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It is said in the Book of Poetry, "In silence is the offering presented, and the spirit approached to; there is not the slightest contention." Therefore the superior man does not use rewards, and the people are stimulated to virtue. He does not show anger, and the people are awed more than by hatchets and battle-axes.

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More quotes by Confucius

Being in humaneness is good. If we select other goodness and thus are far apart from humaneness, how can we be the wise?

What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.

There is the love of knowing without the love of learning; the beclouding here leads to dissipation of mind.

The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.

The superior man loves his soul; the inferior man loves his property.

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