C.N. Douglas, comp. Forty Thousand Quotations: Prose and Poetical. 1917.
Confucius
A blemish may be removed from a diamond by careful polishing, but evil words once spoken cannot be effaced.
A good man it is not mine to see; could I see a man possessed of constancy, that would satisfy me.
A good man regards the root; he fixes the root, and all else flows out of it. The root is filial piety; the fruit brotherly love.
A happy union with wife and child is like the music of lutes and harps.
A man exercising no forethought will soon experience present sorrow.
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
Between friends, frequent reproofs make the friendship distant.
By gaining the people, the kingdom is gained; by losing the people, the kingdom is lost.
Charity is that rational and constant affection which makes us sacrifice ourselves to the human race, as if we were united with it, so as to form one individual, partaking equally in its adversity and prosperity.
Death and life have their determined appointments; riches and honor depend upon heaven.
Excess weakens the spirits.
Faithfulness and sincerity first of all.
For one word a man is often deemed to be wise, and for one word he is often deemed to be foolish. We ought to be careful indeed what we say.
Gravity is only the bark of wisdom, but it preserves it.
Have no friends not equal to yourself.
He is the truly courageous man who never desponds.
He who knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them.
Heaven means to be one with God.
Humanity is the equity of the heart.
Humility is the solid foundation of all the virtues.
If a man take no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.
If doing what ought to be done be made the first business, and success a secondary consideration—is not this the way to exalt virtue?
If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame.
If the search for riches were sure to be successful, though I should become a groom with a whip in my hand to get them, I will do so. As the search may not be successful, I will follow after that which I love.
Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon or star.
In a State, pecuniary gain is not to be considered to be prosperity, but its prosperity will be found in righteousness.
Is any one able for one day to apply his strength to virtue? I have not seen the case in which his strength would be sufficient.
Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous; and lo! virtue is at hand.
Justice is like the north star, which is fixed, and all the rest revolve about it.
Learning without thought is labor lost.
Let our reason, and not our senses, be the rule of our conduct; for reason will teach us to think wisely, to speak prudently, and to behave worthily.
Oppressive government is more cruel than a tiger.
Our headstrong passions shut the door of our souls against God.
Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.
Silence is a true friend who never betrays.
Slander soaks into the mind as water into low and marshy places, where it becomes stagnant and offensive.
Study the past if you would divine the future.
The cautious seldom err.
The expectations of life depend upon diligence; and the mechanic that would perfect his work, must first sharpen his tools.
The faults of the superior man are like the eclipses of the sun and moon. He has his faults, and all men see them; he changes, and all men look up to him.
The general of a large army may be defeated, but you cannot defeat the determined will of a peasant.
The heart of a wise man should resemble a mirror, which reflects every object without being sullied by any.
The injury of prodigality leads to this, that he who will not economize will have to agonize.
The object of the superior man is truth.
The rich fool is like a pig that is choked by its own fat.
The scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.
The superior man wishes to be slow in his words and earnest in his conduct.
The superior man***in regard to his speech***is anxious that it should be sincere.
The way of the superior man is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear.
The wheel of fortune turns incessantly round, and who can say within himself, I shall to-day be uppermost?
There are three friendships which are advantageous, and three which are injurious. Friendship with the upright; friendship with the sincere; and friendship with the man of much observation: these are advantageous. Friendship with the man of specious airs; friendship with the insinuatingly soft; and friendship with the glib-tongued: these are injurious.
There has never been a man mean and at the same time virtuous.
To acknowledge our faults when we are blamed is modesty; to discover them to one’s friends in ingenuousness, is confidence; but to preach them to all the world, if one does not take care, is pride.
To be able under all circumstances to practise five things constitutes perfect virtue: these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.
To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness.
To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.
True benevolence is to love all men. Recompense injury with justice, and kindness with kindness.
Virtue is like the polar star, which keeps its place, and all stars turn towards it.
Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue.
Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.
We take greater pains to persuade others that we are happy than in endeavoring to think so ourselves.
What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.
When anger rises, think of the consequences.
When we see men of worth, we should think of becoming like them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves.
Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men.
Woman is the masterpiece.
Words are the voice of the heart.
Worship as though the Deity were present. If my mind is not engaged in my worship, it is as though I worshipped not.