The collection / 384 fragments

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Passages, proverbs, and questions carried across the ages.

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01c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, 'Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? 2. 'Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?' 3. 'Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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02c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.'

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03c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'A youth, when at home, should be filial, and, abroad, respectful to his elders. He should be earnest and truthful. He should overflow in love to all, and cultivate the friendship of the good. When he has time and opportunity, after the performance of these things, he should employ them in polite studies.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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04c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, 'If the scholar be not grave, he will not call forth any veneration, and his learning will not be solid. 2. 'Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. 3. 'Have no friends not equal to yourself. 4. 'When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.'

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05c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'While a man's father is alive, look at the bent of his will; when his father is dead, look at his conduct. If for three years he does not alter from the way of his father, he may be called filial.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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06c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'I will not be afflicted at men's not knowing me; I will be afflicted that I do not know men.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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07c. 515 BC

The Master said, '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 (traditional attribution) / quote

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08c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'In the Book of Poetry are three hundred pieces, but the design of them all may be embraced in one sentence— "Having no depraved thoughts."'

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09c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, '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. 2. 'If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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10c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, 'At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. 2. 'At thirty, I stood firm. 3. 'At forty, I had no doubts. 4. 'At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. 5. 'At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. 6. 'At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right.'

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11c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, 'See what a man does. 2. 'Mark his motives. 3. 'Examine in what things he rests. 4. 'How can a man conceal his character? 5. How can a man conceal his character?'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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12c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'If a man keeps cherishing his old knowledge, so as continually to be acquiring new, he may be a teacher of others.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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13c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The accomplished scholar is not a utensil.'

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14c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The superior man is catholic and no partisan. The mean man is partisan and not catholic.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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15c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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16c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The study of strange doctrines is injurious indeed!'

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17c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'I do not know how a man without truthfulness is to get on. How can a large carriage be made to go without the cross-bar for yoking the oxen to, or a small carriage without the arrangement for yoking the horses?'

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18c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, 'For a man to sacrifice to a spirit which does not belong to him is flattery. 2. 'To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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19c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'If a man be without the virtues proper to humanity, what has he to do with the rites of propriety? If a man be without the virtues proper to humanity, what has he to do with music?'

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20c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The rude tribes of the east and north have their princes, and are not like the States of our great land which are without them.'

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21c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'I could describe the ceremonies of the Hsia dynasty, but Chi cannot sufficiently attest my words. I could describe the ceremonies of the Yin dynasty, but Sung cannot sufficiently attest my words. (They cannot do so) because of the insufficiency of their records and wise men. If those were sufficient, I could adduce them in support of my words.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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22c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'At the great sacrifice, after the pouring out of the libation, I have no wish to look on.'

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23c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Chau had the advantage of viewing the two past dynasties. How complete and elegant are its regulations! I follow Chau.'

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24c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'In archery it is not going through the leather which is the principal thing;— because people's strength is not equal. This was the old way.'

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