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?

I used to listen to what others said, and expect them to act accordingly. But nowadays, I listen to what they say, and then observe what they do.

To be fond of learning is to draw close to wisdom. To practice with vigor is to draw close to benevolence. To know the sense of shame is to draw close to courage. He who knows these three things knows how to cultivate his own character. Knowing how to cultivate his own character, he knows how to govern other men. Knowing how to govern other men, he knows how to govern the world, its states, and its families.

The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.

It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.

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

With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bent arm for a pillow - I have still joy in the midst of all these things.