The Gods cannot help those who do not seize opportunities.

Tzu Chang asked Confucius about jen. Confucius said, "If you can practice these five things with all the people, you can be called jen." Tzu Chang asked what they were. Confucius said, "Courtesy, generosity, honesty, persistence, and kindness. If you are courteous, you will not be disrespected; if you are generous, you will gain everything. If you are honest, people will rely on you. If you are persistent you will get results. If you are kind, you can employ people.

The superior man is firm in the right way and not merely firm.

It is better to light one small candle of gratitude than to curse the darkness.

What Heaven has conferred is called The Nature; an accordance with this nature is called The Path of duty; the regulation of this path is called Instruction. The path may not be left for an instant. If it could be left, it would not be the path.

Balance is the perfect state of still water. Let that be our model. It remains quiet within and is not disturbed on the surface.

It is the obligation of the ruler to continually renew himself in order to renew the people by his example.