Attribution note: This quote is commonly attributed to this author, but its original source is disputed or unverified.
About Confucius
551 BC – 479 BC
Ancient Chinese philosopher and teacher whose teachings on ethics, family, and governance shaped East Asian thought for millennia. His Analects remain widely studied today.
See all 39 Confucius quotes →More from Confucius
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“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
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“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”
Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
Related quotes
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“The minute I stopped making excuses, I started moving forward.”
“Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up.”
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“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”