Confucius Bio
Confucius is one of the greatest men in the history of the world. He was born more than two thousand five hundred years ago (551-479 B.C.) in the State of Lu (now the Province of Shan Dong). A descendent of a great nobleman of the State of Shang, he lost his father at the age of three and was reared by his mother in a state of impoverished simplicity. As he grew up, he was put in charge of the granary and the cattle and sheep of a certain Baron.
Never tired of learning and teaching throughout his life, Confucius has long been recognized in China as “the Greatest Sage and Foremost Teacher with outstanding Achievements.” He believed in “education for all”, meaning there should be no class distinctions or other discriminations. Hence, he had up to three thousand disciples. From the Analects, we can see that he tried to help his disciples solve problems concerning daily life and human relationships. Though commonplace and practical, easy to understand and carry out, his teachings contributed to the cultivation of the individual, the regulation of the family, the order of the state, and the peace of the world.
100 Famous Confucius Quotes
- “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” — Confucius
- “We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression.” — Confucius
- “And remember, no matter where you go, there you are.” — Confucius
- “To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace.” — Confucius
- “Roads were made for journeys, not destinations.” — Confucius
- “To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.” — Confucius
- “The way you cut your meat reflects the way you live.” — Confucius
- “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” — Confucius
- “Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly.”— Confucius
- “Three things cannot long be hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”— Confucius
- “The object of the superior man is truth.” —Confucius
- “What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others.” — Confucius
- “A man of wisdom delights in water.” — Confucius
- “Learn as if you were not reaching your goal and as though you were scared of missing it.” —Confucius
- “To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.”— Confucius
- “To understand yourself is the key to wisdom.” — Confucius
- “Sincerity is the way of heaven.” — Confucius
- “First there must be order and harmony within your own mind. Then this order will spread to your family, then to the community, and finally to your entire kingdom. Only then can you have peace and harmony.” — Confucius
- “When anger rises, think of the consequences.” — Confucius
- “A lack of patience in trifling matters might lead to the disruption of great project.” — Confucius
- “Straight-forwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness.”— Confucius
- “Love is like a spice. It can sweeten your life – however, it can spoil it, too.”— Confucius
- “The true gentleman does not preach what he practices till he has practiced what he preaches.” — Confucius
- “It is man that makes truth great, not truth that makes man great.” — Confucius
- “Silence is a true friend who never betrays.” — Confucius
- “Faithfulness and sincerity are the highest things.” — Confucius
- “The journey with a 1000 miles begins with one step.” — Confucius
- “Learn avidly. Question it repeatedly. Analyze it carefully. Then put what you have learned into practice intelligently.” — Confucius
- “Base yourself in loyalty and trust. Don’t be a companion with those who are not your moral equal. When you make a mistake, don’t hesitate to correct it.”— Confucius
- “Anyone can find the switch after the lights are on.” — Confucius
- “Sincerity is that whereby self-completion is effected, and its way is that by which man must direct himself.” — Confucius
- “One joy dispels a hundred cares.” — Confucius
- “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” — Confucius
- “To love a thing means wanting it to live.” — Confucius
- “A lion chased me up a tree, and I greatly enjoyed the view from the top.”— Confucius
- “Study the past, if you would divine the future.” — Confucius
- “Can there be a love which does not make demands on its object?” — Confucius
- “He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.” — Confucius
- “If you try to do too much, you will not achieve anything.” — Confucius
- “True goodness springs from a man’s own heart. All men are born good.”— Confucius
- “You can successfully force people to follow a certain course, but you cannot force them to understand it.” — Confucius
- “The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.” — Confucius
- “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”— Confucius
- “The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.” — Confucius
- “Do not let a leader lead you on a bad path.” — Confucius
- “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.” — Confucius
- “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”— Confucius
- “Ah, music, sacred tongue of God! I hear thee calling and I come.” — Confucius
- “You are what you think.” — Confucius
- “He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” — Confucius
- “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”— Confucius
- “They must often change who would remain constant in happiness and wisdom.” — Confucius
- “Knowing something is not as good as liking it. Liking something is not as good as rejoicing in it.” — Confucius
- “Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.” — Confucius
- “The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.” — Confucius
- “I slept and dreamt life is beauty, I woke and found life is duty.” — Confucius
- “No matter how busy you make think you are you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” — Confucius
- “When wealth is centralized, the people are dispersed. When wealth is distributed, the people are brought together.” — Confucius
- “There are three degrees of filial piety. The highest is being a credit to our parents, the second is not disgracing them; the lowest is being able simply to support them.” — Confucius
- “To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.” — Confucius
- “To be truly happy and contented, you must let go of what it means to be happy or content.” — Confucius
- “Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.” — Confucius
- “Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbor’s roof when your own doorstep is unclean.” — Confucius
- “Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things will be nourished and flourish.” — Confucius
- “If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.”— Confucius
- “A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present?” — Confucius
- “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” — Confucius
- “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” — Confucius
- “Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.”— Confucius
- “Study without reflection is a waste of time; reflection without study is dangerous.” — Confucius
- “I want you to be everything that’s you, deep at the center of your being.” — Confucius
- “Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.” — Confucius
- “Have no friends not equal to yourself.” — Confucius
- “By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.” — Confucius
- “A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.” — Confucius
- “When the multitude detests a man, inquiry is necessary; when the multitude likes a man, inquiry is equally necessary.” — Confucius
- “The people may be made to follow a path of action but they may not be made to understand it.” — Confucius
- “The parents’ age must be remembered, both for joy and anxiety.” — Confucius
- “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” — Confucius
- “He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” — Confucius
- “Those who cannot forgive others break the bridge over which they themselves must pass.” — Confucius
- “It is not possible for one to teach others who cannot teach his own family.” — Confucius
- “If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?” — Confucius
- “The journey with a 1000 miles begins with one step.” — Confucius
- “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.” — Confucius
- “Learn as though you would never be able to master it; hold it as though you would be in fear of losing it.” — Confucius
- “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” — Confucius
- “If a man in the morning hear the right way, he may die in the evening without regret.” — Confucius
- “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” — Confucius
- “Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon or star.”— Confucius
- “If the gentleman is not serious, he will not be respected, and his learning will not be on a firm foundation. He considers loyalty and faithfulness to be fundamental, has no friends who are not like him, and when he has made mistakes, he is not afraid of correcting them.” — Confucius
- “The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” — Confucius
- “Good people strengthen themselves ceaselessly.” — Confucius
- “To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness.”— Confucius
- “Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.” — Confucius
- “To lead uninstructed people to war is to throw them away.” — Confucius
- “I’d rather die for speaking out, than to live and be silent.” — Confucius
- “I have not seen a person who loved virtue, or one who hated what was not virtuous. He who loved virtue would esteem nothing above it.” — Confucius
- “There is nothing more visible than what is secret, and nothing more manifest than what is minute.” — Confucius
- “Words are the voice of the heart.” — Confucius
