Confucius

"A superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions."

"The cautious seldom err."

"When you make a mistake, acknowledge it, correct it, and move forward."

"The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding."

"Bad government is more destructive than a tiger."

"The demands that all events shall be treated as clock-like puzzles to be solved is what characterizes the modem mind."

"The man of virtue makes difficulties for himself, but easiness for others."

"Heaven is the author of the virtue that is in me; Tsin Chu cannot take away from me."

"The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress."

"Respect ghosts and spirits, but keep them at a distance."

"If one leads the people with governmental measures and constrains them through punishment, the people will avoid punishments but lack a sense of shame; if one leads them through virtue and constrains them through ritual, the people will have a sense of shame and moreover become good."

"Wisdom is to the mind what health is to the body."

"The man who has made no mistakes has never tried anything new."

"When a man is in his prime, none can match him in strength; this is the time to act decisively."

"The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are next to virtue."

"Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure."

"Silence is the true friend that never betrays."

"The superior man makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business."

"When we see men of worth, we should think of how to rise to their level; when we see men of little worth, we should examine ourselves."

"Every man has a treasure within him. The question is how deep he wants to dig."

"The way of the superior man is threefold: virtuous, he is free from anxiety; wise, he is free from doubt; brave, he is free from fear."

"A man who conquers himself through great effort is more honorable than one who conquers a thousand men in battle."

"The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions."

"I am not concerned that I am not known, I seek to be worthy of being known."

"The people may be made to follow a path of action, but they cannot be made to understand it fully—only experience brings true understanding."

"To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge."

"A man of understanding must first understand himself before he can understand others."

"The superior man is anxious lest he should not get the better of himself; the common man is anxious lest he should not get the better of others."

"In the presence of a good example, we cannot help but be improved."

"Filial piety and brotherly respect are the root of all virtue and the source of all civilization."