Confucius: Man

Confucius was Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher. Explore interesting quotes on man.
Confucius: 538 quotes101 likes

“The superior man, even when he is not moving, has a feeling of reverence, and while he speaks not, he has the feeling of truthfulness.”

Confucius

Source: The Doctrine of the Mean

“The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration.”

Confucius

Variant: The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration: this may be called perfect virtue.
Source: The Analects, Other chapters

“A young man should serve his parents at home and be respectful to elders outside his home. He should be earnest and truthful, loving all, but become intimate with humaneness. After doing this, if he has energy to spare, he can study literature and the arts.”

Confucius

Source: The Analects, Other chapters

“A man living without conflicts, as if he never lives at all.”

Confucius

Source: The Analects, Other chapters

“The superior man governs men, according to their nature, with what is proper to them, and as soon as they change what is wrong, he stops.”

Confucius

Source: The Doctrine of the Mean

“The way of the superior man may be compared to what takes place in traveling, when to go to a distance we must first traverse the space that is near, and in ascending a height, when we must begin from the lower ground.”

Confucius

Source: The Doctrine of the Mean

“The superior man accords with the course of the Mean. Though he may be all unknown, unregarded by the world, he feels no regret — It is only the sage who is able for this.”

Confucius

Source: The Doctrine of the Mean

“There is nothing more visible than what is secret, and nothing more manifest than what is minute. Therefore the superior man is watchful over himself, when he is alone.”

Confucius

Source: The Doctrine of the Mean

“When the Superior Man (Junzi) eats he does not try to stuff himself; at rest he does not seek perfect comfort; he is diligent in his work and careful in speech. He avails himself to people of the Tao and thereby corrects himself. This is the kind of person of whom you can say, "he loves learning."”

Confucius

The Analects, Chapter I

“The Superior Man has nothing to compete for. But if he must compete, he does it in an archery match, wherein he ascends to his position, bowing in deference. Descending, he drinks (or has [the winner] drink) the ritual cup.”

Confucius

Bowing is a courtesy for the host who invites him as well drinking a cup.
Source: The Analects, Chapter III

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

Confucius

Attributed to Confucius in Out of the Blue: Delight Comes Into Our Lives (1996) by Mark Victor Hansen, Barbara Nichols, and Patty Hansen, p. 93
Attributed

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

Confucius

Source: The Doctrine of the Mean

“It is not truth that makes man great, but man that makes truth great.”

Confucius

As quoted in The Importance of Living (1937) by Lin Yutang, p. v
Attributed

“The superior man, extensively studying all learning, and keeping himself under the restraint of the rules of propriety, may thus likewise not overstep what is right.”

Confucius

Source: The Analects, Chapter VI

“In archery we have something like the way of the superior man. When the archer misses the center of the target, he turns round and seeks for the cause of his failure in himself.”

Confucius

Source: The Doctrine of the Mean

“How great is the path proper to the Sage! Like overflowing water, it sends forth and nourishes all things, and rises up to the height of heaven. All-complete is its greatness! It embraces the three hundred rules of ceremony, and the three thousand rules of demeanor. It waits for the proper man, and then it is trodden. Hence it is said, "Only by perfect virtue can the perfect path, in all its courses, be made a fact."”

Confucius

Source: The Doctrine of the Mean

“If the Superior Man is not serious, then he will not inspire awe in others. If he is not learned, then he will not be on firm ground. He takes loyalty and good faith to be of primary importance, and has no friends who are not of equal (moral) caliber. When he makes a mistake, he doesn't hesitate to correct it.”

Confucius

Source: The Analects, Other chapters

“If a man has no humaneness what can his propriety be like? If a man has no humaneness what can his happiness be like?”

Confucius

Source: The Analects, Chapter III

“The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort. The superior man thinks of the sanctions of law; the small man thinks of favors which he may receive.”

Confucius

君子喻於義，小人喻於利。
James Legge, translation (1893)
The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of advantage.
The virtuous man is driven by responsibility, the non-virtuous man is driven by profit. [by 朱冀平]
The Analects, Chapter I, Chapter IV