Confucius
Chinese · 551–479 BC
Chinese philosopher and teacher whose ideas on ethics, family, and governance shaped East Asian civilization for millennia.
Wikipedia ↗“不闻不若闻之，闻之不若见之，见之不若知之，知之不若行之。”
Chinese
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”
“学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆。”
Chinese
“He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in danger.”
“知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。”
Chinese
“To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.”
“譬如为山，未成一篑，止，吾止也。”
Chinese
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
The English phrasing is a popular modern adaptation not found verbatim in the Analects. The Chinese original (Analects 9.19) uses a mountain-building metaphor: "It is like building a mountain — if I stop before the last basket of earth, I have stopped." The meaning is related but the wording differs significantly.
“名不正，则言不顺。”
Chinese
“If names are not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things.”
“学而时习之，不亦说乎？有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？”
Chinese
“Is it not a pleasure to learn and to apply what one has learned? Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?”
“三人行，必有我师焉。择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之。”
Chinese
“When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them.”
“君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚。”
Chinese
“The gentleman is calm and at ease; the petty man is always anxious and worried.”
“君子怀德，小人怀土。”
Chinese
“The superior man thinks of virtue; the inferior man thinks of comfort.”
“己所不欲，勿施于人。”
Chinese
“What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.”
“天地有大美而不言。”
Chinese
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
The English quote is widely attributed to Confucius online but has no confirmed Analects source. The Chinese text "天地有大美而不言" is actually from Zhuangzi (Knowledge Journeyed North), not Confucius. The Chinese and English are unrelated quotes paired together.