A person is born with feelings of envy and hate. If he gives way to them, they will lead him to violence and crime, and any sense of loyalty and good faith will be abandoned.
XUNZIIn antiquity the sage kings recognized that men’s nature is bad and that their tendencies were not being corrected and their lawlessness controlled.
More Xunzi Quotes
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In antiquity the sage kings recognized that men’s nature is bad and that their tendencies were not being corrected and their lawlessness controlled.
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You look upon the seasons with expectation and await them: wy not seize the seasonal opportunities and exploit them?
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Quarreling over food and drink, having neither scruples nor shame, not knowing right from wrong, not trying to avoid death or injury, not fearful of greater strength or of greater numbers, greedily aware only of food and drink – such is the bravery of the dog and boar.
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Man’s nature is evil; goodness is the result of conscious activity.
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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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Sacrifices are concerned with the feelings of devotion and longing.
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If the quickness of the mind and the fluency of the tongue are too punctilious and sharp, moderate them in your activity and rest.
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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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They are done merely for ornament. … the common people regard them as supernatural.
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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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Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
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Music is a fantastic peacekeeper of the world, it is integral to harmony, and it is a required fundamental of human emotion.
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Mencius said that human nature is good. I disagree with that.
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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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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