Occupation: Philosopher
If you wish to see the thousand years, look at today; if you wish to understand the millionfold, then look at the one or the two..
The noble person uses things; the lesser man is used by things..
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn..
If the quickness of the mind and the fluency of the tongue are too punctilious and sharp, moderate them in your activity and rest..
There are successful scholars, public-spirited scholars, upright scholars, cautious scholars, and those who are merely petty men..
Man's nature is evil; goodness is the result of conscious activity..
Since the nature of people is bad, to become corrected they must be taught by teachers and to be orderly they must acquire ritual and moral principle….
The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere..
The nature of man is evil; what is good in him is artificial..
Pride and excess bring disaster for man..
The rigid cause themselves to be broken; the pliable cause themselves to be bound..
The coming of honor or disgrace must be a reflection of one's inner power..
I once tried thinking for an entire day, but I found it less valuable than one moment of study..
Misery is evil; quarreling, a misfortune. There is only one possibility of avoiding both: a clear division of society. [Otherwise] the strong tyranni….
Men of all social stations live together: they are equal in their desires, yet vary in their methods; they are equal in their passions, yet different….
If there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement..
The petty man is eager to make boasts, yet desires that others should believe in him. He enthusiastically engages in deception, yet wants others to h….
One must remember equality, yet also be aware of difference, for if the people are allowed to act as it pleases them without coming up against disple….
I once tried standing up on my toes to see far out in the distance, but I found that I could see much farther by climbing to a high place..
Those whose character is mean and vicious will rouse others to animosity against them..
When people lack teachers, their tendencies are not corrected; when they do not have ritual and moral principles, then their lawlessness is not contr….