In antiquity the sage kings recognized that men’s nature is bad and that their tendencies were not being corrected and their lawlessness controlled.
XUNZIIf what the heart approves conforms to proper patterns, then even if one’s desires are many, what harm would they be to good order?
More Xunzi Quotes
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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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You look upon the seasons with expectation and await them: wy not seize the seasonal opportunities and exploit them?
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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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Human nature is what Heaven supplies.
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Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity.
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The coming of honor or disgrace must be a reflection of one’s inner power.
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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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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 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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Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
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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 nature of man is evil; what is good in him is artificial.
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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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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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When people lack teachers, their tendencies are not corrected; when they do not have ritual and moral principles, then their lawlessness is not controlled.
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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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Pride and excess bring disaster for man.
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Mencius said that human nature is good. I disagree with that.
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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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Sacrifices are concerned with the feelings of devotion and longing.
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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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If knowledge and foresight are too penetrating and deep, unify them with ease and sincerity.
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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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If the impulse to daring and bravery is too fierce and violent, stay it with guidance and instruction.
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Now it is human nature to want to eat to ones fill when hungry, to want to warm up when cold, to want to rest when tired. These all are a part of people’s emotional nature.
XUNZI