If a superior man abandon virtue, how can he fulfil the requirements of that name?

He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it.

If an urn lacks the characteristics of an urn, how can we call it an urn?

When a man feels the difficulty of doing, can he be other than cautious and slow in speaking?

Guide them by edicts, keep them in line with punishments, and the common people will stay out of trouble but will have no sense of shame. Guide them by virtue, keep them in line with the rites, and they will, besides having a sense of shame, reform themselves.

Learning, undigested by thought, is labor lost.

Worry not that no one knows you; seek to be worth knowing.