He with whom neither slander that gradually soaks into the mind, nor statements that startle like a wound in the flesh, are successful may be called intelligent indeed.

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

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

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

Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous, and lo! Virtue is at hand.

I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there.

With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow – I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a floating cloud.

The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration.