The rigid cause themselves to be broken; the pliable cause themselves to be bound.
XUNZIThere are successful scholars, public-spirited scholars, upright scholars, cautious scholars, and those who are merely petty men.
More Xunzi Quotes
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There are successful scholars, public-spirited scholars, upright scholars, cautious scholars, and those who are merely petty men.
XUNZI -
Pride and excess bring disaster for man.
XUNZI -
I once tried standing up on my toes to see far out in the distance, but I found that I could see much farther by climbing to a high place.
XUNZI -
If the blood humor is too strong and robust, calm it with balance and harmony.
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Since the nature of people is bad, to become corrected they must be taught by teachers and to be orderly they must acquire ritual and moral principles.
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They are done merely for ornament. … the common people regard them as supernatural.
XUNZI -
If you wish to see the thousand years, look at today; if you wish to understand the millionfold, then look at the one or the two.
XUNZI -
Thus, that one can find no place to walk through the breadth of the earth is not because the earth is not tranquil but because the danger to every step of the traveler lies generally with words.
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Human nature is what Heaven supplies.
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If what the heart approves conforms to proper patterns, then even if one’s desires are many, what harm would they be to good order?
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Whether the gentleman is capable or not, he is loved all the same; conversely the petty man is loathed all the same.
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Misery is evil; quarreling, a misfortune. There is only one possibility of avoiding both: a clear division of society. [Otherwise] the strong tyrannize the weak, the intelligent frighten the stupid, the inferior resist the superior, and the young mock the old.
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The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.
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If the impulse to daring and bravery is too fierce and violent, stay it with guidance and instruction.
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When you concentrate on agriculture and industry and are frugal in expenditures, Heaven cannot impoverish your state.
XUNZI