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384 results · Page 9 of 16Play this collection ▷
02c. 515 BC
1. The Master said, 'My children, why do you not study the Book of Poetry? 2. 'The Odes serve to stimulate the mind. 3. 'They may be used for purposes of self-contemplation. 4. 'They teach the art of sociability. 5. 'They show how to regulate feelings of resentment. 6. 'From them you learn the more immediate duty of serving one's father, and the remoter one of serving one's prince. 7. 'From them we become largely acquainted with the names of birds, beasts, and plants.'
Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote
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08c. 515 BC
1. The Master said, 'Anciently, men had three failings, which now perhaps are not to be found. 2. 'The high-mindedness of antiquity showed itself in a disregard of small things; the high-mindedness of the present day shows itself in wild license. The stern dignity of antiquity showed itself in grave reserve; the stern dignity of the present day shows itself in quarrelsome perverseness. The stupidity of antiquity showed itself in straightforwardness; the stupidity of the present day shows itself in sheer deceit.'
Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote
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17c. 515 BC
There is no understanding where no sincerity is. Nowadays, for a person to be filial means no more than that he is able to provide his parents with food. Even dogs and horses are provided with food. If a person shows no reverence, where is the difference? The profound person understands what is moral. The small person understands what is profitable. Silence is often advisable but indifference is both criminal and wrong. The moral force of the profound person is like the wind; the moral force of the small person is like the grass. Let the wind blow over the grass and it is sure to bend. What you do not desire for yourself, do not do to others. Profound knowledge no one can obtain without putting aside all feelings of prejudice and self-conceit. It is always better to do good than wrong It is not to be inferred that those do not know to control or govern themselves should be able to properly advise others. Charity is a sublime grace and its bestowments bless both the giver and the receiver. Others might equal his intelligence, but not equal his stupidity. The common people can be made to follow a path and not understand it. We learn something practical, we study something theoretical; in learning the focus is on the learner. In study it is on the object. All things being equal, is better to be frugal.
Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote
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18c. 515 BC
When I told him one thing he understands ten. Repay the injury with straightness, but repay a good turn with a good turn. It is not the failure of others to appreciate your qualities, but rather your luck of them. I am a fortunate man. Whenever I make a mistake other people are sure to notice it. What a good man Tzu is, no one can find fault with what his parents and brothers have to say about him. Advise the best - but stop when is no chance of success. Isn’t it pleasant to learn with constant perseverance and application? Isn’t it pleasant to have friends visit from faraway places? Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no unease though men may make no note of him? It is cowardice to see what is right and not to do it. The superior man is conciliatory but not blind-accommodating; the small man is accommodating but not conciliatory. A superior man makes demands upon himself; a small man makes demands upon others. To have faults and not to correct them, this, indeed, is to have faults. To put people to death without having instructed them, that is called cruelty. When you know a thing, say that you know it; when you do not know a thing, admit that you don’t know it. This is wisdom.
Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote
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