Learning must never cease.
学不可以已。
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Philosophers
Xunzi
A Confucian scholar born in the state of Zhao during the late Warring States period, 3rd century BCE. Xunzi directly opposed Mencius's doctrine of innate human goodness, declaring that 'human nature is evil; its goodness is the result of deliberate effort.' He argued that only acquired self-cultivation — through ritual practice and ceaseless study — can elevate human beings into moral agents. Through his pupils Han Fei and Li Si he exerted a decisive influence on Legalist thought, making him both the greatest heretic and the greatest innovator in the history of Confucianism.
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Xunzi's Other Quotes
Blue dye is extracted from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than indigo itself.
The course of Heaven is constant: it does not prevail because of Yao, nor does it cease because of Jie.
Human nature is evil; its goodness is the result of deliberate effort.
If you carve without ceasing, even metal and stone can be engraved.
Related Quotes
Blue dye is extracted from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than indigo itself.
-- Xunzi
If you carve without ceasing, even metal and stone can be engraved.
-- Xunzi
It only becomes failure when you stop. Keep going until you succeed, and it becomes success.
-- Kōnosuke Matsushita
Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
-- Ray Kroc
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
-- Benjamin Franklin
I don't want to destroy Toyota. But I want to change it.
-- Akio Toyoda