Xun Zi

“Where does learning begin? And where does it end? Its order begins with reciting the classics and ends with studying ritual.”

“The nature of man is evil; his goodness is the result of his activity.”

“The noble person is broad and not partisan. The petty person is partisan and not broad.”

“If you wish to know a man, then you must know his friends.”

“The gentleman makes things his servants. The petty man is servant to things.”

“Learning should never stop.”

“A person is born with a liking for profit.”

“Human nature is bad, and goodness is created by conscious effort.”

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

“He who asks a question is a fool for a minute; he who does not ask a question is a fool for life.”

“Not to hear is not as good as to hear. To hear is not as good as to see. To see is not as good as to know.”

“The petty man is eager to make boasts, yet desires that others should believe in him.”

“Rites are the highest expression of the principle of order.”

“In order to learn, you must attend to what you are taught.”

“The path is not the way of heaven, nor the way of earth, but the way of man.”