Confucius on the Superior Man

On the Ideal or Superior Man Confucius said:

• "The superior man cannot be known in little matters, but he may be entrusted with great concerns. The small man may not be entrusted with great concerns, but he may be known in little matters."
• "The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."
• "The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress."
• "The superior man...does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything; what is right he will follow."
• "There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth...lust. When he is strong...quarrelsomeness. When he is old...covetousness."
• "What the superior man seeks is in himself. What the mean man seeks is in others."
• "The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions."
• "What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others."
• "The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved."