Top 47 Most Famous Mencius Quotes (WISDOM)

Top 12 Most Famous Mencius Quotes (BEST)

“When heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on any man, it will exercise his mind with suffering, subject his sinews and bones to hard work, expose his body to hunger, put him to poverty, place obstacles in the paths of his deeds, so as to stimulate his mind, harden his nature, and improve wherever he is incompetent.”
Mencius

To love all men is the greatest virtue; to be impartial in love is the greatest wisdom. — To **love** all men is the greatest virtue; to be impartial in love is the greatest **wisdom**.

The best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories. — The best things in **life** come in threes, like **friends**, **dreams**, and **memories**.

The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart. — The great man is he who does not lose his child’s heart.

The disease of men is that they neglect their own fields and go to weed the fields of others.

Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence.

“Evil exists to glorify the good. Evil is negative good. It is a relative term. Evil can be transmuted into good. What is evil to one at one time, becomes good at another time to somebody else.”
Mencius

A man who does not know how to be angry does not know how to be good.

He who loves others is constantly loved by them. He who respects others is constantly respected by them. — He who loves others is constantly loved by them. He who **respects** others is constantly respected by them.

Integrity, wisdom, skill, intelligence – such things are forged in adversity. — **Integrity**, **wisdom**, skill, **intelligence** – such things are forged in **adversity**.

There is a power in everything; it is the job of the artist to determine it and express it.

There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.

2 Inspirational Mencius Quotes About Friendship

Friendship is one mind in two bodies. — **Friendship** is one mind in two bodies.

Friends are the siblings God never gave us. — **Friends** are the siblings God never gave us.

2 Mencius Quotes About Truth

Truth uttered before its time is always dangerous. — **Truth** uttered before its time is always dangerous.

The way of truth is like a great road. It is not difficult to know it. The evil is only that men will not seek it.

13 Deep Mencius Quotes that Will Make You Think

“To act without clear understanding, to form habits without investigation, to follow a path all one’s life without knowing where it really leads; such is the behavior of the multitude.”
Mencius

Only when there are things a man will not do is he capable of doing great things.

The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance. — The essence of **knowledge** is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance.

People are eager to comment on something when they themselves are not in the situation of doing it.

People are distressed by their inability to do it. The problem, however, is simply that they don't do it. — People are distressed by their inability to do it. The problem, however, is simply that they don’t do it.

“If you know the point of balance, You can settle the details. If you can settle the details, You can stop running around. Your mind will become calm. If your mind becomes calm, You can think in front of a tiger. If you can think in front of a tiger, You will surely succeed.”
Mencius

The feeling of right or wrong is the beginning of wisdom. — The feeling of right or wrong is the beginning of **wisdom**.

Never has a man who has bent himself been able to make others straight.

One who believes all of a book would be better off without books.

“Never has there been one possessed of complete sincerity who did not move others. Never has there been one who had not sincerity who was able to move others.”
Mencius

Filling with food, Warming with clothes, Living leisurely without learning, It is little short of animals. — Filling with food, Warming with clothes, Living leisurely without **learning**, It is little short of animals.

A man must not be without shame, for the shame of being without shame is shamelessness indeed.

A trail through the mountains, if used, becomes a path in a short time, but, if unused, becomes blocked by grass in an equally short time.

6 Mencius Quotes on the Foundation of a Nation

The foundation of the world lies in the nation. The foundation of the nation lies in the family. The foundation of the family lies in the individual. — The foundation of the world lies in the nation. The foundation of the nation lies in the **family**. The foundation of the family lies in the individual.

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

If the king loves music, there is little wrong in the land. — If the king loves **music**, there is little wrong in the land.

People can have a long-term life plan only if they know their private property is secure.

Without effective protection of the citizens' right to property, it will be difficult to attract and accumulate valuable capital. — Without effective protection of the citizens’ right to property, it will be difficult to attract and accumulate valuable capital.

It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.

12 Inspirational Mencius Quotes About Life

“Charity is in the heart of man, and righteousness in the path of men. Pity the man who has lost his path and does not follow it and who has lost his heart and does not know how to recover it. When people’s dogs and chicks are lost they go out and look for them and yet the people who have lost their hearts do not go out and look for them. The principle of self-cultivation consists in nothing but trying to look for the lost heart.”
Mencius

The feeling of compassion is the beginning of humanity. — The feeling of **compassion** is the beginning of **humanity**.

Treat others as you would be treated. Devote yourself to that, for there’s no more direct approach to Humanity.

Sincerity is the way to heaven. — **Sincerity** is the way to heaven.

Don’t do what should not be done, and don’t desire what should not be desired. Abide by this one precept, and everything else will follow.

The sole concern of learning is to seek one's original heart. — The sole concern of **learning** is to seek one’s original heart.

Make your learning abundant and speak of it with precision, then you will speak of essentials. — Make your **learning** abundant and speak of it with precision, then you will speak of essentials.

If Confucius wasn't born, the long night would have no bright lamp. — If **Confucius** wasn’t born, the long night would have no bright lamp.

“There’s only one way to know if people are good or evil: look at the choices they make. We each contain precious and worthless, great and small. Never injure the great for the sake of the small, or the precious for the sake of the worthless. Small people nurture what is small in them; great people nurture what is great in them.”
Mencius