Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Confucius, aka Kong Qiu, Zhongni, K'ung Fu-tzu or Kong Fuzi NULL

Chinese Moral Teacher, Philosopher, Thinker, Political Figure, Educator, and Founder of the Ru School of Chinese thought, his teachings preserved in the collection of aphorisms known as Lunyu or Analects

"Ji Kangzi was troubled by the number of thieves, and asked Confucius for advice. Confucius replied to him, If you yourself were not so greedy, the people could not be paid to steal."

"Learning without due reflection leads to perplexity."

"Raise up the true and place them over the crooked, and the allegiance of the people will be yours; raise up the crooked and place them over the true, and the people will not be yours."

"Make an earnest commitment to the love of learning."

"Not yet understanding life, how could you understand death?"

"The exemplary person helps to bring out the best in others, but does not help bring out the worse. The petty person does just the opposite."

"Study as though you cannot catch up to it, and as though you fear you are going to lose it."

"Set an example yourself for those in office, pardon minor offenses, and promote those with superior character and ability."

"The exemplary person takes the high road, while the petty person takes the low."

"The person who does not consider what is far off will not escape being alarmed at what is near at hand."

"Those near at hand are pleased, and those at a distance are drawn to you. (When governing effectively.)"

"To fail to cultivate excellence, to fail to practice what I learn, on coming to understand what is appropriate in the circumstances to fail to attend to it, and to be unable to reform conduct that is not productive?these things I worry over."

"To go into battle with people who have not been properly trained is to forsake them."

"To be poor without feeling ill will is much more difficult than to be wealthy without being arrogant."

"To know what you know and know what you do not know?this then is wisdom."

"You want to become the kind of counselor who is an exemplary person, not the kind that is a petty person."

"Where everyone despises a person, you must look into the matter carefully; when everyone celebrates a person, you must also look into it carefully."

"To take doing one?s utmost, making good on one?s word, and seeking out what is appropriate as one?s main concerns, is to accumulate excellence."

"Wealth and honor are what people want, but if they are the consequence of deviating from Dao (noble path, the way), I would have no part in them. Poverty and disgrace are what people deplore, but if they are the consequence of staying on the way, I would not avoid them."