“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.”

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.

Mankind fears an evil man but heaven does not.

The feeling of compassion is the beginning of humanity.

Secure property in hand leads to peace in mind.

The sole concern of learning is to seek one’s original heart.

Never has a man who has bent himself been able to make others straight.

The way of truth is like a great highway. It is not hard to find.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

It is never too late to turn on the light. Your ability to break an unhealthy habit or turn off an old tape doesn’t depend on how long it has been running; a shift in perspective doesn’t depend on how long you’ve held on to the old view.

If the ability to tell right from wrong should have anything to do with the ability to think, then we must be able to ‘demand’ its exercise in every sane person no matter how erudite or ignorant.

Capabilities are clearly manifested only when they have been realized.

The man who doesn’t know his own ability is ignorant of himself.

Natural ability without education has more often raised a man to glory and virtue than education without natural ability.

Ability without honor is useless.

The leader of the genius must have the ability to make different opponents appear as if they belonged to one category.

The most we can say of democracy or freedom is that they give our personal abilities a little more influence on our well-being.