Confucius Quotes

Confucius was an influential Chinese philosopher, teacher and political figure known for his popular aphorisms and for his models of social interaction.

Confucius QuotesKong Qui, better known as Confucius, was born in 551 B.C. in the Lu state of China (near present-day Qufu). His teachings, preserved in the Analects, focused on creating ethical models of family and public interaction, and setting educational standards. He died in 479 B.C. Confucianism later became the official imperial philosophy of China, and was extremely influential during the Han, Tang and Song dynasties.

He is considered one of the few teachers who marked the Chinese philosophy with the power and wisdom.

This post is one heck of a collection the greatest Confucius quotes ever, take advantage and get some free knowledge and wisdom!

A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace.


A lion chased me up a tree, and I greatly enjoyed the view from the top.


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.


A man without a mustache is a man without a soul.


A man without persistence will never make a good shaman or a good physician.


A superior man in dealing with the world is not for anything or against anything. He follows righteousness as the standard.


A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present?


Ability will never catch up with the demand for it.


Act with kindness but do not expect gratitude.


All people are the same; only their habits differ.


And remember, no matter where you go, there you are.


Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.


Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.


Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.


Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.


Consideration for others is the basis of a good life, a good society.


Do unto others what you want done unto you.


Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbor’s roof when your own doorstep is unclean.


Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you.


Don’t use cannon to kill musquito.


Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.


Everything has beauty but not everyone can see it


Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.


Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage.


Faithfulness and sincerity are the highest things.


Fix your mind on truth, hold firm to virtue, rely on loving kindness, and find your recreation in the Arts.


For this reason the gentleman will employ a man on a distant mission and observe his degree of loyalty, will employ him close at hand and observe his degree of respect. He will hand him troublesome affairs and observe how well he manages them, will suddenly ask his advice and observe how wisely he answers. He will exact some difficult promise from him and see how well he keeps it, turn over funds to him and see with what benevolence he dispenses them, inform him of the danger he is in and note how faithful he is to his duties. He will get him drunk with wine and observe how well he handles himself, place him in mixed company and see what effect beauty has upon him. By applying these nine tests, you may determine who is the unworthy man.


Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.


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.


Have no friends not equal to yourself.


He who flatters a man is his enemy. he who tells him of his faults is his maker.


He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.


He Who Knows And Knows That He Knows Is A Wise Man – Follow Him;


he who will not economize will agonize


he who will not economize will have to agonize


Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.


Humankind differs from the animals only by a little and most people throw that away.


I followed my heart without breaking any rules.


I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.


If either wealth or poverty are come by honesty, there is no shame.


If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things.


If there were an honorable way to get rich, I’d do it, even if it meant being a stooge standing around with a whip. But there isn’t an honorable way, so I just do what I like.


If there were one word that could act as a standard of conduct for one’s entire life, perhaps it would be ‘thoughtfulness.


If what one has to say is not better than silence, then one should keep silent.


If you don’t want to do something,don’t impose on others


If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.


If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children.


In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.


It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.


It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.


It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.


It is not the failure of others to appreciate your abilities that should trouble you, but rather your failure to appreciate theirs.


It is when those who are not strong enough have made some moderate amount of progress that they fail and give up…


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


Learn as if you were not reaching your goal and as though you were scared of missing it


Learning without thought is labor lost. Thought without learning is intellectual death.


Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.


Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.


Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.


Never contract friendship with a man that is not better than thyself.


Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance.


Never tire to study. And to teach to others


Not to discuss with a man worthy of conversation is to waste the man. To discuss with a man not worthy of conversation is to waste words. The wise waste neither men nor words.


On a deux vies et la deuxième commence le jour ou l’on se rend compte qu’on n’en a qu’une.


One joy dispels a hundred cares.


Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.


Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.


People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.


People with virtue must speak out; People who speak are not all virtuous.


Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.


Respect yourself and others will respect you.


roads were made for journeys not destinations


Shall I teach you what knowledge?


Silence is a true friend who never betrays.


Some are born with knowledge, some derive it from study, and some acquire it only after a painful realization of their ignorance.


Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods.


Study the past if you would define the future.


The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.


The Essence of Knowledge is, having it, to use it.


The expectations of life depend upon diligence the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.


The funniest people are the saddest ones


The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.


The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.


The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat.


The journey with a 1000 miles begins with one step.


The man of wisdom is never of two minds;


The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.


The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.


The Man who says he can, and the man who says he can not.. Are both correct


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.


The Master said, A true teacher is one who, keeping the past alive, is also able to understand the present.


The Master said, At fifteen I set my heart upon learning.


The Master said, If your conduct is determined solely by considerations of profit you will arouse great resentment.


The noble-minded are calm and steady. Little people are forever fussing and fretting.


The nobler sort of man emphasizes the good qualities in others, and does not accentuate the bad. The inferior does.


The scholar does not consider gold and jade to be precious treasures, but loyalty and good faith.


The scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.


The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.


The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.


The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved.


The way of the superior person is threefold; virtuous, they are free from anxieties; wise they are free from perplexities; and bold they are free from fear.


The way out is through the door. Why is it that no one will use this method?


They must often change who would remain constant in happiness and wisdom.


Things have their roots and branches. Affairs have their beginnings and their ends. To know what is first and what is last will lead one near the Way.


Those who know the TRUTH are not equal to those who love it.


Time flows away like the water in the river.


To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.


To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace.


To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.


To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.


To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.


To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness


To see what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice.


Tsze-Kung asked, Is there one word with which to act in accordance throughout a lifetime? The Master said, Is not reciprocity such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.


Tzu Chang asked Confucius about jen. Confucius said, “If you can practice these five things with all the people, you can be called jen.”


Virtue is never left to stand alone. He who has it will have neighbors.


We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.


We should keep the dead before our eyes, and honor them as though still living


What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.


When a person should be spoken with, and you don’t speak with them, you lose them. When a person shouldn’t be spoken with and you speak to them, you waste your breath. The wise do not lose people, nor do they waste their breath.


When a wise man points at the moon the imbecile examines the finger.


When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.


When the wind blows,the grass bends.


When the wise man points at the Moon, the idiot looks at the finger.


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.


Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.


Wherever you go, go with all your heart.


Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?


Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know more.


Writing cannot express all words, words cannot encompass all ideas.


You cannot open a book without learning something.


You will never know how sharp a sword is unless it’s drawn from its sheath