It is only he, possessed of all sagely qualities that can exist under heaven, who shows himself quick in apprehension, clear in discernment, of far-r… - Confucius

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It is only he, possessed of all sagely qualities that can exist under heaven, who shows himself quick in apprehension, clear in discernment, of far-reaching intelligence, and all-embracing knowledge, fitted to exercise rule; magnanimous, generous, benign, and mild, fitted to exercise forbearance; impulsive, energetic, firm, and enduring, fitted to maintain a firm hold; self-adjusted, grave, never swerving from the Mean, and correct, fitted to command reverence; accomplished, distinctive, concentrative, and searching, fitted to exercise discrimination. All-embracing is he and vast, deep and active as a fountain, sending forth in their due season his virtues. All-embracing and vast, he is like Heaven. Deep and active as a fountain, he is like the abyss. He is seen, and the people all reverence him; he speaks, and the people all believe him; he acts, and the people all are pleased with him.

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About Confucius

Confucius (traditionally 28 September 551 B.C. – 479 B.C.) was a Chinese social philosopher, whose teachings deeply influenced East Asian life and thought. "Confucius" is a latinization of the Chinese 孔夫子, Kong Fu Zi or K'ung-fu-tzu, literally "Master Kong", but he is usually referred to in China with a simpler version of this honorific as 孔子, Kongzi, or Kǒng Zǐ.

Biography information from Wikiquote · Portrait adapted from Wikimedia Commons, Anonymous Chinese painter of the Western Han period (Public domain / CC0)

Also Known As

Native Name: 孔夫子
Alternative Names: Confucio Konfuzius Cheu-kong Chung-ni Cong-tse K'ung Chung-ni K'ung Fu-tse K'ung-fu-tzu K'ung-tzu Kong Fu Zi Kong Fuzi Kong Qiu Kong Zhongni Kongfuzi Kongqiu Kongzi Kung Chung-ni Kung Fu Tzu Kung Fu-tse Kungfutse Zhongni

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Original (Chinese)
唯天下至聖,為能聰明睿知,足以有臨也;寬裕溫柔,足以有容也;發強剛毅,足以有執也;齊莊中正,足以有敬也;文理密察,足以有別也。溥博淵泉,而時出之。溥博如天,淵泉如淵。見而民莫不敬,言而民莫不信,行而民莫不說。是以聲名洋溢乎中國,施及蠻貊;舟車所至,人力所通,天之所覆,地之所載,日月所照,霜露所隊;凡有血氣者,莫不尊親,故曰配天。
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Additional quotes by Confucius

哀公問政。子曰:「文、武之政,布在方策,其人存,則其政舉;其人亡,則其政息。人道敏政,地道敏樹。夫政也者,蒲盧也。故為政在人,取人以身,修身以道,修道以仁。仁者人也,親親為大;義者宜也,尊賢為大。親親之殺,尊賢之等,禮所生也。在下位不獲乎上,民不可得而治矣!故君子不可以不修身;思修身,不可以不事親;思事親,不可以不知人;思知人,不可以不知天。天下之達道五,所以行之者三,曰:君臣也,父子也,夫婦也,昆弟也,朋友之交也,五者天下之達道也。知仁勇三者,天下之達德也,所以行之者一也。或生而知之,或學而知之,或困而知之,及其知之,一也;或安而行之,或利而行之,或勉強而行之,及其成功,一也。」

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