The collection / 518 fragments

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Passages, proverbs, and questions carried across the ages.

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518 results · Page 5 of 22Play this collection ▷

01c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, 'With sincere faith he unites the love of learning; holding firm to death, he is perfecting the excellence of his course. 2. 'Such an one will not enter a tottering State, nor dwell in a disorganized one. When right principles of government prevail in the kingdom, he will show himself; when they are prostrated, he will keep concealed. 3. 'When a country is well-governed, poverty and a mean condition are things to be ashamed of. When a country is ill- governed, riches and honour are things to be ashamed of.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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02c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'He who is not in any particular office, has nothing to do with plans for the administration of its duties.'

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03c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'When the music master Chih first entered on his office, the finish of the Kwan Tsu was magnificent;— how it filled the ears!'

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04c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Ardent and yet not upright; stupid and yet not attentive; simple and yet not sincere:— such persons I do not understand.'

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05c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Learn as if you could not reach your object, and were always fearing also lest you should lose it.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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06c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'How majestic was the manner in which Shun and Yu held possession of the empire, as if it were nothing to them!'

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07c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, 'Great indeed was Yao as a sovereign! How majestic was he! It is only Heaven that is grand, and only Yao corresponded to it. How vast was his virtue! The people could find no name for it. 2. 'How majestic was he in the works which he accomplished! How glorious in the elegant regulations which he instituted!'

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08c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'I can find no flaw in the character of Yu. He used himself coarse food and drink, but displayed the utmost filial piety towards the spirits. His ordinary garments were poor, but he displayed the utmost elegance in his sacrificial cap and apron. He lived in a low mean house, but expended all his strength on the ditches and water-channels. I can find nothing like a flaw in Yu.'

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09c. 515 BC

1. The Master said, 'The linen cap is that prescribed by the rules of ceremony, but now a silk one is worn. It is economical, and I follow the common practice. 2. 'The rules of ceremony prescribe the bowing below the hall, but now the practice is to bow only after ascending it. That is arrogant. I continue to bow below the hall, though I oppose the common practice.'

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10c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Am I indeed possessed of knowledge? I am not knowing. But if a mean person, who appears quite empty-like, ask anything of me, I set it forth from one end to the other, and exhaust it.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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11c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The FANG bird does not come; the river sends forth no map:— it is all over with me!'

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12c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'I returned from Wei to Lu, and then the music was reformed, and the pieces in the Royal songs and Praise songs all found their proper places.'

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13c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Abroad, to serve the high ministers and nobles; at home, to serve one's father and elder brothers; in all duties to the dead, not to dare not to exert one's self; and not to be overcome of wine:— which one of these things do I attain to?'

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14c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'I have not seen one who loves virtue as he loves beauty.'

Confucius (traditional attribution) / quote

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15c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The prosecution of learning may be compared to what may happen in raising a mound. If there want but one basket of earth to complete the work, and I stop, the stopping is my own work. It may be compared to throwing down the earth on the level ground. Though but one basketful is thrown at a time, the advancing with it is my own going forward.'

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16c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Never flagging when I set forth anything to him;— ah! that is Hui.'

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17c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'There are cases in which the blade springs, but the plant does not go on to flower! There are cases where it flowers, but no fruit is subsequently produced!'

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18c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present? If he reach the age of forty or fifty, and has not made himself heard of, then indeed he will not be worth being regarded with respect.'

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19c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Have no friends not equal to yourself. When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.'

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20c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'When the year becomes cold, then we know how the pine and the cypress are the last to lose their leaves.'

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21c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'The wise are free from perplexities; the virtuous from anxiety; and the bold from fear.'

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22c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'There are some with whom we may study in common, but we shall find them unable to go along with us to principles. Perhaps we may go on with them to principles, but we shall find them unable to get established in those along with us. Or if we may get so established along with them, we shall find them unable to weigh occurring events along with us.'

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23c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Hui gives me no assistance. There is nothing that I say in which he does not delight.'

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24c. 515 BC

The Master said, 'Filial indeed is Min Tsze-ch'ien! Other people say nothing of him different from the report of his parents and brothers.'

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