Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods.
ConfuciusRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote encourages self-reflection and aspiration to be better by learning from both positive and negative examples.
Confucius emphasizes the importance of self-improvement through observation. When encountering good individuals, one should aspire to emulate their virtues, while interactions with those who display faults should prompt introspection to recognize and address one's own weaknesses.
Themes
Self-ReflectionImprovementObservationAspirationVirtue
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a personal development workshop to inspire participants.
More from Confucius
All quotes βEarnest in practicing the ordinary virtues, and careful in speaking about them, if, in his practice, he has anything defective, the superior man dares not but exert himself; and if, in his words, he has any excess, he dares not allow himself such license.
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Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.
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The superior man is distressed by the limitations of his ability; he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability that he has.
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Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.
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An angry man is full of poison.
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