Confucius Says Ancient Wisdom For Personal Strength In Our Time

I have this memory from my youth of a black-and-white movie in which a little old Chinese man earnestly advises the hero. "Confucius says...."

I don't remember what the old man said. But it must have been wise, because the hero took it to heart and rose to the occasion. I remember wondering, "Who is this guy Confucius?" Did he have that name because the things he said were confusing?

But I grew up respecting the wisdom attributed to Confucius. I particularly liked the way it sounded like common sense, and it seemed pointed at helping me be a better, stronger person. So over the years I've collected quite a few of his sayings.

Confucius was a Chinese thinker and philosopher who flourished about 500 years before Christ. His teachings had a profound effect on Asia. They express a kind of Chinese humanism, although Confucius didn't intend to establish a system or religion. He wanted people to think for themselves. Still, many Chinese follow "Confucianism" as a religion.

The fragments of his thought that have survived are enough for me, and I have dozens of them in my quote collection. Here are a few of my favorites...

ON AWARENESS - "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.'

ON CHARACTER - "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."

ON COMPASSION - "There is one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life - reciprocity."

ON COMPOSURE - "When anger arises, think of the consequences.'

ON COURAGE - "To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice."

ON FLEXIBILITY - "As the water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it, so a wise man adapts himself to circumstances."

ON HUMILITY - "The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."

ON INTEGRITY - "A man who lacks reliability is utterly useless."

ON PASSION - "Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."

ON PERSEVERANCE - "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

"Every day a little better, a little stronger..."

"POST BY DENNIS E. COATES, PH.D.,, COPYRIGHT 2010. BUILDING PERSONAL STRENGTH."