Knowing it is less than loving it; loving it is less than delighting in it.
知之者不如好之者、好之者不如樂之者
Philosophers
Confucius
Born c. 551 BCE in Lu, Confucius built a moral system on ren, li, and xiao. The Analects became East Asia's intellectual bedrock, shaping ethics across the civilization sphere for twenty-five centuries.
View this figure's profile
Confucius's Other Quotes
When three walk together, one is surely my teacher. I follow what is good and correct what is not.
The exemplary person demands it of himself; the petty person demands it of others.
I transmit but do not create; I trust in and love the ancients.
Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.
Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.
Related Quotes
Blue dye is extracted from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than indigo itself.
-- Xunzi
Learning must never cease.
-- Xunzi
When three walk together, one is surely my teacher. I follow what is good and correct what is not.
-- Confucius
Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.
-- Confucius
In the pursuit of learning, one gains daily. In the pursuit of the Tao, one loses daily -- losing and losing until one arrives at wu wei. Through non-action, nothing is left undone.
-- Laozi
Investigate things to extend knowledge.
-- Zhu Xi