If knowledge and foresight are too penetrating and deep, unify them with ease and sincerity.
XUNZIIf 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.
More Xunzi Quotes
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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.
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The nature of man is evil; what is good in him is artificial.
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The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.
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Thus, anybody who follows this nature and gives way its states will be led into quarrels and conflicts, and go against the conventions and rules of society, and will end up a criminal.
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They are done merely for ornament. … the common people regard them as supernatural.
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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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Men of all social stations live together: they are equal in their desires, yet vary in their methods; they are equal in their passions, yet different in their intelligence; that is their nature-given vitality.
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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.
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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.
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Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity.
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Sacrifices are concerned with the feelings of devotion and longing.
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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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Human nature is what Heaven supplies.
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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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Not having heard something is not as good as having heard it; having heard it is not as good as having seen it; having seen it is not as good as knowing it; knowing it is not as good as putting it into practice.
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The noble person uses things; the lesser man is used by things.
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Pride and excess bring disaster for man.
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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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The rigid cause themselves to be broken; the pliable cause themselves to be bound.
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If the gentleman has ability, he is magnanimous, generous, tolerant, and straightforward, through which he opens the way to instruct others.
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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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Sacrifice is a state of mind in which our thoughts turn with longing [toward Heaven, the Ancestors], It is the supreme expression of loyalty, love, and respect.
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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.
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The coming of honor or disgrace must be a reflection of one’s inner power.
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If there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement.
XUNZI