The Sayings of Confucius

About this book

A ruler asks how to govern well. A student wants to know what makes a good person. Confucius answers with short observations about learning, conduct and the difficult art of living among others.

The sayings attributed to him in the Analects have shaped East Asian thought for centuries. This English selection offers a glimpse of their conversational form, where a small incident can carry a demanding moral expectation. Translation and arrangement matter greatly, but the questions remain vivid: how should someone act when no one is watching?