1.

Never impose on others what you would

not choose for yourself.
Its the Golden Rule and the essence of real compassion. Not
compassion as in looking down on someone and have pity for
another, this is no real compassion. Compassion means seeing
another person 100% equal to yourself (in value, not in
differentials on the surface which ultimately do not matter). In
fact it is seeing yourself in every other person. And therefore you
cannot harm anyone without also harming yourself.
It doesnt mean to lose individuality or self-worth, on the contrary
but the other person earns the same gift.



2. Real knowledge is to know the extent of
ones ignorance.
Thats my personal favorite quote since it expresses something
very profound which also is very useful to know: Ignorance is a
willful neglect or refusal to acquire knowledge. It is to not widen
ones own perspectivein order to see a broader truth. An example
it would be to have racist thoughts and not realizing that all men
are equal.
The ultimate truth therefore is where there is absolutely no
ignorance, meaning where the perspective or consciousness has
become one with all that there is. In Buddhism ignorance (Avidy)
is seen as the primary cause of suffering. Liberation is
Enlightenment. Another quote by Confucius here is Ignorance is
the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star.



3. I hear and I forget. I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Those quotes are just perfect. What he is expressing here is that
we have to experience something ourselves in order to really
understand it. If we are hearing something it might be interesting.
If we are seeing something it might be beautiful. But only if we
have it happening to ourselves actively doing it we can really
know how it is.
Picture something nice as winning an Olympic gold medal or
picture something terrifying as the loss of a loved one. Can you
know this by hearing it or by seeing it? Or do you have to do it and
experience it yourself to really know it?
Along with this realization comes the awareness that you cannot
understand someone or his actions from hearing or seeing it from
the outside. You have to feel empathic compassion for him to
really know what it is like. To know and not to do is really not to
know. Only by applying our knowledge we can validate its
harmony with reality, its truth.


4. Everything has beauty, but not everyone
sees it.
Amazing. It calls for dropping the inner mask through which we
constantly see and evaluate the world, distorted by our wants and
belief-systems. Here we have to look at things as they are. Just
like a newborn child would look at things. Then we are able to
really see again, without instant labeling of what we see and
therefore only really seeing our label. If we become able to do this
just for a second without judgment, we can see that everything
in nature is as it should be. And in this natural perfection lies
beauty.

5. The Superior Man is aware of
Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of
advantage.
Another quote is The object of the superior man is truth. It is the
value of integrity: Do we act to our best knowledge of truth or do
we bend ourselves and violate our integrity in order to gain an
advantage? Do we play fair game or use perfidious tactics?
To be truthful to ourselves is also important to the development of
(good) character. And it is the only straight way to liberation.


6. Wheresoever you go, go with all your
heart.
Whatever you do and whatever you commit to, do it fully, give
your all one hundred percent. It is the essence of Carpe Diem
Seizing the dayand its surely the best way to be satisfied with
what we do and get the best results.


7. Our greatest glory is not in never falling,
but in getting up every time we do.
There is no failure, there are only valuable learning experiences.
Or asThomas Edison about inventing the light bulb said: I have
not failed, Ive just found 10,000 ways that wont work. The
important thing is not giving up, but learning and then improving
by using this feedback to get better and ultimately succeed.
A quote expressing the same principle is A man who has
committed a mistake and doesnt correct it, is committing another
mistake.


8. He who learns but does not think, is lost.
He who thinks but does not learn is in great
danger.
Confucius explains the connection of learning and reflection.
Reflection of that what we learned by thinking or of the results we
get by applying the knowledge. Study without reflection is a
waste of time; reflection without study is dangerous is a similar
quote by Confucius. Learning is only useful if we connect the
learning within our own minds, with what we already know and
what is useful for us. This reflection of any knowledge also saves
us from blindly following any knowledge without checking its
truthfulness and validity to us.
I think everybody experienced learning when we really want this
knowledge and interweave it with what we already know. If there
is a need or problem we want to solve, we consume knowledge
much more effective than it happens for students in many
universities.


9. He that would perfect his work must first
sharpen his tools.
The tomb of Confucius in China. Photo by Rolf Mller.
This quote calls for planning and preparation. This includes
getting and improving the personal skills we need to be successful.
If we want to hold speeches we have to become good with
communication skills. If we want to win a race we have to train for
it. If we want to do a big project we need knowledge in project
management. Steven Covey calls it Sharpening the saw, read
about it here .



10. If you look into your own heart, and you
find nothing wrong there, what is there to
worry about? What is there to fear?
It shows that our primary work lies within ourselves: to work on
ourselves and improve will automatically take care of the outside
world if we use our abilities then. When we see men of a contrary
character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves. The
solution to problems is not out there. It is the Inside-Out
approach: success and happiness can only be found by working on
ourselves. It also entails the spiritual message to look inside and
to discover ourselves fully.