"The gentleman concerns himself with the Way; he does not worry about his salary."

"If the mechanic wishes to do his work well, he must first sharpen his tools."

"It is not possible for one to be a gentleman and yet not be benevolent."

"When the self is cultivated, the family will be in harmony. When the family is in harmony, the state will be well-governed. When the state is well-governed, the world will know peace."

"The funniest thing is that I am often asked to arbitrate disputes, but I am no judge. I just make people agree to disagree. It works surprisingly often."