“Educated men condemn murders and call them wrong but do not realize that a war of aggression against another country is wrong praising it and giving it their support… therefore it is clear they do not know the difference between right and wrong.”

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“How can the wise man who has charge of governing the empire fail to restrain hate and encourage love? When there is universal love in the world it will be peaceful and happy; when there is mutual hate, it will be filled with suffering, disorder, and unhappiness.”

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“If but one virtue—mutual love—could be made universal, the strong would not make prey of the weak; the many would not plunder the few, the rich would not insult the poor, the noble would not be insolent to the mean; and the deceitful would not impose upon the simple.”

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“Whoever criticizes others must have something to replace them. Criticism without suggestion is like trying to stop flood with flood and put out fire with fire. It will surely be without worth.”

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“There are no large or small states; all are Heaven's townships. There are no young men or old, no patricians or plebians: all are Heavne's subjects...”

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“Any one who takes any business in hand, cannot dispense with a standard pattern.”

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“when Confucius was starving and in trouble, he did not hesitate to grab at anything at all to keep himself alive; but, when he was satiated, he behaved hypocritically in order to appear refined. What greater vileness and hypocrisy could there be.”

from Against Confucians

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“Confucians believe firmly in the existence of fate and propound this doctrine... if officials believe such ideas, they will be lax in their duties; and if the common people believe them, they will neglect their tasks.”

from Against Confucians

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“Confucians corrupt men with their elaborate and showy rites and music and deceive parents with lengthy mournings and hypocritical grief. They propound fatalism, ignore poverty, and behave with the greatest arrogance... Such men are the destroyers of the people of the world!”

from Against Confucians

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“honoring the worthy is the foundation of government... sage kings of ancient times showed no special consideration for their own kin, no partiality for the eminent and rich, no favoritism for the good-looking and attractive.”

from Honoring the Worthy

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“just because a man happens to be rich and eminent or pleasant-featured and attractive, he will not necessarily turn out to be wise and alert when placed in office... this will lead to ruin.”

from Honoring the Worthy

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“universality is the source of all the great benefits in the world and partiality is the source of all the great harm.”

from Universal Love

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“the truly superior man of the world regards his friend the same as himself, and his friend's father the same as his own.”

from Universal Love

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“the truly enlightened ruler must think of his subjects first, and of himself last... he will feed them when they are hungry, clothe them when they are cold, nourish them when they are sick, and bury them when they die.”

from Universal Love

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“King Wen was like the sun or moon, shedding his bright light in the four quarters and over the western land... the universal love of King Wen was so broad that it embraced the whole world like the universal light of the sun and the moon shines upon the whole world without partiality.”

from Universal Love

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“When Yu went to conquer the ruler of the Miao, it was not that he sought to increase his wealth or eminence... it was only that he sought to promote what was beneficial to the world and to eliminate what was harmful.”

from Universal Love

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“Though Tang was honored as the Son of Heaven and possessed all the riches of the world, he did not hesitate to offer himself as a sacrifice... such was the universality of Tang.”

from Universal Love

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“one who loves will be loved by others and one who hates will be hated by others... I cannot understand how the men of the world can hear this doctrine of universality and still criticize it!”

from Universal Love

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“To reduce one's diet, consign one's body to the flames, or wear coarse clothing are among the most difficult things in the world do o. And yet people will do them because they know their superiors will be pleased.”

from Universal Love

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“If rulers really promoted them, people would turn to universal love and mutual benefit as naturally as fire tuns upward or water turns downward. Nothing in the world could stop them.”

from Universal Love

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“they confuse what is habitual with what is proper, and what is customary with what is right.”

from Moderation

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“If you ask what it is that has caused the ruler to neglect the affairs of government and the humble man to neglect his tasks, the answer is music... if the rulers, ministers, and gentlemen of the world truly desire to promote what is beneficial to the world and eliminate what is harmful, they must prohibit and put a stop to this thing called music!”

from Against Music

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“Those who strive to overthrow others simply drive the people to their death.”

from Honoring the Worthy

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“Philosopher whose arguments in favor of universal love and against costly funerals put him at odds with the Confucian school, especially Mencius and Hsun Tzu. The work that bears his name was apparently composed after his death by his disciples who themselves betray differences of opinion concerning their master's views.”

— Red Pine 1943 CE –
( Bill Porter)
Exceptional translator, cultural diplomat
from Lao-Tzu's Taoteching

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