Confucius

“To govern means to rectify. If you lead on the correct path, who will dare remain incorrect?”

“When the ruler is righteous, all will be righteous.”

“The virtuous leader seeks harmony, not uniformity.”

“To govern is to serve by being correct yourself.”

“Advance the upright and set aside the crooked, then the people will submit.”

“If the people have no faith in their rulers, there is no standing for the state.”

“Guide them by virtue, keep them in line by ritual, and they will reform themselves.”

“To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life.”

“If you lead the people with correctness, who will dare not to be correct?”

“He who governs by virtue is like the North Star, which remains in its place while all the other stars revolve around it.”

“Learn as if you could not reach your goal and were always afraid of missing it.”

“Filial piety and fraternal respect are the root of humanity.”

“The virtuous are never alone. They always attract good company.”

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

“The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.”

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

“Forget injuries, never forget kindness.”

“Silence is a true friend who never betrays.”

“It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.”

“When we see people of a contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves.”

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

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

“Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.”

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

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

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

“Respect yourself and others will respect you.”

“When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them.”

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

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

“When anger rises, think of the consequences.”

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

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

“A man who has committed a mistake and does not correct it is committing another mistake.”

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

“Study the past if you would define the future.”

“The wise are free from doubt; the virtuous from anxiety; and the brave from fear.”

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

“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.”

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