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
Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Success requires careful planning and preparation; without it, failure is likely.
This quote by Confucius emphasizes the critical role that preparation plays in achieving success. It suggests that thorough groundwork and anticipation of challenges are essential components that directly influence the outcome of any endeavor, implying that negligence in preparation almost guarantees failure.
Themes
SuccessPreparationFailureEffortPlanning
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to students about achieving their goals.
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
An angry man is full of poison.
ConfuciusRead
Similar quotes
All progress depends upon the unreasonable person.
George Bernard ShawRead
It takes tremendous will to compete in any athletic endeavor, so it meant going to bed early and getting my homework done in advance. I had to sacrifice things, like a social life, to be a skater at 15. But I loved skating so much that it was worth everything to me.
Vera WangRead
You've achieved success in your field when you don't know whether what you're doing is work or play.
Warren BeattyRead
Clearly, when you win everything, it's fun. That doesn't necessarily mean you love the game more.
Roger FedererRead
We don't get paid for activity, just for being right. As to how long we'll wait, we'll wait indefinitely.
Warren BuffettRead
I'm very comfortable with the idea of there being late bloomers, and for me, of course, there's no difficulty at all in the way that I think of talent and achievement and so on.
Daniel TammetRead