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Confucius Quotes

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Famous Confucius Quotes

“Behave when away from home as though you were in the presence of an honored guest. Employ the people as though you were assisting at an important sacrifice. Do not do to others what you would not like yourself. Then there will be no feelings of opposition to you, whether it is the affairs of a state that you are handling or the affairs of a family.”

PeopleImportantStatesFeelingsHomeSacrificeLike YouAffairBehaveOppositionGuestsHonoredAway From HomeLike YourselfAssisting
Author:Confucius
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“When abroad, behaveto everyone as if interviewing an honored guest; in directing the people, act as if you were assisting at a great sacrafice; DO NOT DO TO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD NOT LIKE DONE TO YOURSELF: so there will be no murmuring against you in the country, and none in the family; your public life will arouse no ill-will nor your private life any resentment.”

PeopleIfsLifeCountryDoneIllGuestsResentmentHonoredPrivate LifePublic LifeMurmuringIll WillAssisting
Author:Confucius
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“On matters beyond his ken a gentleman speaks with caution. If names are not right, words are misused. When words are misused, affairs go wrong. When affairs go wrong, courtesy and music droop, law and justice fail. And when law and justice fail them, a people can move neither hand nor foot. So a gentleman must be ready to put names in speech, to put words into deeds. A gentleman is nowise careless of words.”

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Author:Confucius
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“Sir, in carrying on your government, why should you use killing at all? Let your evinced desires be for what is good, and the people will be good. The relation between superiors and inferiors is like that between the wind and the grass. The grass must bend, when the wind blows across it.”

PeopleShouldUseGovernmentDesireWindRelationKillingBlowBe GoodSuperiorsGrassInferiorsCarrying On
Book:Confucian Analects: The Great Learning, and The Doctrine of the Mean
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