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"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" is a common saying that originated from a Chinese proverb. The quotation is from Chapter 64 of the Tao Te Ching ascribed to Laozi, [1] although it is also erroneously ascribed to his contemporary Confucius. [2]
Confucius was educated at schools for commoners, where he studied and learned the Six Arts. [21] Confucius was born into the class of shi (士), between the aristocracy and the common people. He is said to have worked in various government jobs during his early 20s, and as a bookkeeper and a caretaker of sheep and horses, using the proceeds to ...
Confucius once traveled to Nang Hill with three of his favourite students, Hui, Zilu, and Zigong, and asked them each to tell him their different aims, after which he would choose between them. After Zilu's answer, Confucius said, "It marks your bravery." After Zigong's answer, Confucius said, "It shows your discriminating eloquence."
Confucius said that one's understanding of li should inform everything that one says and does (§12.1). He believed that subjecting oneself to li did not mean suppressing one's desires but learning to reconcile them with the needs of one's family and broader community.
For Confucius, the interaction of a completely dependent infant and caring parent is the most emotionally charged human interaction, "To love a thing means wanting it to live...". [5] The Way of humaneness is human interaction and, through shared experience, knowing one's family. "Fan Chi asked about humaneness. The Master said it is loving people.
Confucius said to Boyu: "Kong Li, I have heard that the only thing that can keep people from getting bored all day long is learning. A person's appearance and physique are not worth showing off, bravery and strength cannot make others fearful, ancestors are not worth boasting about, and family names are not worth discussing.
[7] Nonetheless, the proverb soon after became popularly attributed to Confucius. The actual Chinese expression "Hearing something a hundred times isn't better than seeing it once" (百 闻 不 如 一 见, p bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn) is sometimes introduced as an equivalent, as Watts's "One showing is worth a hundred sayings". [8]
Yan Hui was Confucius' favorite disciple. [3] "After I got Yan Hui," Confucius remarked, "the disciples came closer to me." [2] [4] [5] We are told that once, when he found himself on the Nang hill with Yan Hui, Zilu, and Zigong, Confucius asked them to tell him their different aims, and he would choose between them. Zilu began, and when he had ...