Mencius

Sincerity is the way to heaven.

To nourish the heart, one must have few desires.

There is no such thing as a righteous war.

Benevolence brings honour; cruelty, disgrace.

The people are the most important element in a nation; the spirits of the land and grain are the next; the sovereign is the lightest.

When Heaven is about to confer a great office upon a man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil. It exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to extreme poverty. It confounds his undertakings. By all these methods, it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies.

A man is born for sincerity. If he is not sincere, he will not be able to live.

If you love others, others will always love you. If you respect others, others will always respect you.

Men's minds are surely alike. Why should we doubt it?

The way of truth is like a great road. It is not difficult to know. The difficulty is only that men will not seek it.

Don't think little of any one. If you think little of any one, you will find yourself in a difficulty.

A good government is one that makes the people happy.

To wait for a King Wen, and then act, is to be a common man. To be a King Wen, and then act, is to be a great man.

There are only two roads to take: one to benevolence and one to malevolence.

The superior man does not complain of Heaven, nor grumble against men.

To be without shame is to be without humanity.

All things are complete in us.

The difference between men and animals is slight. The common man loses it; the superior man preserves it.

The sage is the instructor of a hundred generations. When the sage hears that he is still remembered, he is pleased.

One who does not understand words cannot understand men.