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.
XUNZIHuman nature is what Heaven supplies.
More Xunzi Quotes
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Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity.
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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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If the impulse to daring and bravery is too fierce and violent, stay it with guidance and instruction.
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If the blood humor is too strong and robust, calm it with balance and harmony.
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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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They are done merely for ornament. … the common people regard them as supernatural.
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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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If there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement.
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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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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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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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The rigid cause themselves to be broken; the pliable cause themselves to be bound.
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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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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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Human nature is such that people are born with a love of profit If they follow these inclinations, they will struggle and snatch from each other, and inclinations to defer or yield will die.
XUNZI