“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.”

When people lack teachers, their tendencies are not corrected; when they do not have ritual and moral principles, then their lawlessness is not controlled.

Man’s nature is evil; goodness is the result of conscious activity.

Human nature refers to what is in people but which they cannot study or work at achieving.

The drum is surely the lord of music, is it not?

The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.

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.

If the gentleman has ability, he is magnanimous, generous, tolerant, and straightforward, through which he opens the way to instruct others.

Human nature is what Heaven supplies.

The coming of honor or disgrace must be a reflection of one’s inner power.

If the quickness of the mind and the fluency of the tongue are too punctilious and sharp, moderate them in your activity and rest.

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.

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.

The nature of man is evil; what is good in him is artificial.

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.

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.

In antiquity the sage kings recognized that men’s nature is bad and that their tendencies were not being corrected and their lawlessness controlled.

I think I will always be half a breath between the hurting and the healing.

The turmoil of her past is blazing my breath.

She was the freedom of his existence that rushed in like tsunami, that ignited his breaths into calm.

Anxiety is way louder than it sounds, I want to speak but i am short of breath.

It’s hard to breathe when she is not around.

Take a deep breath, feel. Now let it all go.

Sometimes, you need to stop from what you’re doing, take a deep breath, and remind yourself of who you are and what you want to be.

Every year, every moment, every breath & every blink can be a new beginning.