Mencius
Mencius
Mencius /ˈmɛnʃiəs/ or Mengzi Chinese: 孟子;was a Chinese philosopher who is the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself...
NationalityChinese
ProfessionPhilosopher
CountryChina
exercise practice government
Virtue alone is not sufficient for the exercise of government; laws alone cannot carry themselves into practice.
exercise office heaven
When Heaven is about to confer a great office upon you, it first exercises your mind with suffering and your sinews and bones with toil.
exercise men office
When Heaven is about to confer a great office on a man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil ; it exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to extreme poverty ; it confounds his undertakings. By all these methods it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies.
compassion two want
The ways are two: love and want of love. That is all.
kindness compassion maturity
The five kinds of grains are considered good plants, but if the grains are not ripe, they are worse than cockles. It is the same with regard to kindness, which must grow into maturity.
noble authority difficult
It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.
men water humanity
Human nature is good, just as water seeks low ground. There is no man who is not good, just as there is no water that does not flow downward.
years evil waiting
If you know that a thing is unrighteous, then use all dispatch in putting an end to it--why wait till next year?
men evil way
The way of truth is like a great road. It is not difficult to know it. The evil is only that men will not seek it.
men shame
A man must not be without shame, for the shame of being without shame is shamelessness indeed.
men thinking heaven
Sincerity is the way to heaven; to think how to be sincere is the way of man.
self-esteem lying self-confidence
The foundation of the world lies in the nation. The foundation of the nation lies in the family. The foundation of the family lies in the individual.
love-is government opponents
If the prince of a State love benevolence, he will have no opponent in all the empire.
responsibility roots duty
Every duty is a charge, but the charge of oneself is the root of all others.