8 Quotes That Get to the Heart of Confucianism
The figure known to the Western world as Confucius was a Chinese philosopher whose ideas and teachings comprised Confucianism, a philosophical and ethical belief system that has formed the foundation for much of Chinese culture and society for the last 2,500 years.
Confucius was born in 551 BCE in eastern China. His father died when he was only 3 years old, and he was raised in poverty by his mother. He took an early interest in education (“at 15, my heart was set on learning,” he famously said), which would go on to form a core tenet of his own teachings.
Confucianism, while a complex thought system, emphasizes a few core principles, key among them being reciprocity, knowledge, virtue, harmony, loyalty, and self-cultivation. It also underlines the importance of family and community. Here are eight quotes that help demonstrate the philosophy of Confucius and his profound wisdom that still resonates to this day.
This sentiment is well known in the West, often expressed in Christianity as “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and known as the “golden rule.” Confucius believed in respecting others and treating them with kindness. This Confucius quote underlines what is considered to be — both by others and Confucius himself — the key to his teachings, and the one thing we should be sure to practice throughout life: reciprocity.
Confucius was keen on learning from the existing world around him, but he also believed in critical thought. Learning and thinking are complementary: If we merely read a book and don’t apply it in our own way to the real world, we risk not forming any real original opinions. On the other hand, if we parrot ideas based merely on things overheard, or facts not thoroughly examined, we run the risk of inheriting and perpetuating misinformation.
While Confucius believed strongly in the power of reciprocity, he believed even more so in the superior person (or, in his teachings, the superior man). The superior man, Confucius said, is “satisfied and composed,” and does not need to be understood by others. To a self-cultivated person, the act of understanding others and engaging others is far superior to worrying about them doing the same. This goes hand in hand with another one of Confucius’ powerful quotes: “If one remains not annoyed when he is not understood by people around him, isn’t he a sage?”
Living virtuously and aiming for moral superiority was a lifelong venture for Confucius. He believed that following the correct path every day ensured moral soundness and positive contributions to your community, and, ultimately, meant a person would die with no regret, even if the end should come unexpectedly.
A major part of Confucianism is something called filial piety, or respecting your parents, elders, and ancestors. This is demonstrated through service to your parents. Chinese culture, influenced by these philosophies, has long valued filial piety, and to this day, children — sons especially — are expected to care for their aging parents.
This Confucius quote focuses not only on our interactions with others, but again on self-cultivation. If we see an admirable quality in someone, we shouldn’t be envious, but should try to cultivate that within ourselves. If we see a negative quality in someone, instead of feeling superior, we should look deep within ourselves and reflect on our own internal struggles — because we all have them, and we must all work actively on diminishing them.
Reciprocity and harmony are two key tenets of Confucianism. Peaceful coexistence can be achieved through respecting each other, promoting interaction, and through it all, focusing on working on the self, not dominating the other.
With this joyous quote, Confucius once again celebrates his love of learning. He suggests that gaining knowledge is not only one of life’s great pleasures, but also a duty to put it into practice throughout life. This quote continues, “Isn’t it also great when friends visit from distant places?” It highlights the importance of community and harmony — while not doing away with the fact that Confucius was, and encouraged others to be, self-possessed first and foremost. 
