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These are drawn from the teachings of Master Kung (A. K. A. Confucius), who lived about the time of Gautama Buddha, Ezra, Lau-Tzu, Sun-Tzu, and Emperor Jimmu of Japan. This was a time of great social stress and enlightenment.
The true gentleman is friendly, but not familiar: the inferior man is familiar, but not friendly.
The well-bred are dignified, but not pompous. The ill-bred are pompous, but not dignified.
The Higher type of person is not a machine
When you see someone of worth, think of how you may emulate that person. When you see someone unworthy, examine your own character.
the Wise do not appreciate someone because of what is said, nore depreciate what someone says because of who said it.
Is it not enough to think only twice and act once?
To go too far is as bad as to fall too short.
When abroad, behave as if interviewing an honored guest.
In directing the
people, act as officiated at a great Sacrifice.
Do not do to others what you
whould not like yourself.
Then your public life will arouse no illwill, nor
your private life any resentment.
The one who demands much from himself and little from others will avoid resentment.
The Nobleman first practices what they preach and afterwards preaches according to their practice.
The nobleman is broad-minded and not prejudiced.
If, when you look into your own heart, you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?
What shall we say of the person whom all his fellow townsmen like? Is this sufficient? What is better is that the good among his fellows like him, and the evil hate him.
The one who keeps the old and acquires the new knowledge may become a teacher of others.
Learning without thinking is useless. Thinking wiout learning is dangerous.
The ancients were reserved in their speech out of shame lest they should come short in deed.
Be firm of spirit, resolute in character, simple in manner, and slow of speech, and you will not be far from virtue.
Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.
Where a servant murders the master, where the child murders the
parent,
the causes do not lie between the morning and evening of one day. It
took a long time for things to go so far. It came about because things that
should have been done were not stopped soon enough
If a person permits himself to be oppressed by something that ought not to oppress him, his name will certainly be disgraced. If he leans on things upon which one cannot, his life will certainly be endangered
Life leads the thoughtful one on a path of many windings. Now the course is checked, now it is straight again. Here winged thoughts may pour freely forth in words, there the heavy burden of knowledge must be shut away in silence. And when two people are at one in their inmost hearts, they shatter even the strength of iron or of bronze. Through one action, the fruits of a hundred thoughts are realized And when two people understand each other in their inmost hearts, their words are sweet and strong, like the fragrance of orchids
To bless means to help. Heaven helps the one who is devoted; humanity helps the one who is true. The one who walks in truth and is devoted in his thinking, and furthermore reveres the worthy, is blessed by heaven. He has good fortune, and there is nothing that would not further
What need has nature of thought and care? In nature all things return to their common source and are distributed along different paths. Through one action, the fruits of a hundred thoughts are realized. What need has nature of thought, or care?”