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

Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.

Respect yourself and others will respect you.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Do not value the worldly prize of jade and gold above the unblemished integrity of your inner nature.

To act without striving, to speak without contrivance, to live without vanity—this is walking with Heaven.

The petty man lives for opinions; the noble man lives for truth.

The greatest virtue is like flowing water that nourishes all things without contending with any.

The bird does not build its nest on the highest branch to show off, but to protect its young; let your actions arise from genuine need, not vanity.

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.

Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.

When you meet your friend on the roadside or in the marketplace, let the spirit in you move your lips and direct your tongue.

Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children.

The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his lovingness.

You are good when you are one with yourself. Yet when you are not one with yourself you are not evil.

You are good when you strive to give of yourself. Yet you are not evil when you seek gain for yourself.

Do not look at the ascetic's solemn frown; look at the joyful glance of the lover of God.

The candle burns through the dark night so that travelers may find the road; be a beacon of compassion for weary souls.

Do not boast of your piety; humility is the sole key that unlocks the gate of divine mercy.

Let your words be like sweet water to those parched in the desert of despair.

The tree that bears the sweetest fruit bends its branches lowest to the ground.

The cloud that gives rain does not demand a receipt from the earth.

The rose does not withhold its perfume from the beggar nor reserve it only for the king.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.

My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

Our own life has to be our message.

This is the most basic kind of peace work.

The flower does not try to be a tree; the cloud does not try to be a mountain. Be simply who you are, in peaceful integrity.

The capable hawk hides its talons.

Pushing against a silk curtain only exhausts the fist.

Even the fool possesses one sacred spark of purpose under heaven.

When drinking water, never forget the source of the spring.

Good medicine tastes bitter to the tongue, yet it cures the sickness; faithful counsel sounds harsh to the ear, yet it rectifies the life.

He who returns good for evil is like the sandalwood tree that perfumes the axe that wounds it.

Habits formed in the green days of youth become as unyielding as iron in old age.

Trees do not eat their own sweet fruit; rivers do not drink their own waters; the life of the noble is poured out for the welfare of others.

As gold is tested in four ways—by rubbing, cutting, heating, and hammering—so is character tested by conduct, lineage, virtue, and action.

Humility is the supreme ornament of knowledge; charity is the ornament of wealth; truth is the ornament of speech.

The fragrance of sandalwood spreads only with the wind, but the fragrance of a righteous life spreads in all directions.

Speak the truth, speak what is pleasing, but never speak an untruth to please, nor a harsh truth out of malice.

Forgiveness is the supreme strength of the mighty, and the highest ornament of the peaceful.

Where the vulnerable, women, and mothers are honored with reverence, there the divine rejoices.

Wealth acquired through deceit and unrighteousness burns like a fiery brand in the house of the thief.

The river that forgets its ancestral source will dry up in the desert sand.

No matter how high the eagle soars into the sky, it must return to the earth to drink water.

The teeth are smiling, but is the heart laughing with true joy?

He who learns must also teach; he who gets must also give.

The lizard that jumped safely from the towering iroko tree said he would praise himself if nobody else did.

A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses.

Do good and cast it into the rushing river; even if the fish does not know, God knows.

He who sows the seeds of thorns in the spring must not expect to harvest grapes in autumn.

The sun never boasts of its radiant warmth; it simply shines and warms the world.

A single stone in the wall of the caravanserai is neither king nor slave, yet without it, the roof collapses.

One single heartfelt sigh from an oppressed soul can shake the foundations of heaven.

Character is destiny.

To do injustice is far more shameful and destructive to the soul than to suffer it.

Virtue is its own supreme and eternal reward.

A good mind and a compassionate heart are always a formidable and invincible combination.

The companion of true virtue is eternal honor.

To conquer without arrogance and to yield without cowardice is the mark of the noble soul.

Cattle die, kinsmen die, and you yourself must die; but the fair fame of an honorable life never dies.

Better an open and declared adversary than a treacherous and smiling friend.

The eagle does not stoop to hunt common flies.

A good name and an unblemished character are a golden shield that never rusts.

Never mock the gray-headed elder; the greatest wisdom rests within weathered and scarred skin.

When you were born, you cried while the whole village rejoiced; live your life so that when you die, the village weeps while you rejoice.

When a deer falls to the hunter's arrow, the hunter kneels and gives thanks to the spirit of the deer.

Trouble no one about their sacred faith; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.

The morning sun rises to warm the earth for everyone, not just for the grand chief.

Humility is the father of all virtue; the great mountain does not boast of its height, yet the entire valley honors it.

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.