"If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand."

"To go too far is as bad as to fall short."

"To govern is to rectify. If you lead the people by being rectified yourself, who will dare not be rectified?"

"I transmit but do not innovate; I am truthful in what I say and devoted to antiquity."

"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."