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
Do not answer the person whose questions are vile. Do not question a person whose answers are vile.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Avoid engaging with negativity or immorality in conversations.
This quote by Confucius emphasizes the importance of integrity in communication. It suggests that one should avoid responding to those who ask inappropriate or morally questionable questions, as well as refrain from questioning those who provide vile answers, promoting a dialogue of respect and moral standards.
Themes
CommunicationIntegrityMoralityWisdomRespect
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about ethics, one could invoke this quote to encourage respectful discourse.
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 stars had only one task: they taught me how to read. They taught me I had a language in heaven and another language on earth.
Mahmoud DarwishRead
May I never be complete. May I never be content. May I never be perfect.
Chuck PalahniukRead
Long ago, Sir Isaac Newton gave us three laws of motion, which were the work of genius. But Sir Isaac's talents didn't extend to investing: He lost a bundle in the South Sea Bubble, explaining later, 'I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men.' If he had not been traumatized by this loss, Sir Isaac might well have gone on to discover the Fourth Law of Motion: For investors as a whole, returns decrease as motion increases.
Warren BuffettRead
Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
Carrie FisherRead
Unselfishness is more paying, only people have not the patience to practice it.
Swami VivekanandaRead
I think one of the lessons of the Depression - and this is something that Franklin Roosevelt demonstrated - was that when orthodoxy fails, then you need to try new things. And he was very willing to try unorthodox approaches when the orthodox approach had shown that it was not adequate.
Ben BernankeRead