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
Never contract friendship with a man that is not better than thyself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Choose friends who lift you up and inspire you to be better.
This quote by Confucius emphasizes the importance of surrounding ourselves with friends who have positive qualities that we aspire to. It suggests that friendship should be a source of growth, where the people we choose to associate with encourage and challenge us to improve ourselves.
Themes
FriendshipGrowthInspirationSelf-Improvement
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech on personal development, one might quote Confucius to emphasize the importance of choosing the right friends.
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.
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.
ConfuciusRead
Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.
ConfuciusRead
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.
ConfuciusRead
Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.
ConfuciusRead
Similar quotes
The nearest friends can go With anyone to death, comes so far short They might as well not try to go at all.
Robert FrostRead
God is not so wary as we, else He would give us no friends, lest we forget Him! The charms of the heaven in the bush are superseded, I fear, by the heaven in the hand, occasionally.
Emily DickinsonRead
The vulgar crowd values friends according to their usefulness.
OvidRead
I definitely did look up to John. We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader; he was the quickest wit and the smartest.
Paul MccartneyRead
When you're in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun.'
Groucho MarxRead
In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge.
AristotleRead