It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.

It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.

Let not a man do what his sense of right bids him not to do, nor desire what it forbids him to desire. This is sufficient. The skillful artist will not alter his measures for the sake of a stupid workman.

We live, not as we wish to, but as we can.

The great man is he who does not lose his child's-heart.

Friends are the siblings God never gave us.

If the king loves music, there is little wrong in the land.

He who attends to his greater self becomes a great man, and he who attends to his smaller self becomes a small man.

Truth uttered before its time is always dangerous.

Kindly words do not enter so deeply into men as a reputation for kindness.

There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.

Let men decide firmly what they will not do, and they will be free to do vigorously what they ought to do.

Mankind fears an evil man but heaven does not.

Friendship is one mind in two bodies.

Evil exists to glorify the good. Evil is negative good. It is a relative term. Evil can be transmuted into good. What is evil to one at one time, becomes good at another time to somebody else.

Every duty is a charge, but the charge of oneself is the root of all others.

Sincerity is the way to heaven.

A trail through the mountains, if used, becomes a path in a short time, but, if unused, becomes blocked by grass in an equally short time.

Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue.

I like fish, and I also like bear's paws. If I cannot have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear's paws. So, I like life, and I also like righteousness. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose righteousness.

If Confucius wasn't born, the long night would have no bright lamp.

Only when a man will not do some things is he capable of doing great things.

People can have a long-term life plan only if they know their private property is secure.

Secure property in hand leads to peace in mind.

The people are the most important element in a nation; the spirits of the land and grain are the next; the sovereign is the least.

The root of the kingdom is in the state. The root of the state is in the family. The root of the family is in the person of its head.

Without effective protection of the citizens' right to property, it will be difficult to attract and accumulate valuable capital.

Is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst Mens minds are also injured by them.

Every duty is a charge but the charge of oneself is the root of all others.

Human nature is good just as water seeks low ground. There is no man who is not good just as there is no water that does not flow downward.

The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart.

He who loves others is constantly loved by them. He who respects others is constantly respected by them.

Sincerity is the way to heaven; to think how to be sincere is the way of man.

What is a permanent loan but a mortgage upon the wealth and industry of the country? It is the only form of indebtedness, as experience has shown, by which heavy and durable encumbrance can be laid upon the community.

There can be no greater privilege in life than to be chosen to lead your country.

I don't know why I ever come in here. The flies get the best of everything.

I feel that sometimes, holding yourself as black, saying that is your sole identity, can sometimes stand in your way of being a member of the humanity of man, being a member of the family of the divine.

The virtue of some people consists wholly in condemning the vices in others.

In my experience, in bringing coercive diplomacy to bear against Slobodan Milosevic, no bomb strike was more important than maintaining NATO's cohesion.

When we cannot be delivered from ourselves, we delight in devouring ourselves.

Just getting to wake up and play somebody else for an entire day is just an amazing thing.

Human love is often but the encounter of two weaknesses.

Never give up. Great things take time.

Many highly intelligent people are poor thinkers. Many people of average intelligence are skilled thinkers. The power of a car is separate from the way the car is driven.

Romantics consider common sense vulgar.

The 9/11 Commission strongly recommends that the National Intelligence Director be fully in control of the budget, from developing it to implementing it, to ensuring that the National Intelligence Director has the clout to make decisions.

I would rather be a little nobody then to be a evil somebody.

In many countries, schools are preparing students to participate in a democratic environment; yet schools themselves tend to be extremely autocratic, with all high-level decisions being made by adults.

We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.