Top 101 Confucius Quotes That Will Make You A Bit Wiser

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Confucius was a Chinese philosopher during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. He was famous for many of his sayings. With that in mind, check out the top 101 Confucius quotes.

Table of Contents

#101 – 90. Confucius Quotes

101. “Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.”

100. “If you don’t want to do something, don’t impose on others.”

99. “The object of the superior man is truth.”

98. “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.”

97. “If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for 10 years plant trees. If your plan is for 100 years educate children.”

96. “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.”

95. “You cannot open a book without learning something.”

94. “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

93. “Act with kindness but do not expect gratitude.”

92. “Respect yourself and others will respect you.”

91. “He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.”

90. “Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men.”

#89 – 80. Confucius Quotes

89. “To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.”

88. “The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.”

87. “Study the past, if you would divine the future.”

86. “To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.”

85. “The man who says he can, and the man who says he can’t are both correct.”

84. “Give a bowl of rice to a man and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice and you will save his life.”

83. “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

82. “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.”

81. “When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it – this is knowledge.”

80. “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.”

#79 – 70. Confucius Quotes

79. “If we don’t know life, how can we know death?”

78. “Silence is a true friend who never betrays.”

77. “When you are laboring for others let it be with the same zeal as if it were for yourself.”

76. “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.”

75. “I want you to be everything that’s you, deep at the center of your being.”

74. “Worry not that no one knows you; seek to be worth knowing.”

73. “Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.”

72. “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.”

71. “Learn advidly. Question it repeatedly. Analyze it carefully. Then put what you have learned into practice intelligently.”

70. “The essence of knowledge is, having it, to use it.”

#69 – 60. Confucius Quotes

69. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”

68. “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”

67. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

66. “Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished.”

65. “If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.”

64. “Virtuous people often revenge themselves for the constraints to which they submit by the boredom which they inspire.”

63. “He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.”

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

61. “The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.”

60. “The man who says he can, and the man who says he can not… Are both correct.”

#59 – 50. Confucius Quotes

59. “When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.”

58. “If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?”

57. “Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.”

56. “He who acts with a constant view to his own advantage will be much murmured against.”

55. “Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.”

54. “When a person should be spoken with, and you don’t speak with them, you lose them. When a person shouldn’t be spoken with and you speak to them, you waste your breath. The wise do not lose people, nor do they waste their breath.”

53. “Your life is what your thoughts make it.”

52. “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”

51. “To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage, or of principle.”

50. “We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression.”

#49 – 40. Confucius Quotes

49. “Anyone can find the switch after the lights are on.”

48. “The funniest people are the saddest ones.”

47. “The journey with a 1000 miles begins with one step.”

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

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

44. “Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.”

43. “The superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In moments of haste, he cleaves to it. In seasons of danger, he cleaves to it.”

42. “The superior man is distressed by the limitations of his ability; he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability that he has.”

41. “It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.”

40. “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

#39 – 30. Confucius Quotes

39. “You are what you think.”

38. “Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?”

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

36. “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.”

35. “Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance.”

34. “All people are the same; only their habits differ.”

33. “One joy dispels a hundred cares.”

32. “He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.”

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

30. “If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed, if in terms of ten years, plant trees, if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.”

#29 – 20. Confucius Quotes

29. “I slept and dreamt life is beauty, I woke and found life is duty.”

28. “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”

27. “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

26. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

25. “If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.”

24. “Death and life have their determined appointments; riches and honors depend upon heaven.”

23. “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

22. “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”

21. “The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

20. “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.”

#19 – 10. Confucius Quotes

19. “When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points.”

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

17. “To see the right and not to do it is cowardice.”

16. “Go before the people with your example, and be laborious in their affairs.”

15. “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

14. “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.”

13. “The cautious seldom err.”

12. “The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue.”

11. “To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.”

10. “In a country well-governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.”