The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.
XUNZIThe person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.
XUNZINot 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.
XUNZIMusic is a fantastic peacekeeper of the world, it is integral to harmony, and it is a required fundamental of human emotion.
XUNZIMan’s nature is evil; goodness is the result of conscious activity.
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?
XUNZIOne must remember equality, yet also be aware of difference, for if the people are allowed to act as it pleases them without coming up against displeasure, if one gives rein to its desires without setting [any] limit, it becomes confused and can no longer take delight in anything.
XUNZIThey are done merely for ornament. … the common people regard them as supernatural.
XUNZISacrifice 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.
XUNZIThus, 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.
XUNZIHuman nature refers to what is in people but which they cannot study or work at achieving.
XUNZIIf the gentleman has ability, he is magnanimous, generous, tolerant, and straightforward, through which he opens the way to instruct others.
XUNZIWhen you concentrate on agriculture and industry and are frugal in expenditures, Heaven cannot impoverish your state.
XUNZIIn antiquity the sage kings recognized that men’s nature is bad and that their tendencies were not being corrected and their lawlessness controlled.
XUNZIWhen 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.
XUNZIMen 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.
XUNZII once tried thinking for an entire day, but I found it less valuable than one moment of study.
XUNZI