© 2020-23 Quotes Checker. All rights reserved. 

65 Best Confucius Quotes and Thoughts (2023)

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and teacher who lived from 551 to 479 BCE. He is known for his teachings on virtue, morality, and ethics. He is considered one of the most influential figures in Chinese history.

Master Kong, also known as Kong Qiu, did not live for seeing his days of glory. During his lifetime, his opinions were derided. Yet, that happened roughly 2,500 years ago. A few of Confucius’ devoted followers preserved his lessons for future years in the book, The Analects of Confucius after his passing.

65 Confucius Quotes

Confucius taught us the value of hard labor, discipline, patience, and perseverance. Nevertheless, if you dig a little further, you’ll find more layers. Spiritual and social ideas have been greatly inspired by Confucius’s humanist-like philosophies. His opinions are insightful and deeply wise, and you may use his advice in any aspect of life.

30 Quotes by Confucius

1. “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” — Confucius

Quotes by Confucius

2. “We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression.” — Confucius

3. “And remember, no matter where you go, there you are.” — Confucius

4. “To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace.” — Confucius

5. “Roads were made for journeys, not destinations.” — Confucius

6. “To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.” — Confucius

7. “The way you cut your meat reflects the way you live.” — Confucius

8. “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” — Confucius

9. “Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly.” — Confucius

10. “Three things cannot long be hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” — Confucius

11. “The object of the superior man is truth.” — Confucius

Images Quotes by Confucius

12.“What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others.” — Confucius

13. “A man of wisdom delights in water.” — Confucius

14. “Learn as if you were not reaching your goal and as though you were scared of missing it.” —Confucius

15. “To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.”— Confucius

16. “To understand yourself is the key to wisdom.” — Confucius

17. “Sincerity is the way of heaven.” — Confucius

18. “First there must be order and harmony within your mind. Then this order will spread to your family, then to the community, and finally to your entire kingdom. Only then can you have peace and harmony.” — Confucius

19. “When anger rises, think of the consequences.” — Confucius

Quotes by Confucius

20. “A lack of patience in trifling matters might lead to the disruption of a great project.” — Confucius

21. “Straight-forwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness.”— Confucius

22. “Love is like a spice. It can sweeten your life – however, it can spoil it, too.”— Confucius

23. “The true gentleman does not preach what he practices till he has practiced what he preaches.” — Confucius

24. “It is the man that makes truth great, not the truth that makes a man great.” — Confucius

25. “Silence is a true friend who never betrays.” — Confucius

26. “Faithfulness and sincerity are the highest things.” — Confucius

27. “The journey with 1000 miles begins with one step.” — Confucius

Images and Quotes by Confucius

28. “Learn avidly. Question it repeatedly. Analyze it carefully. Then put what you have learned into practice intelligently.” — Confucius

29. “Base yourself on loyalty and trust. Don’t be a companion with those who are not your moral equal. When you make a mistake, don’t hesitate to correct it.”— Confucius

30. “Anyone can find the switch after the lights are on.” — Confucius

35 Best Confucius Quotes

31. “Sincerity is that whereby self-completion is effected, and its way is that by which man must direct himself.” — Confucius

32. “One joy dispels a hundred cares.” — Confucius

33. “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” — Confucius

34. “To love a thing means wanting it to live.” — Confucius

35. “A lion chased me up a tree, and I greatly enjoyed the view from the top.”— Confucius

36. “Study the past, if you would divine the future.” — Confucius

37. “Can there be a love which does not make demands on its object?” — Confucius

Images and Quotes by Confucius

38. “He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.” — Confucius

39. “If you try to do too much, you will not achieve anything.” — Confucius

40. “True goodness springs from a man’s own heart. All men are born good.”— Confucius

41. “You can successfully force people to follow a certain course, but you cannot force them to understand it.” — Confucius

42. “The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.” — Confucius

43. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”— Confucius

44. “The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.” — Confucius

45. “Do not let a leader lead you on a bad path.” — Confucius

46. “When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your weak points.” — Confucius

Images and Quotes by Confucius

47. “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”— Confucius

48. “Ah, music, the sacred tongue of God! I hear thee calling and I come.” — Confucius

49. “You are what you think.” — Confucius

50. “He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” — Confucius

51. “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”— Confucius

52. “They must often change who would remain constant in happiness and wisdom.” — Confucius

53. “Knowing something is not as good as liking it. Liking something is not as good as rejoicing in it.” — Confucius

54. “Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.” — Confucius

55. “The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.” — Confucius

56.  “I slept and dreamt life is beauty, I woke and found life is duty.” — Confucius

Images and Quotes by Confucius

57.  “No matter how busy you make think you are you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” — Confucius

58. “When wealth is centralized, the people are dispersed. When wealth is distributed, the people are brought together.” — Confucius

59. “There are three degrees of filial piety. The highest is being a credit to our parents, the second is not disgracing them; the lowest is being able simply to support them.” — Confucius

60. “To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.” — Confucius

61. “To be truly happy and contented, you must let go of what it means to be happy or content.” — Confucius

62. “Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.” — Confucius

63. “Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbor’s roof when your own doorstep is unclean.” — Confucius

64. “Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things will be nourished and flourish.” — Confucius

Images and Quotes by Confucius

65. “If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.” — Confucius

Conclusion

Confucian sayings can change people’s lives, yet they’re not meant to be read lightly. When you study them once, you can feel the strength of his words; when you read them again, you can see the depth of his thought; when you interpret them often, you can become enlightened. Use these Confucius sayings as your inspiration.

Gauri Singh Thakur
Gauri Singh Thakur

Hello Readers, I'm Gauri, graduated from Delhi University and have 3 years of experience as proficient content writer. I appreciate writing articles that help readers become better individuals.

Articles: 168

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.