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.
ConfuciusRead
A gentleman is ashamed to let his words outrun his deeds.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A true gentleman ensures that his actions match his words.
This quote by Confucius highlights the importance of integrity and accountability. It emphasizes that a person of good character is embarrassed when their statements are not supported by their actions, suggesting that one should always strive to align their words with their deeds to maintain respect and credibility.
Themes
IntegrityActionsWordsCharacterGentleman
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about leadership, one could use this quote to emphasize the need for leaders to act on their promises.
More from Confucius
All quotes βEarnest in practicing the ordinary virtues, and careful in speaking about them, if, in his practice, he has anything defective, the superior man dares not but exert himself; and if, in his words, he has any excess, he dares not allow himself such license.
ConfuciusRead
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.
ConfuciusRead
Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.
ConfuciusRead
The superior man is distressed by the limitations of his ability; he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability that he has.
ConfuciusRead
Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.
ConfuciusRead
Similar quotes
There is a wolf in me... - I keep this wolf because the wilderness gave it to me and the wilderness will not let it go.
Carl SandburgRead
Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud. There is always something (All The King's Men)
Robert Penn WarrenRead
As geographers, Sosius, crowd into the edges of their maps parts of the world which they do not know about, adding notes in the margin to the effect that beyond this lies nothing but sandy deserts full of wild beasts, and unapproachable bogs.
PlutarchRead
Death undoes us less, sometimes, than the hope that it will never come.
Pico IyerRead
The past is only an unreliable memory held in the present. The future is only a projection of our present conceptions. The present itself vanishes as soon as we try to grasp it. So why bother with attempting to establish an illusion of solid ground?
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheRead
Sometimes my biography is interpreted as the upbringing of a French aristocrat. It was very, very different. We were a family of mercantile, immigrant Jews.
Alain De BottonRead