Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established.

There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth…lust. When he is strong…quarrelsomeness. When he is old…covetousness.

To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue…[They are] gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.

By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.

Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue.

The superior man cannot be known in little matters, but he may be entrusted with great concerns. The small man may not be entrusted with great concerns, but he may be known in little matters.

What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.

What the superior man seeks is in himself. What the mean man seeks is in others.