The collection / 384 fragments

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Passages, proverbs, and questions carried across the ages.

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01c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The Kwan Tsu is expressive of enjoyment without being licentious, and of grief without being hurtfully excessive.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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02c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'High station filled without indulgent generosity; ceremonies performed without reverence; mourning conducted without sorrow;— wherewith should I contemplate such ways?'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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03c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'It is virtuous manners which constitute the excellence of a neighborhood. If a man in selecting a residence, do not fix on one where such prevail, how can he be wise?'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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04c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Those who are without virtue cannot abide long either in a condition of poverty and hardship, or in a condition of enjoyment. The virtuous rest in virtue; the wise desire virtue.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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05c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'It is only the (truly) virtuous man, who can love, or who can hate, others.'

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06c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'If the will be set on virtue, there will be no practice of wickedness.'

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07c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, 'Riches and honours are what men desire. If it cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be held. Poverty and meanness are what men dislike. If it cannot be avoided in the proper way, they should not be avoided. 2. 'If a superior man abandon virtue, how can he fulfil the requirements of that name? 3. 'The superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In moments of haste, he cleaves to it. In seasons of danger, he cleaves to it.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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08c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, 'I have not seen a person who loved virtue, or one who hated what was not virtuous. He who loved virtue, would esteem nothing above it. He who hated what is not virtuous, would practise virtue in such a way that he would not allow anything that is not virtuous to approach his person. 2. 'Is any one able for one day to apply his strength to virtue? I have not seen the case in which his strength would be insufficient. 3. 'Should there possibly be any such case, I have not seen it.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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09c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The faults of men are characteristic of the class to which they belong. By observing a man's faults, it may be known that he is virtuous.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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10c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'If a man in the morning hear the right way, he may die in the evening without regret.'

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11c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'A scholar, whose mind is set on truth, and who is ashamed of bad clothes and bad food, is not fit to be discoursed with.'

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12c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The superior man, in the world, does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything; what is right he will follow.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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13c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort. The superior man thinks of the sanctions of law; the small man thinks of favours which he may receive.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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14c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'If a prince is able to govern his kingdom with the complaisance proper to the rules of propriety, what difficulty will he have? If he cannot govern it with that complaisance, what has he to do with the rules of propriety?'

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15c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'A man should say, I am not concerned that I have no place, I am concerned how I may fit myself for one. I am not concerned that I am not known, I seek to be worthy to be known.'

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16c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The mind of the superior man is conversant with righteousness; the mind of the mean man is conversant with gain.'

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17c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'When we see men of worth, we should think of equalling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.'

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18c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'In serving his parents, a son may remonstrate with them, but gently; when he sees that they do not incline to follow his advice, he shows an increased degree of reverence, but does not abandon his purpose; and should they punish him, he does not allow himself to murmur.'

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19c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'While his parents are alive, the son may not go abroad to a distance. If he does go abroad, he must have a fixed place to which he goes.'

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20c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'If the son for three years does not alter from the way of his father, he may be called filial.'

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21c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The years of parents may by no means not be kept in the memory, as an occasion at once for joy and for fear.'

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22c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The reason why the ancients did not readily give utterance to their words, was that they feared lest their actions should not come up to them.'

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23c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The superior man wishes to be slow in his speech and earnest in his conduct.'

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24c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practises it will have neighbors.'

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