Top 112 Quotes & Sayings by Mencius - Page 2

He who loves others is always loved by them, and he who respects others is always respected by them.

Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue, and does not admit of assumptions of superiority.

The Tao is near and people seek it far away.

It is true that water will flow indifferently to east and west, but will it flow equally well up and down? Human nature is disposed toward goodness, just as water tends to flow downwards. There is no water but flows downwards, and no man but shows his tendency to be good. Now, by striking water hard, you may splash it higher than your forehead, and by damming it, you may make it go uphill. But, is that the nature of water? It is external force that causes it to do so. Likewise, if a man is made to do what is not good, his nature is being similarly forced.

The way of learning is none other than finding the lost mind.

The way of truth is like a great road. It is not difficult to know it. The evil is only that men will not seek it.

He who exerts his mind to the utmost knows his nature.

In abundance prepare for scarcity.

A small country cannot contend with a great; the few cannot contend with the many; the weak cannot contend with the strong

To feed men and not to love them is to treat them as if they were barnyard cattle. To love them and not respect them is to treat them as if they were household pets.

The gap between enthusiasm and indifference is filled with failures. The great man is he that does not lose his child's heart.

A real man is he whose goodness is a part of himself.

When Heaven is about to confer a great office upon you, it first exercises your mind with suffering and your sinews and bones with toil.

The myriad things are complete in us. There is no greater joy than to reflect on ourselves and become sincere.

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

If the prince of a State love benevolence, he will have no opponent in all the empire.

The Way lies at hand yet it is sought afar off; the thing lies in the easy yet it is sought in the difficult.

When the men of antiquity realized their wishes, benefits were conferred by them on the people. If they did not realize their wishes, they cultivated their personal character, and became illustrious in the world. If poor, they attended to their own virtue in solitude; if advanced to dignity, they made the whole empire virtuous as well.

The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanity; the feeling of shame and dislike is the beginning of righteousness; the feeling of deference and compliance is the beginning of propriety; and the feeling of right or wrong is the beginning of wisdom.Men have these Four Beginnings just as they have their four limbs. Having these Four Beginnings, but saying that they cannot develop them is to destroy themselves.

When one by force subdues men, they do not submit to him in heart. They submit because their strength is not adequate to resist.

Treat your elders as elders, and extend it to the elders of others; treat your young ones as young ones, and extend it to the young ones of others; then you can turn the whole world in the palm of your hand

Men must be decided on what they will not do, and then they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do.

All things are already complete in us. There is no greater delight than to be conscious of right within us. If one strives to treat others as he would be treated by them, he shall not fail to come near the perfect life.

A great man is one who has not lost the child's heart.

Never has there been one possessed of complete sincerity who did not move others. Never has there been one who had not sincerity who was able to move others.

If you know that a thing is unrighteous, then use all dispatch in putting an end to it--why wait till next year?

The great man does not think beforehand of his words that they may be sincere, nor of his actions that they may be resolute- he simply speaks and does what is right.

There is the work of great men and there is the work of little men. Therefore it is said, 'Some labor with their minds and some labor with their strength. Those who labor with their minds govern others; those who labor with their strength are governed by others.'1 Those who are governed by others support them; those who govern them are supported by them. This is a universal principle.

The way is near, but men seek it afar. It is in easy things, but men seek for it in difficult things.

To lay hold of the mean without taking into account the occasion is like grasping one thing only.

The people turn in allegiance to Humanity, as surely as water flows downward or as a wild animal takes cover in the wilderness.

Incessant falls teach men to reform, and distress rouses their strength. Life springs from calamity, and death from ease.

Those who follow the part of themselves which is great are great men; those who follow the part which is little are little men.

The tendency of mans nature to good is like the tendency of water to flow downward.

By exhaustively examining one's own mind,one may understand his nature.One who understands his own nature understands Heaven.

The regular path of virtue is to be pursued without any bend, and from no view to emolument.

The man of true greatness never loses his child's heart.

Is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst? Men's minds are also injured by them.

Virtue alone is not sufficient for the exercise of government; laws alone cannot carry themselves into practice.

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.

When I say that all men have the mind which cannot bear to see the suffering of others, my meaning is illustrated this way: when two men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they all have a feeling of alarm and distress, not to gain friendship with the child's parents, nor to seek the praise of their neighbors and friends. From such a case, we see that a man without the feeling of commiseration is not a man. The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanity.

All people have the common desire to be elevated in honour, but all people have something still more elevated in themselves without knowing it.

A man must not be without shame, for the shame of being without shame is shamelessness indeed.

The five kinds of grains are considered good plants, but if the grains are not ripe, they are worse than cockles. It is the same with regard to kindness, which must grow into maturity.

Water indeed will flow indifferently to the east or west, but will it flow indifferently up or down? The tendency of our nature to good is like the tendency of water to flow downwards. There are none but have this tendency to good, just as all water flows downward.

Human nature is disposed to do good.

He who outrages benevolence is called a ruffian: he who outrages righteousness is called a villain. I have heard of the cutting off of the villain Chow, but I have not heard of the putting of a ruler to death.

All things are complete within ourselves.

Benevolence is one of the distinguishing characters of man.

The way is One and only One. The way is close at hand, but men seek it afar.

Heaven sees as the people see. Heaven hears as the people hear.

The path of duty lies in what is near, and men seek for it in what is remote; the work of duty lies in what is easy, and men seek for it in what is difficult.