Tao Te Ching
Yang Xiong 揚雄
53 BCE – 18 CE
"Confucius from the western parts,” poet, philosopher, I Ching scholar, and politician; Yang Xiong became one of the most famous people of the entire Han dynasty. His most well-known and influential book was Exemplary Sayings (法言) which includes him in our lineage of aphorists. He took a middle-ground approach between Xunzi and Mencius describing basic human nature as neither basic goodness or basic badness characterizing it as a complex combination.
Lineages
Aphorists / Compilers Confucian
Eras
Sources
Fayan 法言, Exemplary Figures or Model Sayings
Quotes by Yang Xiong (8 quotes)
“One may rely on strategy and deception to impress but these can hardly compare with an impression made without these.”
from Fayan 法言, Exemplary Figures or Model Sayings
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“After a long period of disuse, the spark of life dries up and vision collapses—a person can only feel their way around like a blind person using a staff.”
from Fayan 法言, Exemplary Figures or Model Sayings
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“Politicians and generals who treat people like animals to be driven and sacrificed are the ultimate expression of man’s inhumanity to man.”
from Fayan 法言, Exemplary Figures or Model Sayings
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“Why rely on forms and titles? These are like games, stunts and tricks—entertaining but unimportant and meaningless.”
from Fayan 法言, Exemplary Figures or Model Sayings
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“If someone admires the great but does not emulate them, they are anything but great.”
from Fayan 法言, Exemplary Figures or Model Sayings
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“If our deeds don’t influence others, we should look into ourselves and cultivate a greater goodness.”
from Fayan 法言, Exemplary Figures or Model Sayings
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“Cultivating ourselves is like a bow, straightening our thoughts like arrow.”
from Fayan 法言, Exemplary Figures or Model Sayings
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“Speech is the heart’s sounds and writing it’s images but ‘Speech cannot fully express what is in the heart, nor can writing fully express speech’ — only sages understand the true meanings.”
from Fayan 法言, Exemplary Figures or Model Sayings
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