"We should keep the dead before our eyes, and honor them as though still living."

"Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know more."

"Lord Chi Wen thought three times before taking any action. When the Master heard this, he said: Twice is plenty enough."

"If your desire is for good, the people will be good."

"Wenn man noch nicht den Menschen dienen kann, wie sollte man den Geistern dienen können?"

"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat."

"I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand."

"A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."

"The gentleman understands what is moral. The small man understands what is profitable."

"In worthy teaching, all things are related."

"Time flows away like the water in the river."

"The superior man makes the difficulty to be overcome his first interest; success only comes later."

"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."

"When we see persons of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see persons of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves."

"Knowledge is merely brilliance in organization of ideas and not wisdom. The truly wise person goes beyond knowledge."

"Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage."

"If a man take no thought about what is distant he will find sorrow near at hand."

"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved."

"The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man perfected without trials."

"To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short."

"Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others."

"I am not one who was born with great wisdom. I love the ancients and diligently seek wisdom among them."

"The noble-minded worry about their lack of ability, not about people's failure to recognize their ability."

"What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."

"Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire."

"He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior."

"If you look at their intentions, examine their motives, and scrutinize what brings them contentment " how can people hide who they are? How can they hide who they really are?"

"Clever talk, ingratiating looks, fawning reverence: Tso-ch'iu Ming found that shameful, and so do I. Friendly while harboring resentment: Tso-ch'iu Ming found that shameful, too, and so do I."

"Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure."

"It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get."

"If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself."

"Wenn du weiAYt, behaupte, dass du es weiAYt. Und wenn du etwas nicht weiAYt, gib zu, dass du es nicht weiAYt. Das ist Wissen."

"The noble-minded encourage what is beautiful in people and discourage what is ugly in them. Little people do just the opposite."

"If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music do not flourish."

"Lead the people with administrative injunctions and put them in their place with penal law, and they will avoid punishments but will be without a sense of shame. Lead them with excellence and put them in their place through roles and ritual practices, and in addition to developing a sense of shame, they will order themselves harmoniously."

"We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression."

"Where words lose their meaning, people lose their lives."

"The cautious seldom err."

"If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake."

"To lead an untrained people to war is to throw them away."

"If things far away don't concern you, you'll soon mourn things close at hand."

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

"Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses."

"If I raise one corner for someone and he cannot come back with the other three, I do not go on."