Confucius

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

“Never tire to study. And to teach to others”

“Return good for good; return evil with justice.”

“He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.”

“When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it--this is knowledge.”

“When the wind blows,the grass bends.”

“If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home.If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nations.When there is order in the nations, there will peace in the world.”

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

“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.”

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

“Faithfulness and sincerity are the highest things.”

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

“Respect yourself and others will respect you.”

“Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.”

“Don't use cannon to kill musquito.”

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

“If I understand Change, I shall make no great mistake in Life”

“The Master said, “The gentleman does not serve as a vessel.”(Analects 2.12)”

“The Master said, “To study, and then in a timely fashion to practice what you have learned—is this not satisfying? To have companions arrive from afar—is this not a joy? To remain unrecognized by others and yet remain free of resentment—is this not the mark of the gentleman?”(Analects 1.1)”

“The Master said, “A true teacher is one who, keeping the past alive, is also able to understand the present.”(Analects 2.11)”

“The Master said, “Wealth and honor are things that all people desire, and yet unless they are acquired in the proper way I will not abide them. Poverty and disgrace are things that all people hate, and yet unless they are avoided in the proper way I will not despise them. “If the gentleman abandons ren, how can he be worthy of that name? The gentleman does not violate ren even for the amount of time required to eat a meal. Even in times of urgency or distress, he does not depart from it.”(Analects 4.5)”

“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.”(Analects 4.9)”

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

“The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is right, whereas the petty man understands profit.”(Analects 4.16)”

“The Master said of Gong Yechang, “He is marriageable. Although he was once imprisoned and branded as a criminal, he was in fact innocent of any crime.” The Master gave him his daughter in marriage.(Analects 5.1)”

“The Master said, “What a worthy man was Yan Hui! Living in a narrow alley, subsisting upon meager bits of rice and water—other people could not have borne such hardship, and yet it never spoiled Hui’s joy. What a worthy man was Hui!”(Analects 6.11)”

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

“To be poor without murmuring is difficult. To be rich without being proud is easy.”

“The superior man has a dignified ease without pride. The mean man has pride without a dignified ease.”

“There are some with whom we may study in common, but we shall find them unable to go along with us to principles. Perhaps we may go on with them to principles, but we shall find them unable to get established in those along with us. Or if we may get so established along with them, we shall find them unable to weigh occurring events along with us.”

“those who understands is not better than those who appreciates, those who appreciates is not better than those who enjoys.”

“If you don't want to do something,don't impose on others”

“Even four harnessed horses cannot bring imprudent words back into the mouth.”

“The Master said, The case is like that of someone raising a mound. If he stops working, the fact that it perhaps needed only one more basketful makes no difference; I stay where I am. Whereas even if he has not got beyond leveling the ground, but is still at work, the fact that he has only tilted one basketful of earth makes no difference. I go to help him.”

“Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.”

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

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

“What can a man do with music who is not benevolent?”

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

“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.”

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

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

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

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

“If one should desire to know whether a kingdom is well governed, if its morals are good or bad, the quality of its music will furnish the answer.”