These are the four abuses: desire to succeed in order to make oneself famous; taking credit for the labors of others; refusal to correct one's errors despite advice; refusal to change one's ideas despite warnings.

While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve spirits of the dead...While you do not know life, how can you know about death

In old days men studied for the sake of self-improvement; nowadays men study in order to impress other people.

To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.

If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children.

Lead the people with administrative injunctions and put them in their place with penal law, and they will avoid punishments but will be without a sense of shame. Lead them with excellence and put them in their place through roles and ritual practices, and in addition to developing a sense of shame, they will order themselves harmoniously

In a State, pecuniary gain is not to be considered to be prosperity, but its prosperity will be found in righteousness.