Disgracing Them; The Lowest Is Being Able Simply To Support Them.

When You See A Good Man, Try To Emulate His Example, And When You See A Bad Man, Search Yourself For His Faults.

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

He Who Will Not Economize Will Agonize

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

Great Is The Man Who Can Overcome The World, But Greater Still Is The Man Who Can Overcome Himself, For He Will Have The World Spinning On The Palm Of His Hand.

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

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

The Way Of Heaven And Earth May Be Completely Declared In One Sentence: They Are Without Any Doubleness, And So They Produce Things In A Manner That Is Unfathomable.

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

What You Do Not Want Done To Yourself, Do Not Do To Others.

How Transcendent Is The Virtue Of The Middle Conduct! Rare For A Long Time Has Been Its Practice Among The People.

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

When Anger Rises, Think Of The Consequences.

If A Superior Man Abandon Virtue, How Can He Fulfil The Requirements Of That Name?

The Master Said, At Fifteen I Set My Heart Upon Learning. At Thirty, I Had Planted My Feet Firm Upon The Ground. At Forty, I No Longer Suffered From Perplexities. At Fifty, I Knew What Were The Biddings Of Heaven. At Sixty, I Heard Them With Docile Ear. At Seventy, I Could Follow The Dictates Of My Own Heart; For What I Desired No Longer Overstepped The Boundaries Of Righ.

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.

A Nation's Character Is Typified By Its Dancers.

I Could See Peace Instead Of This.

When Admins Have Faults, They Do Not Fear To Ignore Them

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

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

Grieve Not That Men Do Not Know You; Grieve That You Do Not Know Men.

As In The Case Of Making A Mound, If, Before The Very Last Basketful, I Stop, Then I Shall Have Stopped. As In The Case Of Leveling The Ground, If, Though Tipping Only One Basketful, I Am Going Forward, Then I Shall Be Making Progress.

Without Knowing The Force Of Words, It Is Impossible To Know More.

We Take Greater Pains To Persuade Others That We Are Happy Than In Endeavoring To Think So Ourselves

If One Leads Them With Administrative Measures And Uses Punishments To Make Them Conform, The People Will Be Evasive, But If One Leads Them With Virtue, They Will Come Up To Expectations.

All The Darkness In The World Can't Put Out The Light Of One Candle.

Does Heaven Ever Speak? The Four Seasons Come And Go, And All Creatures Thrive And Grow. Does Heaven Ever Speak!

A Youth Is To Be Regarded With Respect.

Men Do Not Stumble Over Mountains, But Over Mole Hills.

Famous Inspirational

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

The Gentleman Sees What Is Right While The Small Man Sees What Is Profitable.

If Language Is Not Correct, Then What Is Said Is Not What Is Meant; If What Is Said Is Not What Is Meant, Then What Must Be Done Remains Undone; If This Remains Undone, Morals And Art Will Deteriorate; If Justice Goes Astray, The People Will Stand About In Helpless Confusion. Hence There Must Be No Arbitrariness In What Is Said. This Matters Above Everything.

Future Generation Is The Most Important Thing.

Future Generation

If One Should Desire To Know Whether A Kingdom Is Well Governed, If Its Morals Are Good Or Bad, The Quality Of Its Music Will Furnish The Answer.

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)

Knowing Something Is Not As Good As Liking It. Liking Something Is Not As Good As Rejoicing In It.

Knowing Something

Don't Make To Others What You Don't Want Them To Make To You.

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

Virtue Is More To Man Than Either Water Or Fire. I Have Seen Men Die From Treading On Water And Fire, But I Have Never Seen A Man Die From Treading The Course Of Virtue.

The Superior Person Tries To Promote Music As A Means To The Perfection Of Human Culture. When Such Music Prevails, And People's Minds Are Led Towards The Right Ideals And Aspirations, We May See The Appearance Of A Great Nation.

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.

Excess Weakens The Spirits.

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

The More Man Meditates Upon Good Thoughts, The Better Will Be His World And The World At Large.

There Are Three Sorts Of Pleasures Which Are Advantageous, And Three Which Are Injurious. Finding Pleasure In The Discriminating Study Of Ceremonies And Music, Finding Pleasure In Discussing The Good Points In The Conduct Of Others, And Finding Pleasure In Having Many Wise Friends, These Are Advantageous. But Finding Pleasure In Profligate Enjoyments, Finding Pleasure In Idle Gadding About, And Finding Pleasure In Feasting, These Are Injurious.

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.

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.

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.

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.

When You See A Good Man, Think Of Emulating Him; When You See A Bad Man, Examine Your Own Heart.

Only The Wisest And Stupidest Of Men Never Change.

Don't Do Unto Others What You Don't Want Others To Do Unto You.

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

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.

We Should Worship As Though The Deity Were Present.

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

Clever Talk And Domineering Manner Have Little To With Being A Man At His Best.

If You Would One Day Renovate Yourself, Do So From Day To Day.

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

Table Your Mistakes, Learn From Them, Then Move On.

I Live In A Very Small House, But My Windows Look Out On A Very Large World.

Desire To Have Things Done Quickly Prevents Their Being Done Thoroughly.

He Who Works For His Own Interests Will Arouse Much Animosity

A Man Should Demand Much From Himself, But Little From Others. When You Meet A Man Of Worth, Think How You May Attain To His Excellence. When You Meet An Unworthy One, Then Look Within And Examine Yourself.

Consideration For Others Is The Basis Of A Good Life, A Good Society.

Remember Even When Alone, That The Divine Is Everywhere.

Reviewing The Day's Lessons. Isn't It Joyful? Friends Come From Far. Isn't It Delightful? One Has Never Been Angry At Other's Misunderstanding. Isn't He A Respectable Man?

If I Hold Up One Corner Of A Square And The Student Cannot Workout The Other Three For Himself, I Won't Go Any Further.

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

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

Our Greatest Glory Is Not In Never Falling, But In Rising Every Time We Fall.

Those Who Make Virtue Their Profession Are The Ruin Of Virtue.

In A District Of Ten Families, There Must Be Someone As Honorable And Sincere As I, But None As Fond Of Learning.

Those Who Do Not Study Are Only Cattle Dressed Up In Men's Clothes.

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?

You Turn The Handle The Way It Goes, Not The Way It Ought To Go

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

The Journey With A 1000 Miles Begins With One Step.

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

The Superior Man, Even When He Is Not Moving, Has A Feeling Of Reverence, And While He Speaks Not, He Has The Feeling Of Truthfulness.

I Never Really Said All Those Things I Said

When Young, Beware Of Fighting; When Strong, Beware Of Sex; And When Old, Beware Of Possession.

When Music And Courtesy Are Better Understood And Appreciated, There Will Be No War.

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

If You Chase Two Rabbits, You Catch None.

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

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

An Angry Man Is Full Of Poison.

One Who Can Move Mountains Start With The Little Stones.

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.

He Who Crosses The Ocean Twice Without Washing Is A Dirty Double Crosser.

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

The Firm, The Enduring, The Simple, And The Modest Are Near To Virtue.

Wherever You Go, Go With All Your Heart.

Kong Qiu, Or Master Kong As He Was Known, Did Not Live To See His Days Of Glory. During His Lifetime, His Views Were Received With Scorn. But That Was About Two Thousand Five Hundred Years Ago. A Handful Of His Dedicated Followers Passed On Confucius' Teachings To Future Generations. After Confucius' Death, His Followers Published His Teachings In The Book, The Analects Of Confucius.

From A Grain Of Sand In The Pearl Comes.

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

Let Mourning Stop When One's Grief Is Fully Expressed.

He Who Cannot Describe The Problem Will Never Find The Solution To That Problem.

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

Of All That Heaven Produces And Nourishes, There Is None So Great As Man.

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.

Sincerity And Truth Are The Basis Of Every Virtue.

Chi Wen Tzu Always Thought Three Times Before Taking Action. Twice Would Have Been Quite Enough.

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

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

The Master Said, “the Gentleman Understands What Is Right, Whereas The Petty Man Understands Profit.” (analects 4.16)

Only The Supremely Wise And The Ignorant Do Not Alter.

The Person Of Benevolence Never Worries.

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

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 Contrived Language And The Flattering Attitude Rarely Come With The Virtue.

Faithfulness And Sincerity First Of All.

What Is Most Needed For Learning Is A Humble Mind.

The Demands That A Great Man Makes Are On Himself; Those Of A Petty Man Are Upon Others.

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

You Cannot Open A Book Without Learning Something.

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

Look Not At What Is Contrary To Propriety; Listen Not To What Is Contrary To Propriety; Speak Not What Is Contrary To Propriety; Make No Movement Which Is Contrary To Propriety.

Knowing What's Correct And Not Doing It, It's The Worst Cowardice.

All Things Are Already Complete In Oneself.

To Go Beyond Is As Wrong As To Fall Short.

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

Study The Past If You Want To Define The Future.

Don't Be Concerned About Others Not Appreciating You. Be Concerned About Your Not Appreciating Others.

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

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

Finding Happiness

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

Without An Acquaintance With The Rules Of Propriety, It Is Impossible For The Character To Be Established

Surely It Is The Maxim Of Loving-kindness: Do Not Unto Others That You Would Not Have Them Do Unto You.

Loving Kindness

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

The Sun And Moon Shine On All Without Partiality.

What You Do Not Wish Upon Yourself, Extend Not To Others.

She Who Is Born With Beauty Is Born With A Sorrow For Many A Man.

It Is Man That Makes Truth Great, And Not Truth That Makes Man Great.

The Path Is Not Far From Man. When Men Try To Pursue A Course, Which Is Far From The Common Indications Of Consciousness, This Course Cannot Be Considered The Path.

The Superior Man Is All-embracing And Not Partial. The Inferior Man Is Partial And Not All-embracing.

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

There May Be Men Who Act Without Understanding Why. I Do Not. To Listen Much, Pick Out The Good And Follow It; To See Much And Ponder It: This Comes Next To Understanding.

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

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.

Many Seek Happiness Higher Than Men; Others Beneath Him. But Happiness Is The Same Height As Man.

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

What The Wise Seek Is In Themselves

Don't Let Your Past Determine Your Destiny.

Our Headstrong Passions Shut The Door Of Our Souls Against God.

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

The Determined Scholar And The Man Of Virtue Will Not Seek To Live At The Expense Of Injuring Their Virtue. They Will Even Sacrifice Their Lives To Preserve Their Virtue Complete.

If A Man Has No Humaneness What Can His Propriety Be Like? If A Man Has No Humaneness What Can His Happiness Be Like?

If I Am Building A Mountain And Stop Before The Last Basketful Of Earth Is Placed On The Summit, I Have Failed.

To Be Fond Of Learning Is To Draw Close To Wisdom. To Practice With Vigor Is To Draw Close To Benevolence. To Know The Sense Of Shame Is To Draw Close To Courage. He Who Knows These Three Things Knows How To Cultivate His Own Character. Knowing How To Cultivate His Own Character, He Knows How To Govern Other Men. Knowing How To Govern Other Men, He Knows How To Govern The World, Its States, And Its Families.

A Man Who Does Not Forget An Agreement Is Resolved And Honorable Man.

Excessive (population) Growth May Reduce Output Per Worker, Repress Levels Of Living For The Masses And Engender Strife

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

Learning Without Thought Is Labour Lost.

The Superior Man Sets His Person At Rest Before He Moves; He Composes His Mind Before He Speaks.

Good Is No Hermit. It Has Ever Neighbors.

A Lion Chased Me Up A Tree, And I Greatly Enjoyed The View From The Top.

A Workman Who Wants To Do His Work Well Must First Prepare His Tools.

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.

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

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

If I Were Travelling With Two Partners, One Virtuous And One Dishonest, Both Would Be Useful As Teachers. I Would Perceive What's Good Of The First One And I Would Imitate Him Whereas I Would Try To Correct In Me The Defects I May See In The Second One.

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

These Are The Four Abuses: Desire To Succeed In Order To Make Oneself Famous; Taking Credit For The Labors Of Others; Refusal To Correct One's Errors Despite Advice; Refusal To Change One's Ideas Despite Warnings.

If You Shoot For The Stars And Hit The Moon, It's Ok. But You've Got To Shoot For Something. A Lot Of People Don't Even Shoot.

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.

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

Trending Author

Mitch McConnell

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Category