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A questioner asks: If human nature is evil, then where do ritual and rightness come from? I reply: ritual and rightness are always created by the conscious activity of the sages.

— Xunzi Sources of Chinese Tradition (1999)

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More quotes by Xunzi

If what the heart approves conforms to proper patterns, then even if one's desires are many, what harm would they be to good order?

Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Xunzi (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.