“If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affa...”
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Work
No other book in the entire history of the world has exerted a greater influence on a larger number of people over a longer period of time than this slim volume. The spiritual cornerstone of the most populous and oldest living civilization on Earth, the Analects has inspired the Chinese and all the peoples of East Asia with its affirmation of a humanist ethics. As the Gospels are to Jesus, the Analects is the only place where we can encounter the real, living Confucius. In this gem-like translation by Simon Leys, Confucius speaks with clarity and brilliance. He emerges as a man of great passion and many enthusiasms, a man of bold action whose true vocation is politics. Confucius (551-479 B.C.) lived in an age of acute cultural and political crisis. Many of his observations mark a world sinking into violence and barbarity. Unable to obtain the leading political role he sought, he endeavored to reform society and salvage civilization through ethical debate, defining for ages to come the public mission of the intellectual.
Quotes
Showing 1-15 of 15
Confucius
Canonical work source
“If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affa...”
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“When the wind blows,the grass bends.”
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“I am not one who was born with great wisdom. I love the ancients and diligently seek wisdom among them.”
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“How can you love people without encouraging them? And how can you be loyal to people without educating them.”
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“In worthy teaching, all things are related.”
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“Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.”
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“If a craftsman wants to do good work, he must first sharpen his tools.”
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“If you want to make a stand, help others make a stand, and if you want to reach your goal, help others reach their goal. Consider yourself and treat others accordingly: this is the method of...”
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“The wise never doubt. The Humane never worry. The brave never fear.”
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“To one who is not eager I do not reveal anything, nor do I explain anything to one who is not communicative. If I raise one corner for someone and he cannot come back with the other three, I...”
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“If things far away don’t concern you, you’ll soon mourn things close at hand.”
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“The noble-minded worry about their lack of ability, not about people’s failure to recognize their ability.”
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“Don’t grieve when people fail to recognize your ability. Grieve for your lack of ability instead.”
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“Am I a man of great wisdom? Hardly! Even when a simple person brings me a question, my mind goes utterly blank, I just thrash it out until I’ve exhausted every possibility.”
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“One who never anticipates deceit or expects duplicity, and yet is the first to recognize such things – is that not a sage indeed?”
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