Quote of the Day: Ancient Fake Confucius Quote Edition

I've been reading from Zhuangzi (translation by Ziporyn) and I came across an ancient fake Confucius quote (I guess everyone's been doing it for centuries). Zhuangzi used Confucius as a character in his writings, so while this quote is almost certainly not Confucian, it is attributed to him all the same: 

"People cannot see their reflections in running water, but only in still water" (Ziporyn 33)

For this coming new year, I hope I can slow down more often and reflect more clearly on who I am and who others are. 

Also, exercise more, eat better, yada yada yada, etc., etc., etc.  

I can't promise I will blog more this coming year (hate to disappoint ya, stranger but it's true). That said I hope whoever you are and whenever you are reading this you are happy, warm and have hope and dreams to hold onto, just in case you are neither happy nor warm.  

Confucius Didn't Say That!: The Dumbest Fake Confucius Quotes Yet Edition

Over the past few years, I have looked at some pretty bad fake Confucius quotes. In my blog series, my goal is to expose fake Confucius quotes floating around on the internet in a fun and (somewhat) academic manner. The hope is that someone will find honest Confucius information while maybe finding a little wisdom in the process. 

Today, I may have found the dumbest fake Confucius quotes, in fact, it's so bad, even dumb people could figure out these are fake quotes. 

These fake quotes come courtesy of a page entitled "100 Confucius Quotes" from "quoteambition.com"

“Anyone can find the switch after the lights are on.” - Confucius 

I suppose you have already found the problem with this one, but just in case you're reading this before you've had your morning coffee, Confucius pre-dates electricity by a couple of thousand years. 

At this point, it might be cliche, but I find this quote to be another stupid proverb. 

The "proverb" implies anyone can find something or learn something when it's obvious, which, is on the nose but, technically, correct. However, if we take this proverb literally, the corollary would be "not many can find the switch after the lights are out"; which is objectively false. While it can be a pain to find a switch in the dark in a new place, switches are pretty easy to find.  Even in a completely dark room, any bozo in a few seconds could find the light switch. 

The quote echoes other proverbial sayings like "every dog has his day"; which I find is a much better quote and definitely more insulting to the subject of your ire.  

Confucius wasn't interested in pointing out obvious zingers to feel better about himself. In fact, on further inspection, the purpose of the proverb is to be used in the form of an insult rather than giving advice or a nugget of wisdom. Confucius might find the person who would employ it, shameful. 

This comes from 5:25 (as always, from AC Muller's translation). 

"The Master said: “Clever words, a pretentious face, and too-perfect courtesy... I am...ashamed of them. Concealing one's resentments and acting friendly to people Zuo Qiuming was ashamed to act this way and so am I. "

Fake Quote # 2 -  “Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance.” - Confucius 

I don't even know where to start on this. In my humble opinion (which I suppose isn't all that humble), this might be an even dumber quote than the first one.  

I can see the connection of the art of sword fighting in the movies and dancing but in an actual battle?. It probably comes down to raw strength, speed, and of course, skill and has little to nothing to do with finesse and or musical rhythm. 

It's true Wesley was a great dancer though. 

Besides the aphorism just being plain stupid we can dismiss this quote from actually being from Confucius as Confucius didn't address soldiers or warfare much at all. In a quick glance at the Analects, there are no mentions of soldiers, swords or, yes, even dancing. 

Although, according to Wikipedia, there was quite a sword dance during the Han Dynasty, 

"In one account, a sword dance was said to have been performed by Xiang Zhuang at a banquet in an attempt to assassinate Liu Bang (the founder of the Han dynasty)...This event forms the basis of the "Gong Mo" Dance (公莫舞) – "Gong Mo", literally "Sir, Don't!", which describes the blocking actions by Xiang Bo during the sword dance to prevent Xiang Zhuang from thrusting his sword towards Liu Bang."

For those of you worried, I checked their source on the story, it seems legit. 

Anyway, I gotta back out of these internet rabbit holes...

The closest approximations (and this is going to be a stretch) are the only quotes that I can find that relate to war or soldiers. 

The first is from 7:13 and the next from 13:29-30: 

"The things with which the Master was cautious, were fasting, war and sickness."

"The Master said: “Only when good men have instructed the people for seven years, may they take up arms. To lead untrained people into battle is the same as throwing them away.”

These quotes show a clear contrast in terms of tone between the fake quote and the actual material from the Analects. While Confucius could make biting, almost sarcastic remarks, I can't recall anything that has such a silly or flippant tone to it. So, I don't think there are any Analects that would even parallel the proverb,. 

Upon reflection, I wondered, could there even be something in this quote that is halfway related to Sun Tzu's The Art of War? 

And the answer is no. I checked that just in case. 

The closest thing I could find there was from chapter VI, in verse 31.

"Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing."

There's no relation at all but I liked the quote. 

So, two more fake Confucius quotes taken down, only a few hundred to go. 

Confucius Didn't Say That: Find the Right Focus

There's not a person who wonders what life would be like if they were wealthy. Who hasn't dreamed of winning the lottery? Why couldn't have life just turned out a little bit differently?

Well, buckle up, my fellow Confucius Fanatics, on this post of "Confucius Didn't Say That", I enter unprecedented, new territory... a quote that isn't quite by Confucius, but it's the closest we've ever come on the series.

You'll see, I don't want to spoil it just yet.

Here's today's gem:


"Death and life have their determined appointments; riches and honors depend upon heaven." - Confucius 


Unlike most quotes on the series, which are largely pulled out a black hole of Google ignorance and idiocy, this quote is ACTUALLY IN THE ANALECTS.

Tim & Eric to the rescue. This .gif has aged like fine wine. It's a classic. 

Yeah, it shocked me too. It's as if the top ten Google quotes have been getting better of late..so yes, we have our first quote on the series that is actually in the Analects and yet I still scratched out Confucius in the quote above because.....wait for it.... he didn't actually say it.

This is as close as we've come on this blog series to an actual quote from Confucius but let's make this absolutely clear,  the quote actually comes from Zi Xia, one of Confucius' disciples, not Confucius himself.  Zi Xia was a pretty big deal too, it seems after Confucius' death, he opened up his own Confucian school and was quite successful....but the truth is even more complicated than that because once you see the quote in context, the quote really isn't even from Zi Xia! 

Zi Xia is actually quoting a (traditional) proverb. There's no evidence to suggest one or way or the other if Confucius would agree with this proverb (although I have a few guesses below). 

So, while it's as close to having a "real" Confucius quote on this blog series....as far as I am concerned it's just as bad as the others. Not only is it not from Confucius, but the quote is also completely and utterly out of context. So much so, it renders the actual passage to mean something nearing the approximate opposite of its intention.

Here's the full context, again from my favorite online translation, AC Muller, it's from 12:5:

"Sima Niu, upset, said: “Everyone has brothers, I alone have none.”

Zi Xia said, “I have heard this proverb: "Life and death are up to Fate. Wealth and honor are held by Heaven."

“If the noble man is reverent without lapse, and courteous to everyone within the frame of propriety, everything within the four seas will be his brother. Why should a noble man be concerned about not having brothers?”

The quote taken out of context seems to be saying that your birth and death are fated but your wealth is a blessing from Heaven. To Western ears, the idea of Heaven would likely be associated with God.  One might get the impression that Confucius had similar ideas about God/Heaven that many Westerners have. One might think Confucius is like the ancient Joel Osteen, health and wealth, baby!

Look, I have nothing clever to say here, just that Joel Osteen is an idiot.

Even if this quote was 100% true, I find it neither insightful nor helpful. It's the worst kind of advice or "wisdom" proverbs.  It reinforces the idea that you have no control over your life. Life and death? Fated. You're not rich? Too bad, God doesn't want you to be rich, you greedy butt-hole. You play the role of a victim in a game where you didn't set the rules and can't even control your own game piece.

I disagree with the quote on the merit of its claims as well. I don't think your life or death is fated, I don't think God wills people to be wealthy or poor. While free will is limited, it's also a fact that we do have at least some free will. And before you get technical on me, even if it turns out we don't have free will in any meaningful way, it's certainly better to believe it.

Let's unpack the analect selection a little further but I should point out I am only an amateur Chinese philosopher fan (I bet you haven't heard that very often). I freely admit I don't have a firm grasp of the Chinese language used here nor am I an expert on the concepts or historical background. On one hand, I am not sure if it's "fate" or "Fate" (I've seen this translated differently) and I am honestly not sure what the difference between my death being ordained by Fate (or fate) and my wealth determined by Heaven might be, given that they are both out of my hands. Although I could explain Confucius' conception of Heaven better than his idea of "Fate", I don't need to bother because it neither help us really understand the meaning and message of the passage.


Okay, so that's just getting the theoretical stuff out the way, hopefully, this next part won't be so boring. 
Now we gotta talk about Sima Niu.  Trust me, it's important, just bear with me.

Sima Niu is described as being "upset" when he pathetically states, "Everyone has brothers, I alone have none.” You might be thinking this is an exaggeration for effect because, after all, we all have felt alone in the world at one time or another. However, it turns out he really did "lose" his brothers (at least in some sense).

According to Edward Slingerland (his translation of the Analects is clear and his additional notes indispensable), one of Sima Niu's older brothers had caused trouble for Confucius previously and had planned a revolt against his sovereign, while his other older brother had already carried out an unsuccessful revolt earlier in his life.

As Slingerland states, "The comment 'He alone has no brothers' is not meant literally; the point is either that he has no brothers truly worthy of being considered brothers, or that all of (his) brothers are in exile...and therefore as good as dead" (Slingerland 127). Meaning, Sima Niu is feeling lost and without a center. He is in need of good advice.

Zi Xia's first response to Sima Niu's suffering is that traditional proverb we've already read... but he immediately follows it up with the wisdom of his own. This immediate response might be read as a slight rebuke of the proverb. It implies the old proverb is at least not applicable in this case and at worse it implies the proverb to not be useful at all.

The advice that Zi Xia does give focuses on what the upset Sima Niu can do. And the advice is really good:  

“If the noble man is reverent without lapse, and courteous to everyone within the frame of propriety, everything within the four seas will be his brother. Why should a noble man be concerned about not having brothers?”


In other words, we shouldn't focus on the past or things you can't control, we should focus on what we can control. We have to realize that life, death and riches are largely out of our control. All we have are our choices. The advice is almost existential. 

Of course, Zi Xia isn't an existentialist at all and he proves it with a VERY Confucian claim that if you are good, good things will surely follow. It's a hopeful and quite naive point that Confucius and his followers constantly make. It's possibly seen most clearly in 4:25:

"The Master said: “If you are virtuous, you will not be lonely. You will always have friends.”

Confucius had an almost unhealthy faith in the power of a good example or righteous character. When the right things were being done (by the right people)....things would fall into place for everyone.

 It was almost as close as the usual grounded Confucius gets to magical or religious thinking.  This quote is  from 16:2:

"The Master said: “When the Way (just government) prevails in the realm, then ritual, music and military campaigns are all initiated by the emperor. When the Way declines in the realm, then ritual, music and military campaigns are initiated by the nobles. When these things are initiated by the nobles, the ruling house will usually lose its power within ten generations. When these things are initiated by the high ministers, the ruling house will usually lose its power within five generations. When they are initiated by the lower officers, the ruling house will lose its power within three generations. When the Way prevails in the realm, the common people do not debate politics among themselves.”

All in all, I think Zi Xia gives good advice but I wouldn't go as far as Confucius in my faith that my good examples and choices will be rewarded. I do agree with the sentiment that if we focus on our choices and we work on building character, we will find more doors opening for us than if we don't.

Humans have always excelled when we focus on what we can do, not what we can't do. We need to follow Anna's advice from Frozen 2. Anna had it right, all we can do when things get tough is to "do the next right thing".

To be clear the movie is pretty okay but this song "Do the Next Right Thing" is amazing.

Yeah, I did it, I wedged a Frozen 2 and a The Fiddler on the Roof reference in a single blog post about Confucius. Life achievement unlocked!! Thank you Good Night!!!

Quote of the Day

It's been a while since I've posted a "quote of the day" but I was reading some Confucius (surprise) and came across this little truth nugget. It's from 17:26 in the Analects.

  “One who has reached the age of forty and is disliked, will be disliked to the end.” - Confucius

Confucius Didn't Say That!: Moving Mountains Edition

We've all been there - you have a mountain of things to do and don't know where to start.  You feel stressed, overwhelmed, and frustrated. The smart thing to do is take a deep breath and start small. This brings us to today's edition of "Confucius Didn't Say That!". So, go ahead and fix yourself a hot cup of tea and get cozy. We have an inspirational doozy today:

"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones" - Confucius

To be honest, this quote is refreshing.

It almost kinda looks credible, it's at least in the realm of possibilities....however, once you really take a close look at it, it's rotten at its core. I also think it's stupid and since Confucius wasn't in the habit of saying vapid bullshit, I know he didn't say it before I even checked the Analects.

Yeah, it's stupid. These fake Confucius quotes really get my goat.

Think about it for a second. Why would you move a mountain in the first place? To what end? To build a road or city? Is it in the way? Even if you could move it, there are usually other mountains around it, would you have to move those as well? Even as you slowly dismantled a mountain you would have to transport its remains elsewhere incurring further cost and time. Has anyone ever looked at a mountain and said, "I'm pretty sure I can move this mountain if I just take a little bit at a time".

The ironic thing about my memes is that they are fake Confucius quotes.

As always, my first step was to check AC Muller's translation of the Analects for the use of the word "mountain". There are a few mentions of mountains but none remotely similar to our selection above. One, in particular, I liked even though the message isn't about starting small or not giving up from 16:12:

"Duke Ching of Qi had a thousand teams of horses, but when he died, there was nothing for which the people could praise him. Bo Yi and Shu Qi died of starvation at the foot of Shouyang mountain, and the people praise them up till this day. What meaning can you glean from this?"

Of course I searched for other keywords, like "journey", "stones", "rocks", "small", "give up", etc. I am a keyword search expert and I just can't let my readers down. You can trust me. Okay, well you shouldn't trust me, I am just a stranger on the internet but I am more reliable than Google as far as finding real Confucius quotes, that's for sure.

As for the theme of starting small and effort that 'keeps the faith', there are a few quotes that could suffice.  In 9:19, Confucius doesn't discuss moving a mountain but building a mound:

"The Master said: “It is like building a mound: If I stop before carrying a single basket of earth, it is my stopping. It is like leveling the ground: If I continue even after dumping only one basket, it is my continuation.”

Muller also leaves a comment with this quote and adds: "The process of self-development requires continual effort, even if only a bit at a time."

There was another quote on commitment in 15:2:

“The noble man remains stable when in dire straits. The inferior man falls apart."

It's clear that that the values underlying this quote don't directly contradict a Confucian worldview, although I think he would have issues with the metaphor.

I know, I know, maybe I'm taking the metaphor a little too literally.

At my core, I am basically a "whatever floats your boat" kinda guy. So, if you like the quote, cheers my friend.

That said, the imagery of a man moving a mountain by carrying a few small stones is not inspiring at all. In fact, it's downright Sisyphean. No one could move a mountain a few small stones at a time. The entire metaphor reveals the utter pointlessness and smallness of human efforts in comparison with the earth and nature.

The real question isn't about starting small but ensuring we're working on something that can be accomplished in the first place. If you're looking for a cliche, I say go with "Rome wasn't built in a day" instead of this one.

Confucius Didn't Say That!: Pop Song Edition

It's time again to explore the deep, seedy under belly of the internet. No, not the "dark net" but FAKE CONFUCIUS QUOTES.

You see people love Confucius so much, they can't get enough of his treasures in the Analects, so they just start making up quotations from Confucius. Think of it like fan fic for ancient Chinese philosophy fans. In this post, you'll be treated to two fake quotes that I was recently delighted to discover. When I read this back-to-back (see below) they read like some terrible pop lyrics. So, I was inspired.

In fact, they were some of the top quotes offered up by the website Google.com. I highlighted them below.

Check it out, the top results for Confucius quotes only gets 10% accuracy on Google. Pathetic. Free cupcake if you can pick out the right one. Please email me ASAP at freecupcakeforconfucius@gmail.com to enter to win. No purchase necessary. Contest expires June 1, 2098. 

Quote #1: "Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart" - Confucius

Of all the quotes I have covered so far this is possibly the most obvious fake quote from Confucius.  Where to even begin?

First, I think the inclusion of 'Wheresoever" probably really impresses the common idiot. Like, it sounds so smart. Anyway, I digress. I have often repeated on the themes and style of Confucius and frankly, you can read it again over here.  Or you can trust me. Just trust me and let me walk you through this. Does this quote sound like it would come from the mouth of someone in China 2,500 years ago?

(No, no it doesn't if you're wondering)

Let's dig a little deeper into the word "heart" as seen in the Analects. As usual, I use Muller's translation . I am rather fond of his clarity and his helpful notes.

When you search the term "heart" you come up with these three quotations:

1:6: “A young man should serve his parents at home and be respectful to elders outside his home. He should be earnest and truthful, loving all, but become intimate with his innate good-heartedness. After doing this, if he has energy to spare, he can study literature and the arts.”

2:4  “At fifteen my heart was set on learning; at thirty I stood firm; at forty I was unperturbed; at fifty I knew the mandate of heaven; at sixty my ear was obedient; at seventy I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing the norm.”

 7:1 “I am a transmitter, rather than an original thinker. I trust and enjoy the teachings of the ancients. In my heart I compare myself to old Peng.”

There's another quote attributed to Yao (one of Confucius' followers) about "gain(ing) the people's trust" but that's it.

In Confucius' usage of the term "heart", there's nothing remotely similar to the quotation above, so I scrolled through 5 pages of Google to find who actually said this quotation. All I could find were endless Etsy pages trying to sell me more crap with this crap quote on it, I find it very unlikely someone transliterated an actual Confucius quote.

An aside about "heart".....

I suppose we should address the term "heart" before going any further. I did a little searching for the Chinese term translated by Muller as 'heart" but I am a little testy today, so I didn't dig that far. So, I am not 100% clear on the term "heart" as used by Confucius (via Muller). Furthermore, once I really started thinking about the term "heart" in English, I became a little unclear on the term as well. Is my heart different from my "soul"? Does the quote above refer to my authentic self or does it mean that I should remember compassion where ever I go?

There's a quote in the Analects that is somewhat similar but it's a stretch....

8:13: “Be of unwavering good faith and love learning. Be steadfast unto death in pursuit of the good Way. Do not enter a state which is in peril, nor reside in one which people have rebelled. When the Way prevails in the world, show yourself. When it does not, then hide. When the Way prevails in your own state, to be poor and obscure is a disgrace. But when the Way does not prevail in your own state, to be rich and honored is a disgrace.”

14:42: Zi Lu asked about the qualities of the noble man. Confucius said, “He cultivates himself by comforting others.”“Is that all?”“He cultivates himself by comforting everyone. Now, this is something that even Yao and Shun found difficult.”

Both quotes talk about a favorite theme of Confucius, which is consistency and the building of self-consistency and character.  In the first quote, Confucius is likely referencing the idea of the dao. The idea that "The Way" or the correct way is a natural one, that man is often out of harmony with the dao but can learn and work to achieve harmony with, though self-cultivation. Again, it's a bit of a stretch but the whole idea is that you take "it" with out, no matter what.

The second quote, I took as addressing the more "compassionate heart" definition. That one who takes his or her heart with her everywhere will be able to comfort those in need, wherever they may be.

I can't find who originally said this lame quote and I don't care, like I said, I'm a little salty tonight.


I mean, sure take your heart everywhere you go but don't forget to brush your teeth and look both ways before you cross a street while you're at it.

This is an utterly forgettable quote, it's fluff surrounded by Styrofoam peanuts. No one can disagree with it and it reveals nothing about life that you didn't already know. The quote sucks and Confucius didn't say it. 

Quote # 2: "I want you to be everything that's you, deep at the center of your being" - Confucius 

Let me just start by saying I simultaneously hate and love this fake Confucius quote. It's so ludicrous and yet I think I smiled when I first read it. Both of these quotes read like obscenely bad "boy band" lyrics.

It may seem obvious if you know anything about Confucius, but to be clear, Confucius would not use the term "deep at the center of your being". Nor do I think he would even know what that means. In fact, I have no idea what that means, although I have a strong belief, it's likely just some new-age mumbo-jumbo.

What I think is really going on here gets at the heart of this whole project, which reveals Western attitudes and beliefs about ancient China, Confucius and to a lesser extent, modern China.

My guess is most Americans can't name one specific fact about Confucius other than he is from China and wise. That said, Americans that had some idea about who Confucius was might describe him as wise, elegant, noble and exotic. There would be significant overlap with American beliefs of Buddha as well. Therefore, mysterious, quasi-spiritual, wise-sounding quotes seem to fit the bill to most Americans as "Confucian sounding" or even "Buddha sounding".

Confucius never said anything that could be remotely considered "new age". So, let's first unpack the quote itself. 

I understand this quote to be about being your authentic self, no matter the circumstances. The assumption is that humans are "centered" when we are our true selves. If we are centered, we will be better people to our friends, families, co-workers, etc.

The idea of an authentic self would be a foreign concept to Confucius and most ancient people. This belief stems from an individualistic, Western preoccupation with one's self.  One of an individual's major life goals is to find self-actualization. In fact, my culture says that "finding myself" and isn't really selfish, but necessary for me, even if it hurts others. Being an American, I am somewhat sympathetic to this perspective, but I can also see its glaring faults and excesses as well. 

Confucius would condemn any outlook that emphasizes personal fulfillment above that of others. In fact, it is in suppressing one's own self that makes one righteous. 

1:6: The Master said: “A young man should serve his parents at home and be respectful to elders outside his home. He should be earnest and truthful, loving all, but become intimate with his innate good-heartedness. After doing this, if he has energy to spare, he can study literature and the arts.”

(Didya notice I just used this quote twice in the same blog post? If so, give yourself a good slap on the back, smarty pants!)


In a Confucian system, the individual situates oneself in vertical relationships. Vertical relationships are based on knowing one's place in that relationship. When operating correctly, society moves in harmony. When there is disorder, it stems first from the household and then outward.  While one's parents come first, this same attitude extends to interpersonal relations (10:12) and later as the individual operates in larger society (12:2).

10:12: When the ruler would send a gift of cooked food, he would always sit straight and first taste it; if the ruler sent uncooked meat, he would always cook it and offer it to others; when the ruler presented him with a live animal, he would always rear it. When attending at a meal for the ruler, after the ruler makes the sacrifice, he is first to eat it. 

[12:2] Zhong Gong asked about the meaning of ren. The Master said: “When you are out in the world, act as if meeting an important guest. Employ the people as if you were assisting at a great ceremony. What you don't want done to yourself, don't do to others. Live in your town without stirring up resentments, and live in your household without stirring up resentments.”


Once again I am stumped on who said this in the first place. I had never seen this quote before tonight and I am pretty sure I would have noticed it before. That said, the oldest link I could find was from a Yahoo Answers from 2011. Maybe it's that person's fault.

Even devoid of attributing the quote to someone famous or wise, this is an awful little proverb. 

Actually, it's beyond awful, it's terrible.  Try this one instead, it's a "teacher-based" quote but true nonetheless.

 [15:16] The Master said: “If a man doesn't continually question, ‘What is it? What is it?’I don't know what I can do for him.”

Confucius Didn't Say That! True Beauty Edition

In the hustle and bustle of life, it's hard to appreciate everyday beauty. There are many things in life that can trip you up: traffic, your kids throwing fits, stepping on legos, your computer going slow, your pet throws up on the carpet, your back hurts, losing your keys, stuff in the house that stops working....oh wait those are the things that trip me up.

Anyway, life in the first world is by all accounts, objectively awesome. However, sometimes we fail to see the (cue the cliches) the "silver linings" or the "bright side". So, it's good to get a reminder that life has a beautiful side to it. This brings us to this edition of Confucius Didn't Say That! 

 "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius 

Very true and very wise.

  

I can tell Confucius didn't say this in part because Confucius was rarely pithy. It's also not a typical concern of Confucius either. Confucius lived in a time of political upheaval. Those in the political realm were living in tumultuous times, while the peasants worked (as always) from sun-up to sun-down. Appreciating beauty was low on the list of what would be considered important to Confucius or even to most common people living in ancient China.  

The word "beauty" occurs* twice in the Analects, although it's used only once in a meaningful way:

The Master said: “I have never seen one who loves virtue as much as he loves beauty.”
 - Confucius in the Analects 9:18


Ironically enough, this is one of those pithy statements that Confucius actually said. It also happens to illustrate the polar opposite of the fake quote.  Beauty isn't underappreciated, it's over-appreciated.
Confucius is lamenting the fact that most humans care too much about beauty, while not caring as much about their virtue.  Even over 2,000 years later, this quote rings true. People are more interested in appearing beautiful than doing the right thing.


There's a similar thought about beauty and ren (often translated as humaneness) in book four of the Analects:

The Master said: “As for a neighborhood, it is its ren that makes it beautiful. If you choose to live in a place that lacks ren, how can you grow in wisdom?” 
- Confucius in the Analects 4:1

I'm not quite sure who this quote should be attributed to, as my Google skills can't find a definite answer. I found a book from 1995 which attributes the quote as a "Old Chinese Proverb" but almost everything else I could find attribute it to Confucius himself (one book tacked into the Analects but failed to fact-check it). Someone on Facebook attributed it to the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, but if you Google that, it just goes back to their FB page and no one else linked it to Kangxi.

It sounds like a Chinese fortune cookie thing, so chalk it up to a clever fortune cookie writer or as an actual "Old Chinese Proverb". 

As for the quality of the actual quote, I think it's pretty stupid. For one thing, the statement is literally wrong. There is no beauty in cockroaches, vomit or dirty diapers. It's a lie of the first order.

I know, I know there may be people out there that may state, "well an entomologist may find a cock roach beautiful". Maybe so, but my guess is they still don't want the roaches in their kitchens.  

So, so maybe the quote isn't about "beauty" in the literal sense of the word but is more about finding gratitude in our lives.  I believe that it's true that filling your life with gratitude will change your outlook on life and more importantly, your actions.

My own two cents is that it's an okay-enough statement. For most things in life, there is beauty. Even though my kids might be screaming, fighting or fussing, underneath is a beautiful person being developed and the preciousness of life.  We need to live with more mindfulness to find beauty. 

I can't find much in the Analects about gratitude. I searched Muller's translation for "thankfulness", "thankful", "gratitude" and "grateful" and came up with nothing meaningful. I don't think the concept was foreign to Confucius but might not have been something he or his editors found important enough to speak/write about.


* As always I use Muller's translations.

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Confucius
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/confucius104254.html

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Confucius
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/confucius104254.html

Confucius Didn't Say That!: Where's the Glory in That?

One of the most oft-repeated ideas and tropes in American culture is, "Never give up!". It's built into our very myths about who we are as a people. We even celebrate lost causes like the Alamo or in the South, many sadly still celebrate the ultimate lost cause, the Confederacy.  "Never say die!" is also a a tried-and-true movie plot device, (Rocky, Braveheart, Hoosiers, or basically any sports or fighting movie). The lesson is to always give you best and never give up. If you give up you, you're a failure.

This all brings me to the latest "fake quote" of Confucius:

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." - Confucius 

It's true that when I first read this quote I thought of this old Dwayne Wade commercial (but I was wrong that it was a shoe commercial instead of a sugar water commercial):



Even taking into account how different many of the English translations of Confucius' purported ideas are, I have become familiar with the style and form of Confucius's sayings. He's rarely pithy or blunt. His ideas are nuanced and usually preceded by or followed by explanations or exposition.

This has none of the qualities of Confucius' style or tone.

The real issue is the value behind the quote. The quote implies that the "greatest glory" about being a human is our drive for individual success. There's nothing wrong with the idea of "try, try again" but the meaning is clearly aimed at motivating people to "never give up" or to continue striving for their goal.

I am not claiming that Confucius would be a quitter and "pack it up" as soon as the "going got tough". There is general support for the idea of perseverance and persistence in the Analects.

[17:5] Zi Zhang asked Confucius about fundamental human goodness. Confucius said, “If you can practice these five things with all the people, you can be called a fundamentally good person.”

Zi Zhang asked what they were.

Confucius said, “Courtesy, generosity, honesty, persistence, and kindness. If you are courteous, you will not be disrespected; if you are generous, you will gain everything. If you are honest, people will rely on you. If you are persistent you will get results. If you are kind, you can employ people.”

However, persistence only used for personal or worldly success would be obscene to Confucius. He would not be a fan of Chumbawamba's one hit in the 90's.

The "greatest glory" wouldn't be striving for something greater but in our relationships. 

For Confucius and later Confucian thinkers, individuals only made sense in their relationships with others. It's something of a Confucian obsession that if everyone knew "their place" in society (their relationships) then harmony could be achieved.  From a Confucian point of view, my drive for personal success should never come at the expense of others and it must come clearly within the boundaries of the traditional relationships. We see this most clearly in Confucius' ideas of Ren, which is usually translated as something like "humaneness". Ren was the ideal of what people were to live like:

[12:22] Fan Chi asked about the meaning of ren.

Confucius said “love others.”He asked about the meaning of “knowledge.”

The Master said, “Know others.”

Again, the idea is towards the inter-relatedness of one's success, it should never come at the expense of others,

[6:30].... Now the ren man, wishing himself to be established, sees that others are established, and, wishing himself to be successful, sees that others are successful. To be able to take one's own 
feelings as a guide may be called the art of ren.”

I once heard Ren described as "seeking the good in others". I'm sure that's more of an interpretative approach to the term, but I liked that. If I seek good in others, I can find empathy and understanding. 

It seems this has been a fake quote attributed to Confucius or "Chinese philosopher" for a long time. This one really surprised me, I thought it sounded like a wholly 1997 creation from the internet. However, it apparently it came from an Irishmen in the 1700's who wrote a fictionalized account of a Chinese philosopher living in London. So, this "fake quote" has been circulating for a long time and has been connected to China for over 3 centuries!


I'm not too fond of the quote itself. Well, okay, it sucks. 

While the quote's strength is its ability to adapt to almost anyone's circumstances, I think its usual application is that it's likely to be used on inspirational posters in a high school's guidance counselor's office. I am being a bit of a curmudgeon, but these fake quotes just irritate me. If someone is motivated by the quote to do better in school or at work, then kudos to them. Keep on truckin' friends.

Ultimately, I'll side with Confucius on this one, but I'll quote from another great thinker, Viktor Frankel, "The salvation of man is through love and in love." That is human's greatest glory. Without love, "rising" back up ceases to have any real meaning.

Confucius Didn't Say That! : The Book Edition

Welcome to my second post of Confucius Didn't Say That! 

My first post is here, so be polite and read that one first.

Please keep in mind, this is my way of deconstructing these quotes. One can simply look up if Confucius said any of this garbage in the Analects, The Great Learning or The Doctrine of the Mean but that would make for a short blog post, wouldn't it?

Ya know, I like to read and because I am a nerd, I prefer non-fiction. I just love learning for the sake of learning.  So, when I saw this "non-quote" on good ol' "Brainy Quote" and I decided it was time to tackle it on the blog:


You cannot open a book without learning something. -   Confucius 

This quote is everywhere on the web and not just Brainy Quote, so let's explore why Confucius didn't say it!

Look, I know it's pretty low-hanging fruit if you know a little bit about history. 

I'm going to be a bit of a nitpick. In the first place, paper wasn't even invented to the 2nd century AD, so "books" as we know it, weren't invented until well after that date, and even by then Confucius had been dead for about 600 years. 

I know you might be thinking I'm a stickler here because in the Analects, Confucius does refer to books. In fact, he often refers to one of the Five Classics, The Book of Odes. He encourages his disciples to read, recite and act upon its principles: 

[13:5] The Master said: “You can recite the 300 poems from the Book of Odes, but when you try to use them in administration, they are not effective, and in handling the outerlying regions, you cannot apply them, then even though you know a lot, what good is it?”

So, of course there were "books" in Confucius' time but they were likely on bamboo.  And this brings me to the second point about how we know this quote is not from Confucius' time.

The larger and more important point should be made about "reading culture" or "book culture". It simply didn't exist in the ancient world.  Even if a printing press was transported via time machine into the ancient world, the percent of people that could have read (and maybe more importantly, understand these books) was infinitesimally small. Even today, some estimate that only half the population of China are functionally literate. 

In the 5th century BCE, in China, I would guesstimate that around 5% of the general population would be literate. Maybe even upwards of 10% if you're feeling generous.  I  would also wager there would be an additional amount of people who could read some or a little for business purposes but the masses would be illiterate. The idea that a majority of people in a nation could be literate, reading any number of books would have been astounding to Confucius! In ancient times, even if you could read, you likely didn't own any (or many) books at all because they would be so expensive! 

Besides the technicality difficulties with the quote, the entire tone doesn't jibe with Confucius' beliefs or life. The purpose is to inspire or encourage people to read.  Confucius did not intend his teachings to be for a general audience, in fact, he had no idea any of his ideas would be recorded at all!  All of the work attributed to him was written by Confucian philosophers, likely over a hundred years after his death. 

 I also think Confucius' ideas of what would be appropriate for people to read would be very restrictive to say the least  (The Book of Odes will never be on the New York Times Best Seller List).  I don't think Confucius would think one could read, The Hunger Games and learn anything useful for one's character.  

Confucius's main audience was (or at least his aim and hope) was to reach government leaders or at least those that would one day hold a government position.  His hope was that in doing so, he would help the leaders bring about a new "Golden Era" based on the learning and ethics from the past. According to Confucius, all the answers were in the past, waited to be remembered and implemented. At worst, his expected audience would be other scholars and educated men of the day.   

One might imagine the quote isn't supposed to be for a general audience but I  find that doubtful. Confucius's sayings were hardly so basic or "on the nose" as this proverb is.  

Confucius didn't say this fake quote but there are a few quotes about learning that might suffice to substitute for its general theme. I found two somewhat similar quotes. The first is edited for length, while the second reveals his disgust for a lack of reading. All quotes in this post are from the Analects. 

[8:13] The Master said: “Be of unwavering good faith and love learning..."  


[11:23] Zi Lu got Zi Gao installed as Prefect of Bi. The Master said: “You are damaging someone's son.” Zi Lu said: “There are people and there are national altars (to be administered). Why should it be necessary to read books to be regarded as learned.” The Master said: “This is why I don't like glib people.”

It's also important to note that Confucius wasn't all about "learning for the sake of learning". For Confucian philosophers, there should be no separation between learning from self-cultivation.  

He was always one of those the "world's going to hell in a hand basket" type of guys, here we have a grumpy Confucius moment:   

[14:24] The Master said: “The ancient scholars studied for their own improvement. Modern scholars study to impress others.”

While many would emphasize actions over that of study or knowledge, in the next quote, Confucius reverses that expectation.  Confucius believed that without study (and of course, by "studying" he meant studying the books he deemed worthy of study) our actions will suffer accordingly. 

[17:6] The Master said: “You, have you heard the six phrases about the six distortions?” You answered that he hadn't. “Then stay a moment,” Confucius said, “and I will tell you.”

If you love being kind to others, but don't like to study, then your kindness will be distorted into simplicity.

If you love wisdom, but don't like to study, then your wisdom will be distorted into aimlessness.

If you love trustworthiness, but don't like to study, then your trust will be distorted into harm.

If you love candor, but don't like to study, your candor will be distorted into rudeness.

If you love boldness, but don't like to study, your boldness will be distorted into unruliness.

If you love persistence, but don't like to study, your persistence will be distorted into rashness.

So, there you have it, for Confucius, books were important but never for their own sake and always in the service of cultivating wisdom and morality. 

If Confucius didn't say it, then where's it from? 

Well, that's a good question. The first 5-7 pages of Google attributed the quote to Confucius. After more poking around I finally found some folks stating it is an "Irish proverb". Later, after even more digging, I also found others attributing the quote as a "Chinese Proverb". This book (published in 1898) has it recorded as a Chinese proverb this is also mentioned by several other books published in the 20th century . So, someone, somewhere likely associated it with the Chinese but mistakenly attributed it to Confucius. This is as far down the rabbit hole as I need to go.  If you care to dig further, be my guest!

Honestly, this proverb isn't very good, no matter who said it. 

Although it might make for a great quote for your local schools' "Summer Reading Program" handout, I find the quote rings false.  People read all the time and don't learn a thing!

Many students in my classes read the class materials and some refuse to learn. You know, one trite proverb deserves another, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink."

Finally, and more importantly, Confucius would remind us that we might "know" lots of things but it's useless if we don't "use" it to cultivate righteousness in ourselves and others.

Quote of the Day

I am a glutton for punishment. I decided to revamp our selection from the Analects and just finished reading through all 20 chapters.  No, I wasn't asked, it was just something I felt the urge to do it. Also, I find ancient Chinese philosophies fascinating. 

I think I just earned an extra dork patch for my vest. 

Here's a pretty sweet one from the Analects: 

[11:12] Chi Lu asked about serving the spirits. Confucius said, “If you can't yet serve men, how can you serve the spirits?” Lu said, “May I ask about death?” Confucius said, “If you don't understand what life is, how will you understand death?”

Quote of the Day

 "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." - Mencius 

Confucius Didn't Say That!

Confucius was a pretty wise dude. Just look up "Confucius Quotes" on Google. Go on, I DARE YA. 

You probably didn't, so let me go ahead and tell you that most of the quotes attributed to Confucius on the internet are fake.  Most egregiously, there are several "quotation pages" (did you see what I did there?)  are made up of 95% false quotes.




My first meme creation. I am a proud papa.

So, starting with this very post, it's time to shine some good old fashioned TRUTH on the situation. I am not a Sinologist or a Chinese expert, but I ain't no dummy either. It's time to, "strive to put right what once went wrong".  

Yeah, Quantum Leap is awesome, isn't it? 

First off,  let's address why would someone misattribute quotes to Confucius in the first place.

Americans (and the West in general) don't really know Confucius quotes because they don't know much about Confucius.

This happens with Buddha frequently as well and some lovely person has a website for it. If there were memes with Jesus' quotations with the same claptrap - it would be easily dismissed. Not only are many Americans familiar with many of the memorable Jesus quotations but many would know if a quote "sounded" like Jesus. Furthermore, many people would know where to find and verify if the purported message really was from Jesus. With Confucius, most people would have no idea where to verify the quote. So, they just give up because, ya know, Wikipedia takes too long.

We view ancient China through the lens of Orientalism.

China and "the East" has always been viewed as the exotic "other". Traditionally, China was never seen as a religious or military threat to the West, so, unlike the Middle East, it was viewed much more favorably. In particular, Chinese men were feminized and portrayed as subservient in popular art, while men of the Middle East were portrayed as bestial, violent and threatening.  Likewise, Confucius was never a competitor to Christianity like Mohammed was in Europe. Christian missionaries found much to like in Confucius' ethical code. It was the Jesuit priests that translated the Analects to Europe for the first time.

All this is to say, I believe the West views Confucius favorably. He serves as a convenient, exotic "other" that could possibly say some crap like "The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."

Yeah, that quote is actually attributed to Confucius.

Finally, let's face it Americans are kinda dumb. 

Ok, enough with that nonsense, let's start this series (that will likely end with this one post) with a doozey.

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. "  - Confucius


If Confucius didn't say it, where's it from?

Oh good, the internet did that for me.... here's the story.

Well, if Confucius didn't say it, could he have said something like it? 

No. Nope. No chance in Hades.

No one in the ancient world "chose" their job. What I mean by "no one" is 98.3% of people were farmers working the land for food. Most of those farmers were poor and/or peasants that didn't even own the land they worked.  I should note I made up the 98.3% percent for dramatic effect, but it was the definitely over 90%.

Even the few skilled workers and the even fewer elites in Confucius' time didn't "choose" their jobs. Of course the discussion so far wouldn't apply to females at all, as their "job" was also proscribed for them. Males would inherit their father's trade or position - it didn't matter if he "loved" it or found fulfillment in it.  If your happened to be in the minuscule middle or upper class, your were probably smart enough to realize how crappy life was for vast majority of people.

Beyond the fact that people didn't choose their jobs, the quote implies a sense of individualism that would be absent in ancient China.  Communities were viewed as made up of households rather than of individual people (this is paraphrase from Peter Nosco that I don't have handy). Society was interlinked and seen as a living organism, with each part of the community working in harmony with one another.  Think of the Confucian "Five Great Relationships":

1. Father - Eldest Son
2. Eldest Son- Younger Brother
3. Husband - Wife
4. Elders - Juniors
5. Rulers - Subjects

Your identity only made sense in relation to others and had nothing to do with your "work".  Western identity that is built on one's career has been a relatively new 20th century invention. Even in the West, traditionally, one's identity was built along gender, race, family and religion - not one's work or career. 

Finally, the idea that one would seek happiness through personal fulfillment would be alien to an ancient Chinese person. Personal happiness is not a goal or value found in Confucius' work. For Confucius, happiness is an outcome related to one's attitudes and actions but not a goal into of itself.

From 7:16:

The Master said: “I can live with coarse rice to eat, water for drink and my arm as a pillow and still be happy. Wealth and honors that one possesses in the midst of injustice are like floating clouds.”

From 13:16

Confucius said, “If you do it right, then those close to you will be happy, and those who are far away will come to you.”

What would Confucius say to replace this quote?

Well, I am happy to make something up on-demand:

"The Superior Man finds his happiness not in his own personal fulfillment but the fulfillment of his duties to others."

Ok, so it's not from Confucius but doesn't it just inspire you? 

No, it's bullshit.

Look, my job is awesome but it's still work. Every job has aspects that suck and that's okay.

Let's put it to the test and explore some of the typical "downsides" to particular jobs:

Teaching = Grading
Medical Field = Dead people (and Ebola)
NFL = Brain injuries
Computer People = Sitting on your butt ALL DAY
Chef = Critics
Strippers = Cheap Prevs

See, I just proved it.

If you are employed, some aspect(s) of your job will suck. You aren't going to "love" every day. This quote is an empty saying that tries to make you feel bad for not picking a different career. Screw you, I like my job and I am not under any impression that it's supposed to be joyous and amazing every day.

The Ineffability of Life

It's an experience we've all had. A feeling or thought comes over you but can't find the words that would "do it justice". It might be a spiritual experience or a moment with your lover or child.  This feeling might come when you find yourself in nature, experiencing something of great beauty alone. Or maybe it's even simpler- you find yourself unable to explain why you love a certain song or film or even food. Suddenly, language can seem ill-suited to communicate exactly how you feel. In fact, the act of communication seems to rob the experience of its beauty and pulls you further away from understanding. 

Here's a Daoist take on this ineffable feeling from Zhuangzi:

Duke Huan was reading a book in the hall. Wheelwright Pian, who had been chiseling a wheel in the courtyard below, set down his tools and climbed the stairs to ask Duke Huan, "May I ask what words are in the book Your Grace is reading?"  "The words of sages." the Duke responded.  "Are these sages alive?"  "They are already dead."
 
“That means you are reading the dregs of long gone men, doesn't it?"
 
Duke Huan said, “How does a wheelwright get to have opinions on the books I read? If you can explain yourself, I’ll let it pass otherwise, its death."  Wheelwright Pian said, ‘‘In my case I see things in terms of my own work. When I chisel at a wheel, if I go slow the chisel slides and does not stay put; if I hurry, it jams and doesn't move properly When it is neither too slow nor too fast I can feel it in my hand and respond to it from my heart. My mouth cannot describe it in words but there is something there 1 cannot teach it to my son and my son cannot learn it from me So I have gone on for seventy years, growing old chiseling wheels The men of old died in possession of what could not transmit. So it follows that what you are reading is their dregs."

Here he is, Zhuangzi himself (or at least that's what Google told me). Of course no one really knows what he looked like but this guy looks "with it" enough for me.

It's a wonderful little story (well, besides the fact Pian was threatened with his life for only a passing comment).  I think the metaphor the Wheelwright makes is apt - we often have a hard time teaching someone to do something that is easy for us to do physically.  Without looking at your keyboard, try imagining telling someone who has never typed, which fingers to use to type out a specific sentence. Or try to imagine explaining to a non-bipedal alien how you walk,chew gum and talk all at the same time. You know, you just do it. The larger point is that the written word and the spoken word are more like shadows than we perceive them to be. 

The Dao De Jing teaches that "the way" of the universe itself is ineffable,  as the first chapter states, "The way that can be spoken of  -  Is not the constant way; The name that can be named." To think you know how to define the way means you're already wrong. Daoists are content with this mystery and  like other Eastern philosophies, Daoism stresses contentment over striving. Peacefulness over activity.  There are limits to human knowledge and intuition so we should individually be satisfied with the little that we do have. The desire for more, whether it be for knowledge or wealth leads to destruction.


This feeling of ineffability is (in part) behind why artists create art. Because "I love you" or "That's really pretty" can't cut it; so we create and attempt to transcend normal reality.  We strive for describing this truth and yet, there is a kind of beauty in this paradox. We are trapped inside our brains with no way to directly share our experiences (yet).  No one can fully understand you (if even you can understand yourself). However, these private, indescribable moments can stay with us forever, to be treasured  in our solitude.