Confucius citations

Page 9

“L’honnête homme envisage les choses du point de vue de la justice; l'homme vulgaire, du point de vue de son intérêt.”

“Qui est encore détesté à l'age de quarante ans, le restera pour toujours.”

“Si seulement il se trouvait un souverain pour m'employer, en un an je mettrais les choses en route, et trois ans après, on aurait des résultats.”

“Il est droit : tout marche sans qu'il doive rien commander. Il n'est pas droit : il a beau commander, nul ne le sait.”

“Fermeté, décision, simplicité et réflexion sont proches de la vertu suprême.”

“L'honnête homme souffre de son incompétence.”

“Du vivant de son père, observez les intentions d'un homme. Après la mort de son père, observez son comportement : si, pendant trois ans, il ne s'écarte pas de la voie que lui a tracée son père, on peut dire que c'est un bon fils.”

“Deux hommes qui suivent des voies différentes ne peuvent se rencontrer.”

“Un homme survit grâce à son honnêteté; les malhonnêtes gens ne doivent leur survie qu'à la chance.”

“L'homme supérieur est vertueux, l'homme inférieur n'a conscience que de l'avantage.”

“On peut obliger le peuple à obéir. On ne peut pas le forcer à comprendre.”

“Se regarder scrupuleusement soi-même, ne regarder que discrètement les autres.”

“Si vos parents tombent dans une faute, avertissez-les avec grande douceur. Si vous les voyez déterminés à ne pas suivre vos avis, redoublez vos témoignages de respect, sans vous opposer. Quand même ils vous maltraiteraient, n’en ayez aucun ressentiment.”

“Avant d'ouvrir la bouche, assure-toi que ce que tu vas dire est plus beau que le silence.”

“Exige beaucoup de toi-même et attend peu des autres.
Beaucoup d'ennuis te seront épargnés.”

“Une politesse qui n'est pas tempérée par le rituel est fastidieuse.”

“Étudier sans réfléchir est vain, mais réfléchir sans apprendre est dangereux.”

“Confucius avoue […] sans ambages qu'il n'est pas fait pour supporter les mœurs de la cour, où les grands cultivent tour à tour attitude hautaine et génuflexions serviles pour obtenir faveurs et promotions. Il va jusqu'à dire que, en temps de troubles et de décadence, le mieux est de fuir son époque ou de partir pour un autre pays, et loue encore ceux qui ont su prendre congé à cause d'un simple regard ou pour un simple mot.”

“S'il existait une méthode honnête pour devenir riche, au besoin je me ferais bien palefrenier. Mais comme pareille méthode n'existe pas, autant suivre mes propres inclinaisons.”

“Souciez-vous d'être digne d'un emploi et cherchez à faire quelque chose de remarquable.”

“Je n'ai jamais vu quelqu'un qui aimât la vertu autant que le sexe.”

“Rendez la justice pour le mal, et le bien pour le bien.”

“Tout le plaisir d'un roi, c'est de n'être jamais contredit.”

“Pour un pauvre, il est difficile d'être sans amertume. Pour un riche, il est facile d'être sans arrogance.”

“Celui qui sait et sait qu'il sait est un sage - suivez-le ;
Celui qui ne sait pas et ne sait pas qu'il ne sait pas est un fou - fuyez-le.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“Men do not stumble over mountains, but over molehills”

“If I hear the Way [of truth] in the morning, I am content even to die in that evening.”

“To give one's self earnestly to the duties due to men, and, while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom.”

“I am not bothered by the fact that I am not understood. I am bothered when I do not know others.”

“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."”

“To be fond of learning is to be near to knowledge. To practice with vigor is to be near to magnanimity. To possess the feeling of shame is to be near to energy.”

“Heaven, in the production of things, is sure to be bountiful to them, according to their qualities. Hence the tree that is flourishing, it nourishes, while that which is ready to fall, it overthrows.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

“All people respect and love their own parents and children, as well as the parents and children of others.”

“Honesty and trust are promoted, and good neighborliness cultivated.”

“Virtuous, worthy, wise and capable people are chosen as leaders.”

“To worship to other than one's own ancestral spirits is brown-nosing. If you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage.”

“Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men.”

“There are three methods to gaining wisdom. The first is reflection, which is the highest. The second is limitation, which is the easiest. The third is experience, which is the bitterest.”

“He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.”

“The more you know yourself, the more you forgive yourself.”

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

“The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his action.”

“I want you to be everything that's you, deep at the center of your being.”

“I will not be concerned at other men is not knowing me;I will be concerned at my own want of ability.”

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”

“The aged are cared for until death; adults are employed in jobs that make full use of their abilities; and children are nourished, educated, and fostered;...orphans... the disabled and the diseased are all well taken care of....”

“A man's character is formed by the Odes, developed by the Rites and perfected by music.”