They are done merely for ornament. ... the common people regard them as supernatural.

If the quickness of the mind and the fluency of the tongue are too punctilious and sharp, moderate them in your activity and rest.

Sacrifice is a state of mind in which our thoughts turn with longing [toward Heaven, the Ancestors], It is the supreme expression of loyalty, love, and respect.

In antiquity the sage kings recognized that men's nature is bad and that their tendencies were not being corrected and their lawlessness controlled.

Man's nature is evil; goodness is the result of conscious activity.

I once tried standing up on my toes to see far out in the distance, but I found that I could see much farther by climbing to a high place.

Mencius said that human nature is good. I disagree with that.