Confucius had many followers but he did not claim to be divine even though his insights could be considered inspired by such or from such a source. he along with many prophets and teachers in history have shared their insights with us. we know that he existed just as the Buddha and Ghandi. even einstein was a humanitarian among many others. even today, many people have been inspired or learned and have shared their wisdom and insights with us. from the humblest of people to the most educated of people. many of these can strike a chord with us or we may have figured out ourselves through life. true wisdom has no class boundaries. he was a very wise man. notice even the golden rule as one of his quotes. this is a fraction of his quotes: 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. Confucius Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius Death and life have their determined appointments; riches and honors depend upon heaven. Confucius Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire. Confucius Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Confucius Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage. Confucius Go before the people with your example, and be laborious in their affairs. Confucius He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it. Confucius He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger. Confucius He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good. Confucius Heaven means to be one with God. Confucius I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand. Confucius I want you to be everything that's you, deep at the center of your being. Confucius I will not be concerned at other men's not knowing me;I will be concerned at my own want of ability n a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of. Confucius Instead of being concerned that you have no office, be concerned to think how you may fit yourself for office. Instead of being concerned that you are not known, see to the (be?) worthy of being known. Confucius It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. Confucius 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. Confucius It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them. Confucius Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous. Confucius Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. Confucius Look at the means which a man employs, consider his motives, observe his pleasures. A man simply cannot conceal himself! Confucius Never contract friendship with a man that is not better than thyself. Confucius Never give a sword to a man who can't dance. Confucius Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator. Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change. Confucius Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Confucius The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home. Confucius The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his action. Confucius 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. Confucius The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions. Confucius The superior man makes the difficulty to be overcome his first interest; success only comes later. Confucius The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort. Confucius The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.
Let us not forget his brother, Unconfused, who said.. Man that is stuck in pantry has his ass in jam. Man standing on toilet is high on pot. Secretary not permanent fixture until screwed on top of desk Man who stick foot in mouth get athlete's tongue! Man who live in glass house should not throw parties! Man that go to bed with itchy butt wake up with sticky fingers! When called an idiot sometimes is better to be quiet, than open mouth and remove all doubt. "Man with glass house must dress in basement!" Everyone has a photographic memory, some people just don't have film! Passionate kiss like spider's web, soon lead to undoing of fly. Virginity like bubble, one prick all gone. Man who run in front of car get tired. Man who eat many prunes get good run for money. Baseball is wrong - man with four balls cannot walk. War doesn't determine who is right, war determines who is left. Wife who put husband in doghouse soon find him in cathouse. Man who fight with wife all day get no piece at night. It take many nails to build crib but one screw to fill it. Man who drive like hell bound to get there. Man who lives in glass house should change clothes in basement. Man who fishes in other man's well often catches crabs. Don't eat the snow where the huskies go! Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have! Man who lose key to apartment not get new key. He who sitteth on an upturned tack shall surely rise. Even the greatest of whales is helpless in middle of desert. Man who sit on tack get point! Man who jumps off cliff, jumps to conclusion! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
yes, that's all cute and funny but it's a shame that confucious is mocked especially by western society because he did not claim divinity or make himself a religious figure. he had many extremely enlightening insights and they were very humane as well as about truth.
Lighten up dude! I'm only having a little levity with him, I'd think he would enjoy some humor don't you? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell. To bad someone hadn't pointed this out to the Banksters as they "sold" crap loans.
i see things i should be working on in his quotes. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
China is trying to spread Confucianism across the world, just as we spread democracy. There was an article but I can not remember the link...
i see that as rather positive considering that almost all of his messages were so common sense, just and humane. also, very helpful in practical everyday life sense too.
Could use his teachings in the ethics class because they sure do have allot of ethical meanings to them.
"When a man is humble and polite and frugal in his personal habits and yet not full of elaborate ceremonies, we may be sure he is deep in the study of propriety. And when a man is cultivated in his speech, ready with expressions and analogies and yet is not influenced by the picture of the prevailing moral chaos, we may be sure that he is deep in the study of Spring and Autumn Annals." The Wisdom of Confucius.
Confucius is the icon of wiseman in China, most respected person by chinese. However, the chaos in china from 17th to 20th centuries, can't be solved by his teaching, indeed, it is his teaching confined china, his teaching had spurred into may useless culture and caused china to be weak. Even the Family value by confucius is not suitable now, must be modified.
That responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the Controller of the Currency, who reports directly to the President. It is his one and only job to make sure that American banks remain in good financial condition. Urging people to take out loans that they will never be able to repay is clearly not a way for banks to remain in good financial condition, yet he missed that! You can guess which President appointed this lazy moron: George W. may-he-rot-in-hell Bush. The Chinese are patient. They've had a continuous civilization with a more-or-less uninterrupted chain of government since the days when many of our ancestors were still barbarians. The Mongols? Married Chinese people, began speaking Chinese, were absorbed into the population. The Communists? Their philosophy was overlaid with Confucianism (trust your elders because they know what they're doing) and the Dao (be patient, this will all work out just fine in a few more generations), and absorbed into the culture. So they're quite certain that China will once again achieve glory.
He was wise beyond his time also he was both a professional and a pragmatist, this is why I find inspiration from his words. Is it possible to keep the message, the ideals of high standards and professionalism and update them for the modern world? It seems he could so easily see the true reality of a situation that others couldn't and that enabled him to take the best course of action, today any nation would surely benefit greatly from a man that could act in such a manner.