The disease of men is that they neglect their own fields and go to weed the fields of others.

Listen to a man's words and look at the pupil of his eye. How can a man conceal his character?

A man must not be without shame, for the shame of being without shame is shamelessness indeed.

To lay hold of the mean without taking into account the occasion is like grasping one thing only.

People are eager to comment on something when they themselves are not in the situation of doing it.

He who loves others is always loved by them, and he who respects others is always respected by them.

The way is near, but men seek it afar. It is in easy things, but men seek for it in difficult things.

Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue, and does not admit of assumptions of superiority.

He who loves others is constantly loved by them. He who respects others is constantly respected by them.

Let men decide firmly what they will not do, and they will be free to do vigorously what they ought to do.

Is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst? Men's minds are also injured by them.

The Way lies at hand yet it is sought afar off; the thing lies in the easy yet it is sought in the difficult.

He who goes to the bottom of his own heart knows his own nature; And knowing his own nature, he knows heaven.

The myriad things are complete in us. There is no greater joy than to reflect on ourselves and become sincere.

Only those who develop their minds and spirits to the utmost can serve Heaven and fulfill their own destinies.

Virtue alone is not sufficient for the exercise of government; laws alone cannot carry themselves into practice.

If you know that a thing is unrighteous, then use all dispatch in putting an end to it--why wait till next year?

Men must be decided on what they will not do, and then they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do.

The way of truth is like a great road. It is not difficult to know it. The evil is only that men will not seek it.

He who attends to his greater self becomes a great man, and he who attends to his smaller self becomes a small man.

So I like life and I like righteousness; if I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go and choose righteousness.

Incessant falls teach men to reform, and distress rouses their strength. Life springs from calamity, and death from ease.

A small country cannot contend with a great; the few cannot contend with the many; the weak cannot contend with the strong

By exhaustively examining one's own mind,one may understand his nature.One who understands his own nature understands Heaven.

The gap between enthusiasm and indifference is filled with failures. The great man is he that does not lose his child's heart.

Those who follow the part of themselves which is great are great men; those who follow the part which is little are little men.

The people turn in allegiance to Humanity, as surely as water flows downward or as a wild animal takes cover in the wilderness.

When one by force subdues men, they do not submit to him in heart. They submit because their strength is not adequate to resist.

Without effective protection of the citizens' right to property, it will be difficult to attract and accumulate valuable capital.

If you let people follow their feelings, they will be able to do good. This is what is meant by saying that human nature is good.

The people are the most important element in a nation; the spirits of the land and grain are the next; the sovereign is the least.

I dislike death, however, there are some things I dislike more than death. Therefore, there are times when I will not avoid danger.

The root of the kingdom is in the state. The root of the state is in the family. The root of the family is in the person of its head.

Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence

When Heaven is about to confer a great office upon you, it first exercises your mind with suffering and your sinews and bones with toil.

A trail through the mountains, if used, becomes a path in a short time, but, if unused, becomes blocked by grass in an equally short time.

Human nature is good, just as water seeks low ground. There is no man who is not good, just as there is no water that does not flow downward.

All people have the common desire to be elevated in honour, but all people have something still more elevated in themselves without knowing it.

The foundation of the world lies in the nation. The foundation of the nation lies in the family. The foundation of the family lies in the individual.

Never has there been one possessed of complete sincerity who did not move others. Never has there been one who had not sincerity who was able to move others.

The path of duty lies in what is near, and men seek for it in what is remote; the work of duty lies in what is easy, and men seek for it in what is difficult.

To feed men and not to love them is to treat them as if they were barnyard cattle. To love them and not respect them is to treat them as if they were household pets.

The great man does not think beforehand of his words that they may be sincere, nor of his actions that they may be resolute- he simply speaks and does what is right.

To act without clear understanding, to form habits without investigation, to follow a path all one's life without knowing where it really leads; such is the behavior of the multitude.

The five kinds of grains are considered good plants, but if the grains are not ripe, they are worse than cockles. It is the same with regard to kindness, which must grow into maturity.

Evil exists to glorify the good. Evil is negative good. It is a relative term. Evil can be transmuted into good. What is evil to one at one time, becomes good at another time to somebody else.

Let not a man do what his sense of right bids him not to do, nor desire what it forbids him to desire. This is sufficient. The skillful artist will not alter his measures for the sake of a stupid workman.

Treat your elders as elders, and extend it to the elders of others; treat your young ones as young ones, and extend it to the young ones of others; then you can turn the whole world in the palm of your hand

He who outrages benevolence is called a ruffian: he who outrages righteousness is called a villain. I have heard of the cutting off of the villain Chow, but I have not heard of the putting of a ruler to death.

All things are already complete in us. There is no greater delight than to be conscious of right within us. If one strives to treat others as he would be treated by them, he shall not fail to come near the perfect life.

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