Quotes from Xunzi

The nature of man is evil; what is good in him is artificial.

Whether the gentleman is capable or not, he is loved all the same; conversely the petty man is loathed all the same.

If there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement.

Music is a fantastic peacekeeper of the world, it is integral to harmony, and it is a required fundamental of human emotion.

Man's nature is evil; goodness is the result of conscious activity.

Human nature is such that people are born with a love of profit If they follow these inclinations, they will struggle and snatch from each other, and inclinations to defer or yield will die.

Thus, anybody who follows this nature and gives way its states will be led into quarrels and conflicts, and go against the conventions and rules of society, and will end up a criminal.

If the impulse to daring and bravery is too fierce and violent, stay it with guidance and instruction.

The coming of honor or disgrace must be a reflection of one's inner power.

Sacrifice is a state of mind in which our thoughts turn with longing [toward Heaven, the Ancestors], It is the supreme expression of loyalty, love, and respect.

Since the nature of people is bad, to become corrected they must be taught by teachers and to be orderly they must acquire ritual and moral principles.

When people lack teachers, their tendencies are not corrected; when they do not have ritual and moral principles, then their lawlessness is not controlled.

In antiquity the sage kings recognized that men's nature is bad and that their tendencies were not being corrected and their lawlessness controlled.

The noble person uses things; the lesser man is used by things.

There are successful scholars, public-spirited scholars, upright scholars, cautious scholars, and those who are merely petty men.

Human nature refers to what is in people but which they cannot study or work at achieving.

If what the heart approves conforms to proper patterns, then even if one's desires are many, what harm would they be to good order?