"Without ritual, there is no way to regulate human desires."

"The ruler is the boat; the common people are the water. The water can support the boat, but it can also overturn it."

"The gentleman is always open to criticism."

"Heaven has its constant ways. It does not depend on a sage like Yao to exist, nor on a tyrant like Jie to perish."

"The path to wisdom is to ask about things you don't know."