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
spring fall men
Incessant falls teach men to reform, and distress rouses their strength. Life springs from calamity, and death from ease.
children fall men
When I say that all men have the mind which cannot bear to see the suffering of others, my meaning is illustrated this way: when two men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they all have a feeling of alarm and distress, not to gain friendship with the child's parents, nor to seek the praise of their neighbors and friends. From such a case, we see that a man without the feeling of commiseration is not a man. The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanity.
chinese-philosopher firmly men ought
Let men decide firmly what they will not do, and they will be free to do vigorously what they ought to do.
accumulate attract difficult effective protection valuable
Without effective protection of the citizens' right to property, it will be difficult to attract and accumulate valuable capital.
becomes blocked equally grass time trail
A trail through the mountains, if used, becomes a path in a short time, but, if unused, becomes blocked by grass in an equally short time.
bright confucius night
If Confucius wasn't born, the long night would have no bright lamp.
element people sovereign spirits
The people are the most important element in a nation; the spirits of the land and grain are the next; the sovereign is the least.
great man
Only when a man will not do some things is he capable of doing great things.
friendship man
Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue.
chinese-philosopher time truth uttered
Truth uttered before its time is always dangerous.
life people plan private property
People can have a long-term life plan only if they know their private property is secure.
cannot choose life
I like fish, and I also like bear's paws. If I cannot have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear's paws. So, I like life, and I also like righteousness. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose righteousness.
chinese-philosopher loves
If the king loves music, there is little wrong in the land.
compassion two want
The ways are two: love and want of love. That is all.