49 Confucius Quotes:
Who Is Confucius?
The philosophy of Confucius is also known as Confucianism. Confucius is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential people in history. His teaching and philosophy greatly affected people around the world and remain inspiring today.
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Are you looking for the most popular Confucius quotes? We’ve compiled a collection of the best 49 Confucius quotes about life, personal growth, and happiness.
1: “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” ~Confucius
2: “The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.” ~Confucius
3: “I hate to tell but now is all there ever is.” ~Confucius
4: “A man without a mustache is a man without a soul.” ~Confucius
5: “A man of humanity is one who, in seeking to establish himself, finds a foothold for others and who, in desiring attaining himself, helps others to attain.” ~Confucius
6: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” ~Confucius
7: “The gentleman does not promote people merely on the basis of their words, nor does he reject words merely because of the person who uttered them.” ~Confucius
8: “There is nothing more real than what cannot be seen and there is nothing more certain than what cannot be heard.” ~Confucius
9: “Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand.” ~Confucius
10: “To see what’s right and not do it is cowardice.” ~Confucius
11: “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.” ~Confucius
12: “If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.” ~Confucius
13: “As the water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it, so a wise man adapts himself to circumstances.” ~Confucius
14: “A man of humanity is one who, in seeking to establish himself, finds a foothold for others and who, in desiring attaining himself, helps others to attain.”
~Confucius
15: “The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.” ~Confucius
16: “The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.” ~Confucius
17: “To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.” ~Confucius
18: “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” ~Confucius
19: “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” ~Confucius
20: “A man should demand much from himself, but little from others. When you meet a man of worth, think how you may attain to his excellence. When you meet an unworthy one, then look within and examine yourself.” ~Confucius
21: “The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterward speaks according to his actions.” ~Confucius
22: “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ~Confucius
23: “Learn as if you were not reaching your goal and as though you were scared of missing it” ~Confucius
24: “When a person should be spoken with, and you don't speak with them, you lose them. When a person shouldn't be spoken with and you speak to them, you waste your breath. The wise do not lose people, nor do they waste their breath.” ~Confucius
25: “Nothing is more visible than things hidden; Nothing is more manifest than things minute; Therefore, the superior man should be aware of his aloneness” ~Confucius
26: “As the water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it, so a wise man adapts himself to circumstances.” ~Confucius
27: “The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.” ~Confucius
28: “Men do not stumble over mountains but over molehills.” ~Confucius
29: “Coarse rice to eat, water to drink, my bent arm for a pillow - therein is happiness. Wealth and rank attained through immoral means are nothing but drifting clouds.” ~Confucius
30: “If you don't want to do something, don't impose on others” ~Confucius
31: “If your desire is for good, the people will be good.” ~Confucius
32: “If your plan is for one-year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children. ” ~Confucius
33: “Knowing it does not compare with loving it; loving it does not compare with delighting in it.” ~Confucius
34: “Think of tomorrow, the past can't be mended.” ~Confucius
35: “What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.” ~Confucius
36: “No matter how busy you may think you are you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance” ~Confucius
37: “Give a bowl of rice to a man and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice and you will save his life.” ~Confucius
38: “The gentleman understands what is moral. The small man understands what is profitable.” ~Confucius
39: “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” ~Confucius
40: “To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.” ~Confucius
41: “If what one has to say is not better than silence, then one should keep silent.” ~Confucius
42: “It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.” ~Confucius
43: “Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.” ~Confucius
44: “The Man who says he can, and the man who says he cannot are both correct” ~Confucius
45: “If you expect great things of yourself and demand little of others, you’ll keep resentment far away.” ~Confucius
46: “Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage.” ~Confucius
47: “Even four harnessed horses cannot bring imprudent words back into the mouth.” ~Confucius
48: “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.” ~Confucius
49: “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”
~Confucius
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