--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wishing to regulate their families, they…" description: "\"“Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/confucius-164_cultivate_wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they_299547.jpg" --- # Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated… ![“Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the…” quote by Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/confucius-164_cultivate_wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they_299547.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/confucius-164_cultivate_wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they_299547.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/confucius-164_cultivate_wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they_299547.jpg) > ““Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.”” [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. Moral self‑cultivation proceeds from family regulation to personal sincerity, then to knowledge and investigation. **In simple terms:** Self‑improvement starts with family, then heart, then mind. Key Takeaway Cultivate family, heart, mind, and knowledge sequentially. Themes ethics self‑cultivation education Mood reflective didactic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family life - personal development - academic study - community leadership Key Concepts confucian virtue knowledge acquisition inner sincerity Questions to Reflect On - How does family shape your values? - What role does sincere thought play in learning? A Different Perspective May overlook external factors influencing personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cultivate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivate/) [Cultivate Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivate-persons-2863756/) [Cultivated Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivated-persons-701029/) [Families Cultivated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/families-cultivated-2863757/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Wishing Cultivate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wishing-cultivate-318187/) ## Related quotes > [“Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they-first-cultivated-their-2/) [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/) > [Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/things-being-investigated-knowledge-became-complete-their-knowledge/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Cultivate the root; the leaves and branches will take care of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/cultivate-the-root-the-leaves-and-branches-will-take-care-of/) [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/) > [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/) > [What you know, you know, what you don't know, you don't know. This is true wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/what-you-know-you-know-what-you-don-t-know-you-don-t-know-this-is/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-do-not-have-to-be-ashamed-of-what-we-are-as-sentient-beings-we/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [“A ‘good’ father will tenderly cultivate his children. But a ‘good’ father who is also a ‘brave’ father will let the children without cultivate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/a-good-father-will-tenderly-cultivate-his-children-but-a-good-father/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [What if I don’t like adventure? Then cultivate a taste for it. Take a chance. That’s how you grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/what-if-i-don-t-like-adventure-then-cultivate-a-taste-for-it-take-a/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [Let every one of us cultivate, in every word that issues from our mouth, absolute truth. I say cultivate, because to very few people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/let-every-one-of-us-cultivate-in-every-word-that-issues-from-our/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Cultivate virtue in yourself, and it will be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/cultivate-virtue-in-yourself-and-it-will-be-true/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Talent comes from God. If you have been given some, then value it, cultivate it, work and develop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/talent-comes-from-god-if-you-have-been-given-some-then-value-it/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [I cultivate my garden, and my garden cultivates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/i-cultivate-my-garden-and-my-garden-cultivates-me/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“What you practice you will cultivate. Simply, if you practice being mean and nasty, you will get meaner and nastier; if you practice being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-smalley/what-you-practice-you-will-cultivate-simply-if-you-practice-being/) [Susan Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-smalley/) ## 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 Cultivate quotes > [“A ‘good’ father will tenderly cultivate his children. But a ‘good’ father who is also a ‘brave’ father will let the children without cultivate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/a-good-father-will-tenderly-cultivate-his-children-but-a-good-father/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Talent comes from God. If you have been given some, then value it, cultivate it, work and develop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/talent-comes-from-god-if-you-have-been-given-some-then-value-it/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-do-not-have-to-be-ashamed-of-what-we-are-as-sentient-beings-we/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I cultivate my garden, and my garden cultivates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/i-cultivate-my-garden-and-my-garden-cultivates-me/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“What you practice you will cultivate. Simply, if you practice being mean and nasty, you will get meaner and nastier; if you practice being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-smalley/what-you-practice-you-will-cultivate-simply-if-you-practice-being/) [Susan Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-smalley/) > [Cultivate virtue in yourself, and it will be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/cultivate-virtue-in-yourself-and-it-will-be-true/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Let every one of us cultivate, in every word that issues from our mouth, absolute truth. I say cultivate, because to very few people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/let-every-one-of-us-cultivate-in-every-word-that-issues-from-our/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [What if I don’t like adventure? Then cultivate a taste for it. Take a chance. That’s how you grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/what-if-i-don-t-like-adventure-then-cultivate-a-taste-for-it-take-a/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [Individuals, too, who cultivate a variety of skills seem brighter, more energetic and more adaptable than those who know how to do one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shea/individuals-too-who-cultivate-a-variety-of-skills-seem-brighter-more/) [Robert Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shea/) > [If you cultivate your body, your mind, your emotions, and your energies to a certain level of maturity, meditation will blossom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/if-you-cultivate-your-body-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-energies/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [Africa is a continent that provides so much for the existence of the rest of the world. We go around the world and cultivate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djimon-hounsou/africa-is-a-continent-that-provides-so-much-for-the-existence-of-the/) [Djimon Hounsou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djimon-hounsou/) > [People cultivate these fully formed personalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/people-cultivate-these-fully-formed-personalities/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/our-tendency-is-to-be-interested-in-something-that-is-growing-in-the/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Keep good company, read good books, love good things and cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/keep-good-company-read-good-books-love-good-things-and-cultivate-soul/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Meditation isn't snake oil. For some people, meditation might be the most efficient way to reduce stress and cultivate mindfulness. But it isn't a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-grant/meditation-isn-t-snake-oil-for-some-people-meditation-might-be-the/) [Adam Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-grant/) [Browse all 255 Cultivate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Confucius" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they-first-cultivated-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cultivate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they-first-cultivated-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/confucius-164_cultivate_wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they_299547.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/confucius-164_cultivate_wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they_299547.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/807/confucius-164_cultivate_wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they_299547.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons…” — 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": "“Wishing to regulate their families, they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they-first-cultivated-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/wishing-to-regulate-their-families-they-first-cultivated-their/#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 } } ] } ```