Mencius said that human nature is good. I disagree with that.
XUNZIThe coming of honor or disgrace must be a reflection of one’s inner power.
More Xunzi Quotes
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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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There are successful scholars, public-spirited scholars, upright scholars, cautious scholars, and those who are merely petty men.
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Human nature refers to what is in people but which they cannot study or work at achieving.
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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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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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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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When a man sees something desirable, he must reflect on the fact that with time it could come to involve what is detestable. When he sees something that is beneficial, he should reflect that sooner or later it, too, could come to involve harm.
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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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If there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement.
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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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Sacrifices are concerned with the feelings of devotion and longing.
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If the blood humor is too strong and robust, calm it with balance and harmony.
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Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity.
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If knowledge and foresight are too penetrating and deep, unify them with ease and sincerity.
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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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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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Therefore, a person should first be changed by a teacher’s instructions, and guided by principles of ritual. Only then can he observe the rules of courtesy and humility, obey the conventions and rules of society, and achieve order.
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They are done merely for ornament. … the common people regard them as supernatural.
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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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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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The petty man is eager to make boasts, yet desires that others should believe in him. He enthusiastically engages in deception, yet wants others to have affection for him. He conducts himself like an animal, yet wants others to think well of him.
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The coming of honor or disgrace must be a reflection of one’s inner power.
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Man’s nature is evil; goodness is the result of conscious activity.
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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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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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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.
XUNZI