He who attends to his greater self becomes a great man, and he who attends to his smaller self becomes a small man. Mencius More Quotes by Mencius More Quotes From Mencius It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families. Mencius difficultnobleauthority Let not a man do what his sense of right bids him not to do, nor desire what it forbids him to desire. This is sufficient. The skillful artist will not alter his measures for the sake of a stupid workman. Mencius artiststupidmen When one by force subdues men, they do not submit to him in heart. They submit because their strength is not adequate to resist. Mencius powerheartmen The Way lies at hand yet it is sought afar off; the thing lies in the easy yet it is sought in the difficult. Mencius warriorlyinghands Kindly words do not enter so deeply into men as a reputation for kindness. Mencius generositykindnessmen If the prince of a State love benevolence, he will have no opponent in all the empire. Mencius opponentsgovernmentlove-is The path of duty lies in what is near, and men seek for it in what is remote; the work of duty lies in what is easy, and men seek for it in what is difficult. Mencius journeymenlying A small country cannot contend with a great; the few cannot contend with the many; the weak cannot contend with the strong Mencius strongweakcountry The myriad things are complete in us. There is no greater joy than to reflect on ourselves and become sincere. Mencius sincerejoyhappiness Every duty is a charge, but the charge of oneself is the root of all others. Mencius dutyresponsibilityroots By exhaustively examining one's own mind,one may understand his nature.One who understands his own nature understands Heaven. Mencius mindmayheaven The tendency of mans nature to good is like the tendency of water to flow downward. Mencius human-natureflowwater A man must not be without shame, for the shame of being without shame is shamelessness indeed. Mencius shamemen When I say that all men have the mind which cannot bear to see the suffering of others, my meaning is illustrated this way: when two men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they all have a feeling of alarm and distress, not to gain friendship with the child's parents, nor to seek the praise of their neighbors and friends. From such a case, we see that a man without the feeling of commiseration is not a man. The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanity. Mencius menchildrenfall Human nature is disposed to do good. Mencius human-naturehumans To feed men and not to love them is to treat them as if they were barnyard cattle. To love them and not respect them is to treat them as if they were household pets. Mencius freedompetmen There is the work of great men and there is the work of little men. Therefore it is said, 'Some labor with their minds and some labor with their strength. Those who labor with their minds govern others; those who labor with their strength are governed by others.'1 Those who are governed by others support them; those who govern them are supported by them. This is a universal principle. Mencius supportmindmen The way of truth is like a great road. It is not difficult to know it. The evil is only that men will not seek it. Mencius evilmenway The great man does not think beforehand of his words that they may be sincere, nor of his actions that they may be resolute- he simply speaks and does what is right. Mencius inspirationalmenthinking The foundation of the world lies in the nation. The foundation of the nation lies in the family. The foundation of the family lies in the individual. Mencius self-confidenceself-esteemlying
