Greatness Quotes by Confucius

All men are born good.

— Confucius

Every man knows the smell of his own fart.

— Confucius

The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.

— Confucius

The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.

— Confucius

The superior man is distressed by his want (lack) of ability

— Confucius

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

— Confucius

By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.

— Confucius

The superior man loves his soul; the inferior man loves his property.

— Confucius

What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.

— Confucius

A gentleman considers what is right; the vulgar consider what will pay.

— Confucius

A gentleman does not promote a man on account of what he says; nor does he reject sayings, because the speaker is…

— Confucius

The superior man is all-embracing and not partial. The inferior man is partial and not all-embracing.

— Confucius

The nobler sort of man emphasizes the good qualities in others, and does not accentuate the bad. The inferior does.

— Confucius

The superior man does what is proper to the station in which he is; he does not desire to go beyond this.

— Confucius

A good man does not worry about not being known by others, but rather is concerned about not knowing them.

— Confucius

The superior man governs men, according to their nature, with what is proper to them, and as soon as they change what…

— Confucius

The superior man is universally minded and no partisan. The inferior man is a partisan and not universal.

— Confucius

The demands that a great man makes are on himself; those of a petty man are upon others.

— Confucius

The superior man honors his virtuous nature, and maintains constant inquiry and study, seeking to carry it out to its breadth and…

— Confucius

Isn't it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned? Isn't it also great when friends visit from distant places?…

— Confucius

The superior man undergoes three changes. Looked at from a distance, he appears stern; when approached, he is mild; when he is…

— Confucius

Great as heaven and earth are, men still find some things in them with which to be dissatisfied. Thus it is that,…

— Confucius

The superior man does not mind being in office; all he minds about is whether he has qualities that entitle him to…

— Confucius

While the gentleman cherishes benign rule, the small man cherishes his native land. While the gentleman cherishes a respect for the law,…

— Confucius

How great is the path proper to the Sage! Like overflowing water, it sends forth and nourishes all things, and rises up…

— Confucius

True goodness springs from a man's own heart. All men are born good.

— Confucius

A true gentleman makes demands upon himself but not upon others.

— Confucius

The gentleman sees what is right while the small man sees what is profitable.

— Confucius

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

— Confucius

A gentleman is calm and spacious: the vulgar are always fretting.

— Confucius

The superior man is firm in the right way and not merely firm.

— Confucius

The man of upright life is obeyed before he speaks.

— Confucius

Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.

— Confucius

A man is great not because he hasn't failed; a man is great because failure hasn't stopped him.

— Confucius

The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.

— Confucius

The Master said, “If your conduct is determined solely by considerations of profit you will arouse great resentment.

— Confucius

The superior man is easy to serve, but difficult to please ... The inferior man is difficult to serve, but easy to please.

— Confucius

The superior man sets his person at rest before he moves; he composes his mind before he speaks.

— Confucius

The good man does not grieve that other people do not recognize his merits. His only anxiety is lest he should fail…

— Confucius

A good man is not mine to see. Could I see a man possessed of constancy, that would satisfy me.

— Confucius