7 Mindful Quotes by Confucius That Will Change The Way You Think

Put them into practice for a more mindful, virtuous, and happy life.

Confucius (551 B.C. — 479 B.C.) was an influential Chinese social philosopher whose teachings continue to stand the test of time.

The epicenter of his work focused on how one can lead a virtuous life and it revolved around the principle of “ren” or “loving others.” He believed that ren could be put into practice using the Golden Rule of “don’t do unto others what you don’t want to be done unto you.”

Confucius encouraged a yearning for learning and a commitment to rituals as a form of self-discipline. He spoke of the importance of inner harmony and of its profound connection to the physical world we experience.

In the seven quotes below, we will explore in more detail these beautiful philosophies and learn how to put them into practice so we can lead more mindful, virtuous, and happy lives.

1. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones… It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”

Modern society champions the “all-or-nothing” mentality as the grandest approach to creating change, and I was a victim of this kind of thinking. Two years ago, I thought that to become an entrepreneur, I must first quit my job, and to become a writer, I must first publish a 300-page book.

Perhaps this naive kind of thinking was born out of the media’s craze for daredevil-turned-overnight-success-story narratives? Maybe. Regardless of the source, there’s one thing that is certain: Our obsession with mountain peaks as the epitome of success has narrowed our view and dimmed the light on the true path to success — the ascend.

We’ve become so obsessed with the summit that we’ve forgotten what it takes to get there: A slow, resilient, and consistent upward effort.

You don’t move a mountain by walking right into it; you chip away at it one small stone at a time. Confucius invites us to live by this simple philosophy, one which emphasizes continuous progress over instant perfection.

How to apply this: Consistency is the key to sustainable, long-lasting change. Don’t try and move mountains, instead, simply carry small stones, one stone at a time. Don’t be the hare, be the tortoise. Slow and steady wins the race.

You don’t need to quit your job to start a business, you can begin right where you are. You don’t need to write an entire book to become a writer, you can begin with an article a day.

2. “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart… And remember, no matter where you go, there you are.”

In a society that continues to chase material gains and values achievement over spiritual transcendence, this is the one quote we should all embrace.

In his words “wherever you go, go with all your heart,” Confucius reminds us that whatever it is we gravitate toward — that deep-rooted calling we know we must follow — we should walk that path with the fullness of our hearts. We shouldn’t belittle ourselves or bow to insecurity. Instead, we should rise above it and confidently march on with all the self-belief and might in our hearts.

He also invites us to recognize that our happiness, self-worth, and sense of fulfillment are not elusive things that we must go chasing. They aren’t attached to a destination in the future; we bear their entirety as we journey onward. We unearth them from within us, and hence: “there you are.”

How to apply this: Let yourself be drawn by the pull of what your heart calls you to do. Then, walk that path in faith. And as you do, remember to carry the fullness of your happiness and self-worth with you. Create your own merit and remember that there is nowhere to ‘arrive at’ because you’re already there.

That’s the secret to living joyfully and peacefully — treasuring what you already have as you work toward what you want and knowing that happiness is not a place you’re heading toward because happiness is the way.

3. “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”

In the ten words above, Confucius captures what in modern psychology is referred to as the Dunning-Kruger Effect: A type of cognitive bias whereby people who are incompetent at something are unable to recognize their own incompetence.

In other words, the scope of people’s ignorance is often invisible to them. That’s why a person, despite his lack of knowledge or experience in a specific domain, can still think he’s amazing at it; he simply does not know the extent of his own ignorance.

This is the phenomenon I personally experienced in the early stages of my entrepreneurial journey.

I made bold decisions and shunned everyone else’s advice, foolishly labeling it as wrong, until I raised my own awareness and recognized that, among other things, and contrary to what I had initially believed, I’m actually not good at managing money, I’m not sure how to create demand for a product, and I don’t know how to manage my emotions or build good habits.

I realized that there was so much I don’t know and so much more for me to learn. I became accepting and open. And that’s when I began delving deeper into the world of self-development. I wanted to become better and I was ready to start asking the hard questions and seeking the right answers.

As per Confucius’ words:

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

How to apply this: Don’t be a fool for life — question everything. Have a thirst for knowledge. Read books and educate yourself to enrich your mind. Know the extent of your own ignorance by making it aware to you, and accept that there is so much more for you to learn because you are a student of life, for life.

4. “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

We are living in an age of speedy algorithms and information overload. From the moment we wake up, we are fed with information about what we should eat, buy, feel, and think. On average, we spend more than 11 hours per day glued to our screens. We’re incredibly overstimulated and we’ve become so obsessed with finding the next productivity hack — no wonder 44% of the workforce has experienced burnout.

What we need right now is to slow down and be more mindful.

We need to realize that the scent of life does not diffuse in the rhythm of rush, it floats to the tune of stillness. You cannot smell, taste, or feel the beauty that is all around you if you’re always running. You have to stop and stare. You have to open your heart to see what is blind to the eye.

This perspective of mindfulness is more relevant to us today than ever before, but there’s another important aspect to it: There is hidden beauty beneath the surface of everything you see.

Life and all things in it are imperfect, and true beauty blooms from that natural imperfection. Just because something is broken, doesn’t render it ugly or useless. Likewise, just because you have scars, doesn’t mean you’re unworthy. Do not hide in the shadow of your own sunshine, rather, learn to fully love and appreciate what might be broken.

How to apply this: What really matters in life is to appreciate and treasure the moment we are in and to be aware of the charm of the very simplest things life has to offer: the sunset and its colors, the changing of seasons, the sound of the wind rustling with the trees. So slow down so you can experience the beauty that flows from the passage of time.

5. “The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.”

Consider this: If you’re sitting in a movie theatre and you’re watching a horror movie, how will you feel? You’d probably be tense and afraid.

Now, if we were to keep you in the exact same seat, but change the film that is being projected onto the screen and play a comedy instead, how will you feel? You’d be much more relaxed. And if that motion picture that is being projected is funny, you’ll laugh.

Here’s what I’d like you to realize:

• The projector in the theatre is your mind projecting thoughts.
• The series of thoughts is the motion picture that you are watching on the screen (and thus evoking emotion in you).
• What you feel as a result of these thoughts is the reality that you experience in real life.

Meditate upon bad, scary, squeamish thoughts and you will experience a negative, fearful, and worrisome reality. Meditate upon good thoughts and the better your life experience will become.

How to apply this: You are what your thoughts make you. If you don’t like the reality you are experiencing (the movie you are watching), change the film that’s being projected (the thoughts in your mind).

Start feeding your mind with empowering thoughts and positive affirmations and watch how these thoughts that are being projected will change your life experience for the better.

6. “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

Meditating on good thoughts is imperative, but thoughts alone won’t change your reality, you have to take action. So let’s consider the four stages we go through in order to create the change we wish to see in our life:

• First, we have a ‘thought’ (inception).
• Then, we contemplate it (reflection).
• Third, we put the idea into motion (imitation).
• And finally, we take action on it (experience).

The magic — the real change — manifests in the final stage because it's only by doing that we truly learn and gain experience. And that’s why Confucius claimed that experience is the bitterest.

Reflection is noble because contemplation does not result in sweat. Imitation is easy because it does not require much effort. Experience, or action, however, is bitter because it requires us to get uncomfortable. It pushes us way past our comfort zone, and that’s the place where we experience true growth. As he goes on to explain in these three short statements below:

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

Listen to what others tell you and you will forget. See what others are doing and you will remember. Do it yourself and you will finally understand.

How to apply this: Spend 80% of your time in action, and 20% of your time in thought, contemplation, and reflection. Live by this rule of doing and soon enough, you will begin to marvel at your speed of personal growth and transformation.

7. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated… To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.”

I love this one: “Life is simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

Amen.

Confucius believed a righteous human must develop self-dignity and self-discipline if he wishes to realize one’s potential and live a healthy, harmonious life. And in order to do so, one must practice certain virtues on a daily basis: Humbleness, kindness, integrity, generosity, and focus. In doing so, we are invited us to appreciate what we already have and to see how minute our personal difficulties are in the vast scheme of the universe.

His words remind us that contentment relies on knowing how to derive pleasure from simplicity, and how giving is the way to receiving.

How to apply this: Be generous with kindness, but stay humble and grounded. Be generous with your sincerity, but stay rooted and focused. Be generous with action, but stay mindful of your own ignorance and all that you still have to learn.

This quote really does synthesize all the lessons above into one main idea: If your thoughts are complicated, then you will complicate your life. But if you meditate on better, simpler thoughts, you will finally come to see life as it should be:

Life is not about the mountain, but the small stone that sits at your feet. Life is not about perfection, but the beauty that lies deep beneath everything around you. Life is not about arriving, it’s about carrying your self-worth and happiness with you every inch of the way, because “no matter where you go, there you are.”

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