Confucius on Stoicism Quotes

"A man of virtue will be sure to possess also a right words; but a man of words will not necessarily be a man of virtue."

"He who is puffed up with pride will not be able to preserve his reputation."

"To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage."

"Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness."

"A man who has no trust in himself can never really trust anyone else."

"The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions."

"The superior man understands righteousness; the inferior man understands profit."

"Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors."

"What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the mean man seeks is in others."

"The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large."

"To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short."

"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without."

"The superior man is quiet and calm, waiting for the appointments of Heaven. The mean man walks in dangerous paths, looking for lucky occurrences."

"Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage."

"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."

"I will not be afflicted at men's not knowing me; I will be afflicted that I do not know men."

"If the will be set on virtue, there will be no practice of wickedness."

"Riches and honors are what men desire. If they cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be held."

"The cautious seldom err."

"He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior."

"Silence is a true friend who never betrays."

"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."

"When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves."

"Poverty and meanness are what men dislike. If they cannot be avoided in the proper way, they should not be avoided."

"At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven."

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

"The superior man is broad-minded and no partisan. The mean man is a partisan and not broad-minded."

"The superior man makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration."

"The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."

"The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue."

"The superior man, in the world, does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything; what is right he will follow."

"Extravagance leads to insubordination, and parsimony to meanness. It is better to be mean than to be insubordinate."

"I am not concerned that I am not known, I am concerned that I do not know others."