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.
XUNZIWhen you concentrate on agriculture and industry and are frugal in expenditures, Heaven cannot impoverish your state.
More Xunzi Quotes
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I once tried thinking for an entire day, but I found it less valuable than one moment of study.
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The noble person uses things; the lesser man is used by things.
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The rigid cause themselves to be broken; the pliable cause themselves to be bound.
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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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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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One 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.
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The drum is surely the lord of music, is it not?
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The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.
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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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The coming of honor or disgrace must be a reflection of one’s inner power.
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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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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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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.
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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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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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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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When you concentrate on agriculture and industry and are frugal in expenditures, Heaven cannot impoverish your state.
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If there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement.
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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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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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If the blood humor is too strong and robust, calm it with balance and harmony.
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If what the heart approves conforms to proper patterns, then even if one’s desires are many, what harm would they be to good order?
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Human nature is what Heaven supplies.
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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.
XUNZI