Confucius Bio
Confucius (born Kong Qiu, styled Zhong Ni) was born in the village of Zou in the country of Lu in 551 B.C., a poor descendant of a deposed noble family. As a child, he held make-believe temple rituals; as a young adult, he quickly earned a reputation for fairness, politeness and love of learning, and he was reputed to be quite tall. He traveled extensively and studied at the imperial capital, Zhou, where he is said to have met and spoke with Lao Zi, the founder of Daoism.
Upon his return to Lu, he gained renown as a teacher, but when he was 35, Duke Zhao of Lu led his country to war, was routed and fled to the neighboring country of Qi; in the disorder following the battle, Confucius followed. Duke Zhao frequently came to him for advice, but upon counsel of one of his ministers, he decided against granting land to Confucius and gradually stopped seeking his counsel. When other nobles began plotting against Confucius' position, Duke Zhao refused to intervene, and Confucius returned to Lu. But conditions there were no better than before, and Confucius retired from public life to concentrate on teaching and studying.
At age 50, he was approached by the Baron of Qi to help defend against a rebellion, but he declined. He was later made a city magistrate by the new Duke of Lu, and under his administration the city flourished; he was promoted several times, eventually becoming Grand Secretary of Justice and, at age 56, Chief Minister of Lu. Neighboring countries began to worry that Lu would become too powerful, and they sent messengers with gifts and dancers to distract the duke during a sacrifice holiday. When the duke abandoned his duties to receive the messengers, Confucius resigned and left the country.
Confucius spent the next five years wandering China with his disciples, finding that his presence at royal courts was rarely tolerated for long before nobles would begin plotting to drive him out or have him killed. He was arrested once and jailed for five days, and at 62 he was pursued, along with his disciples, into the countryside by a band of soldiers sent by jealous nobles, until he was able to send a messenger to the sympathetic king of a nearby country, who sent his own soldiers to rescue them. Once again, Confucius was to be given land but was denied it upon counsel of another high minister. After further wanderings, he eventually returned to Lu at age 67. Although he was welcomed there and chose to remain, he was not offered public office again, nor did he seek it. Instead he spent the rest of his years teaching and, finally, writing. He died at 72.
Confucius Quotes
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.
The funniest people are the saddest once.
What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.
The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.
Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.
The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.
When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points.
The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat.
Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbor’s roof when your own doorstep is unclean.
The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.
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.
Shall I teach you what knowledge? When you know a thing, say that you know it; when you do not know a thing, admit that you do not know it. That is knowledge.
Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.
Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.
Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.
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.
The noble-minded are calm and steady. Little people are forever fussing and fretting.
The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.
When anger rises, think of the consequences.
He who wished to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.
He who keeps danger in mind will rest safely in his seat.
It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.
You cannot open a book without learning something.
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