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

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.

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

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.

He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.

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

To see what is right and not do it is a lack of courage.

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

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.

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

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

When anger rises, think of the consequences.

Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.

To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.

Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.

He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.

When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.

The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others.

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

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

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.

The cautious seldom err.

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.

To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace.

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

Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.

He who will not economize will have to agonize.

Study the past if you would define the future.

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

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

To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.

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

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

Never contract friendship with a man that is not better than yourself.

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

To see a student who has lived for a whole year without learning anything is a grief.

A youth, when at home, should be filial, and, abroad, respectful to his elders.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star.

In archery we have something like the way of the superior man. When the archer misses the center of the target, he turns round and seeks for the cause of his failure in himself.

Filial piety and brotherly respect are the root of benevolence.

Silence is a true friend who never betrays.

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

To love a thing means wanting it to live.

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.

Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.

He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.

To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.

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

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

When prosperity comes, do not use all of it.

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.

Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.

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.

Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.

Respect yourself and others will respect you.

The scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.

Virtue without learning is like a diamond in the rough.

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

Study as if you were never to master it; as if in fear you were losing it.

When the wind blows, the grass must bend.

To be poor without murmuring is difficult; to be rich without being proud is easy.

The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions.

No matter where you go, there you are.

To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.

He who is not in the habit of saying 'What shall I think of this? What shall I think of this?'—I can indeed do nothing with him!

The master said: 'At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven.'

To know one's self is the true direction of life.

If you lead people with laws and unify them with punishments, they will try to avoid penalties and have no sense of shame.

Guide people with virtue and align them with ritual propriety, and they will cultivate a sense of shame and become truly good.

Is it not a pleasure, having learned something, to try it out at due intervals?

Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?

Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?

The superior man is easy to serve and difficult to please.

The small man is difficult to serve and easy to please.

A gentleman seeks harmony, not uniformity; the petty man seeks uniformity, not harmony.

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

When the natural substance exceeds the cultural refinement, we have a rustic; when refinement exceeds substance, we have a pedant.

Only when refinement and substance are balanced do we have the true gentleman.

To see the good and pursue it; to see evil and shun it as one would test boiling water.

The superior man honors his superiors, is affectionate to his kin, and generous to his friends.

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

If one loves others but they are not close, examine your own benevolence.

When walking with two other people, I will always find my teacher among them.

I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them.

The commander of the forces of a large state may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken from him.

The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.

Do not be desirous of having things done quickly. Do not look at small advantages.

Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly.

Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished.

To govern is to correct. If you lead with correctness, who will dare not to be correct?

Sincerity is the way of Heaven. The attainment of sincerity is the way of men.

He who attains sincerity is he who chooses what is good, and firmly holds it fast.

To cultivate personal life, one must first rectify the heart.

Things have their roots and their branches. Affairs have their end and their beginning.

To know what is first and what is last will lead near to the Way.

From the Emperor down to the common people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of all virtue.

When the root is neglected, what should spring from it cannot be well ordered.

The wound is the place where the light enters you.

What you seek is seeking you.

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

You cannot find peace by avoiding life.

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.

Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.