Xun Zi: Quotes about personality

Xun Zi was Ancient Chinese philosopher. Explore interesting quotes on personality.

Xun Zi: 26 quotes2 likes

“The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.”

Quoted in: Errick A. Ford (2010) Iron Sharpens Iron: Wisdom of the Ages, p. 48.

“The learning of the gentleman enters through his ears, fastens to his heart, spreads through his four limbs, and manifests itself in his actions. … The learning of the petty person enters through his ears and passes out his mouth. From mouth to ears is only four inches—how could it be enough to improve a whole body much larger than that?”

Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy (2001), p. 259
An Exhortation to Learning

“A person who is shallow aspires to depth; one who is ugly aspires to beauty; one who is narrow aspires to breadth; one who is poor aspires to wealth; one who is humble aspires to esteem. Whatever one lacks in oneself he must seek outside.”

Sources of Chinese Tradition (1999), vol. 1, p. 181
Human nature is evil

“A person who is transformed by the instructions of a teacher, devotes himself to study, and abides by ritual and rightness may become a noble person, while one who follows his nature and emotions, is content to give free play to his passions, and abandons ritual and rightness is a lesser person.”

Sources of Chinese Tradition (1999), vol. 1, p. 180
Human nature is evil