At seventy, I could follow the dictates of my own heart; for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of right.

Who contains himself goes seldom wrong.

The superior man is quiet and calm, waiting for the appointments of heaven, while the mean man walks in dangerous paths, looking for lucky occurrences.

Every man knows the smell of his own fart.

They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.

Every piece of marble has a statue in it waiting to be released by a person of sufficient skill to chip away the unnecessary parts. Just as the sculptor is to the marble, so is education to the soul. It releases it. For only educated people are free people. You cannot create a statue by smashing the marble with a hammer, and you cannot by the force of arms release the spirit or the soul of people.

It was by music that the ancient kings gave elegant expression to their joy. By their armies and axes they gave the same to their anger.