--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Guide them by edicts, keep them in line…" description: "\"Guide them by edicts, keep them in line with punishments, and the common people will stay out of trouble but will have no sense of shame. Guide them by..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/confucius-164_common_guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-w_1256380.jpg" --- # Guide them by edicts, keep them in line with punishments… ![“Guide them by edicts, keep them in line with punishments, and the common people will stay out of trouble but will have no sense of shame. Guide them by virtue, keep them in line with the rites, and they will, besides having a sense of shame, reform themselves.” quote by Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/confucius-164_common_guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-w_1256380.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/confucius-164_common_guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-w_1256380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/confucius-164_common_guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-w_1256380.jpg) > “Guide them by edicts, keep them in line with punishments, and the common people will stay out of trouble but will have no sense of shame. Guide them by virtue, keep them in line with the rites, and they will, besides having a sense of shame, reform themselves.” [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contrasting governance: strict punishment versus moral education; the latter fosters internal shame and self‑reform. **In simple terms:** Moral guidance yields lasting ethical behavior. Key Takeaway Cultivate virtue over fear. Themes governance ethics education Mood reflective serious Type philosophical didactic When to use this quote - political leadership - community building - personal development Key Concepts confucianism social order Questions to Reflect On - Can virtue replace law? - What balance of punishment and education works best? A Different Perspective Relying solely on virtue may be idealistic in corrupt societies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-people/) [Guide Edicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guide-edicts-3978471/) [Guide Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guide-virtue-3978472/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Punishments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishments/) [Punishments Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishments-common-3978474/) [Reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reform/) [Rite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rite/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Shame Reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame-reform-3978473/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/if-the-people-be-led-by-laws-and-uniformity-sought-to-be-given-them/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Lead the people with administrative injunctions and put them in their place with penal law, and they will avoid punishments but will be without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/lead-the-people-with-administrative-injunctions-and-put-them-in-their/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [In any case, frequent punishments are a sign of weakness or slackness in the government. There is no man so bad that he cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/in-any-case-frequent-punishments-are-a-sign-of-weakness-or-slackness/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [When you're going through pain so much in your heart, start sewing it back with from all thy issues that you don't want anymore.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bigheartedperson/when-you-re-going-through-pain-so-much-in-your-heart-start-sewing-it/) [BigHeartedPerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bigheartedperson/) > [Years of research in psychology has shown that rewards and punishments can be very effective in changing behavior. But, at the same time, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/years-of-research-in-psychology-has-shown-that-rewards-and/) [Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/) > [Frequent punishments are always a sign of weakness or laziness on the part of a government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/frequent-punishments-are-always-a-sign-of-weakness-or-laziness-on-the/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [We must be particularly careful when we enact policies in response to a specific crime, a specific type of crime, or crime wave simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-lujan-grisham/we-must-be-particularly-careful-when-we-enact-policies-in-response-to/) [Michelle Lujan Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-lujan-grisham/) > [Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-never-be-afraid-to-do-what-s-right-especially-if-the-well-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/nations-like-individuals-are-subjected-to-punishments-and/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [All of our punishment institutions, including jails, laws, church confessionals, and so forth, are systems of illusion. The order of the universe, the infinite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kushi/all-of-our-punishment-institutions-including-jails-laws-church/) [Michio Kushi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kushi/) > [If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive; and, unless submissive, then will be practically useless.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/if-soldiers-are-punished-before-they-have-grown-attached-to-you-they/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Rewards and punishments, to speak frankly, are the desk of the soul, that is, a means of enslaving a child's spirit, and better suited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/rewards-and-punishments-to-speak-frankly-are-the-desk-of-the-soul/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [There is not eternal damnation, the only rewards and punishments are right here in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-not-eternal-damnation-the-only-rewards-and-punishments-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don’t get me wrong, Brianna. Punishments aren’t pleasant. They aren’t meant to be, but they are bearable. And it’s not like you don’t know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherri-hayes/don-t-get-me-wrong-brianna-punishments-aren-t-pleasant-they-aren-t/) [Sherri Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherri-hayes/) > [Face it," Gary told her kindly. "You'll never catch up. You just do as much as you can and take the punishments without saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamora-pierce/face-it-gary-told-her-kindly-you-ll-never-catch-up-you-just-do-as/) [Tamora Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamora-pierce/) ## More by Confucius > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [The superior man is distressed by his want (lack) of ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-superior-man-is-distressed-by-his-want-lack-of-ability/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/in-ancient-times-those-who-wished-to-illuminate-the-world-with-virtue/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Better than the one who knows what is right is the one who loves what is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/better-than-the-one-who-knows-what-is-right-is-the-one-who-loves-what/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Knowledge is merely brilliance in organization of ideas and not wisdom. The truly wise person goes beyond knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/knowledge-is-merely-brilliance-in-organization-of-ideas-and-not/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [I live in a very small house, but my windows look out on a very large world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/i-live-in-a-very-small-house-but-my-windows-look-out-on-a-very-large/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [To rule a country of a thousand chariots, there must be reverent attention to business, and sincerity; economy in expenditure, and love for men;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/to-rule-a-country-of-a-thousand-chariots-there-must-be-reverent/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [The real fault is to have faults and not amend them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-real-fault-is-to-have-faults-and-not-amend-them/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/to-know-what-you-know-and-what-you-do-not-know-that-is-true-knowledge/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [A picture is poem without words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/a-picture-is-poem-without-words/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Heaven means to be one with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/heaven-means-to-be-one-with-god/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Does Heaven ever speak? The four seasons come and go, and all creatures thrive and grow. Does Heaven ever speak!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/does-heaven-ever-speak-the-four-seasons-come-and-go-and-all-creatures/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [To study and at times practice what one has learned, is this not a pleasure?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/to-study-and-at-times-practice-what-one-has-learned-is-this-not-a/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/recompense-injury-with-justice-and-recompense-kindness-with-kindness/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [There is only one thing in life which never changes, and it is change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/there-is-only-one-thing-in-life-which-never-changes-and-it-is-change/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) [Explore all 1,019 Confucius quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) ## More Common quotes > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) [Browse all 7,866 Common quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Guide them by edicts, keep them in line with punishments, and the common people will stay out of trouble but will have no sense of shame. Guide them by virtue, keep them in line with the rites, and they will, besides having a sense of shame, reform themselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Confucius" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-with-punishments-and-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Common" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-with-punishments-and-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/confucius-164_common_guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-w_1256380.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/confucius-164_common_guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-w_1256380.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/confucius-164_common_guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-w_1256380.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Guide them by edicts, keep them in line with punishments, and the common people will stay out of trouble but…” — Confucius", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Confucius", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Guide them by edicts, keep them...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-with-punishments-and-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/guide-them-by-edicts-keep-them-in-line-with-punishments-and-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```