"If a man cannot govern himself, how can he govern others?"

"The superior man does not complain of Heaven, nor grumble against men."

"The difference between men and animals is slight. The common man loses it; the superior man preserves it."

"The people are the most important element in a nation; the spirits of the land and grain are the next; the sovereign is the lightest."

"The sage is the instructor of a hundred generations. When the sage hears that he is still remembered, he is pleased."