Five Hundred millions of people have their national character formed by Confucius who lived in China from about 551 B.C. to 479 B.C.
His teachings were aimed at the different relationships people have with each other. He is considered as a deity by many of his followers, but he never mentioned the supernatural, or the afterlife, or intended to start or form a religion. He was only concerned with present conditions and trying to make them more just.
His most famous teaching is the “golden rule:” What you do not want done to yourself do not do to others.
What is not so well known is that his first work was as an accountant and he is considered the forefather of the Chinese accounting profession, and many of his sayings involved business and management concerns, some of which are:
- Have no friends not equal to yourself.
- The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions.
- Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.
- A workman who wants to do his work well must first sharpen his tools.
- They who care not for the morrow will sooner have their sorrow.
The above was adapted and digested from The Wisdom of Confucius / Edited by Epiphanius Wilson ©1982 by Crown Publishers, Inc. Another source is Familiar Quotations by John Bartlett ©1980 by Little, Brown and Company.
In today’s trying and uncertain time, it would be helpful to reflect a little on his words and inject some added civility: What you do not want done to yourself do not do to others.
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