When people lack teachers, their tendencies are not corrected; when they do not have ritual and moral principles, then their lawlessness is not controlled.
XunziRead
Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that humans are inherently prone to evil, and that virtuous behavior must be cultivated through conscious effort.
Xunzi, a Chinese philosopher, posits that human nature leans towards evil, implying that without deliberate action to promote goodness, individuals will default to harmful tendencies. This perspective challenges more optimistic views of human nature by asserting that ethical behavior is not innate, but rather a product of social and personal effort.
Themes
Human NatureEvilGoodnessIntentionalityPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy class discussing moral theories.
More from Xunzi
All quotes βWhen a man sees something desirable, he must reflect on the fact that with time it could come to involve what is detestable. When he sees something that is beneficial, he should reflect that sooner or later it, too, could come to involve harm.
XunziRead
If what the heart approves conforms to proper patterns, then even if one's desires are many, what harm would they be to good order?
XunziRead
A person is born with feelings of envy and hate. If he gives way to them, they will lead him to violence and crime, and any sense of loyalty and good faith will be abandoned.
XunziRead
If the gentleman has ability, he is magnanimous, generous, tolerant, and straightforward, through which he opens the way to instruct others.
XunziRead
In antiquity the sage kings recognized that men's nature is bad and that their tendencies were not being corrected and their lawlessness controlled.
XunziRead
Similar quotes
The more you know about Christ, the less you will be satisfied with superficial views of Him.
Charles SpurgeonRead
I have long believed that there are fundamentally two forces or emotions that drive our decisions - love and fear. Love has its many manifestations: compassion, gratitude, kindness, and joy. Fear often manifests in cynicism, anger, jealousy, and anxiety. I worry that many of our communities are being driven by fear.
Vivek MurthyRead
A religion is a source of happiness and I would not deprive anyone of happiness. But it is a comfort appropriate for the weak, not for the strong--and you are strong. The great trouble with religion--any religion--is that the religionist, having accepted certain propositions by faith, cannot thereafter judge these propositions by evidence. One may bask at the warm fire of faith or choose to live in the bleak uncertainty of reason--but one cannot have both.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
India is a proud and sovereign country. We do not take any decisions under pressure from the U.S. or any other power.
Atal Bihari VajpayeeRead
Imagination is a danger thus every totalitarian regime is frightened of the artist. It is the vocation of the prophet to keep alive the ministry of imagination to keep on conjouring and proposing alternative futures to the single one the king wants to urge as the only thinkable one.
Walter BrueggemannRead
I ask you only to stop imagining that you were born, have parents, are a body, will die and so on. Just try, make a beginning-it is not as hard as you think.
Sri Nisargadatta MaharajRead