Respect the gods, but have as little to do with them as possible.

The strongest memory is not as strong as the weakest ink.

Let a man be stimulated by poetry, established by the rules of propriety, and perfected by music.

Even if I could, I would not exahnge their virtues for my own. And that is why they are intent on learning from me.

Every truth has four corners: as a teacher I give you one corner, and it is for you to find the other three.

If a man is not good, what has he to do with the rules of propriety? If he is not good, what has he to do with music?

An inconvenience is an unrecognized opportunity.