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
Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.
“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”
Related quotes
“When Life does not find a singer to sing her heart she produces a philosopher to speak her mind.”
“Books are waste paper unless we spend in action the wisdom we get from thought.”
“Young people, who are beginners in everything, cannot yet know love: they have to learn it.”