Confucius (Kung-fu-tzu), the Chinese teacher, philosopher, and politician, lived in a time when the Zhou dynasty ruled China. Inspired by the summer months, his teachings are known as Confucianism and have shaped the philosophy and morality of Chinese people and beyond for thousands of years. Confucianism has influenced the leadership, morals, and family structure of many Asian countries for more than 2000 years, and thousands more continue to study his works. In this article, we’ll look at 15 of Confucius’s life lessons to help us all live more fulfilling lives.
Lesson 1: The importance of continuous learning and self-improvement
In encouraging people to seek continual learning throughout their lives, Confucius said: ‘What you learn without thinking is soon gone from your mind; what you learn by thinking remains; there is nothing you can’t do if you give it thought.’ Practically, this means that if we want to succeed in our goals and plans, we should add terms such as ‘learning’ or ‘think about’ so that they don’t look artificial or strange when translated from Chinese into other languages. The Chinese philosopher Mengzi, a student of Confucius, gave the example of a man who collected but did not open letters and gifts from those he had helped, cautioning others not to follow his example.
Lesson 2: Integrity and moral character
Virtue and righteousness were some of Confucius’s most critical concerns. He taught that human beings must dedicate themselves to cultivating their moral character and exemplifying it for others throughout their lives. He believed that genuine personal integrity and principled conduct could temper the individual’s rapaciousness and, over time, make the world better and more just.
Lesson 3: Respect and piety
Respecting the hierarchy of family and society is core to Confucianism. Confucius advised that this can be achieved through piety and gratitude to elders and superiors as the basis for the order of the world. Try honoring your parents, teachers, and mentors, and treat others the same way you’d like them to treat you.
Lesson 4: Harmony and balance in relationships
Confucius talks about the value of the Golden Mean, the need to avoid extremes and to find a balance. This way of relating to others in our lives and work will help us maintain equilibrium. If we face a conflict of interest, then we need to be able to compromise to keep our relationship with the other person in balance. We should cultivate harmony in our relationship with other people, not finding fault with them for whatever they do.
Lesson 5: The power of humility and self-awareness
Humility and self-depreciation could demonstrate that one was aware of his own limitations – a frame of mind that would allow for continuous self-improvement: ‘Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance,’ said Confucius. ‘When you know the extent of your ignorance, you will stop assuming your place in theology and philosophy.’ Above all, humility was seen as an attitude to the reflective and peaceful self. This ideal goes beyond the myth of rugged masculinity and the Cartesian ‘cogito ergo sum’ of the Western world. Humility can enable a person to appreciate his or her strengths and weaknesses and thus continue to improve while at the same time being more empathetic with others.
Lesson 6: Empathy and understanding others
One of the simplest yet most powerful versions of the Golden Rule is the version expressed by the Chinese philosopher Confucius: ‘Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.’ The Confucian Golden Rule encourages us to put ourselves in other people’s shoes and treat them as we’d like to be treated. We who have benefitted from the widespread use of the Golden Rule have, as a consequence, found ourselves in stronger, more caring relationships.
Lesson 7: The importance of education and mentorship
Always the teacher, Confucius encouraged walking the path of creating learning and goodwill. For him, learning from those who came before us and sharing what we’ve acquired with those who come after us is key to sustaining ourselves. We would do well to follow his lead, seek our own learning experiences, and share our lessons learned with our loved ones, involving them in the continuation of that process.
Lesson 8: Leadership and good governance
But Confucius clarified what it meant to be a good leader and to govern well: he articulated how leaders should comport themselves in the world and how they should think and act with regard to those over whom they govern. According to Confucius, leaders should serve as exemplars and role models to those they lead; they should devote themselves to the welfare of their subjects; they should govern from their heart-minds with a sense of compassion and sagacity. As individuals, we can practice these ideas in the limited sphere of influence we unavoidably have and cannot reasonably do without. One need not become a politician or a monarch to live and attempt to serve according to Confucius’s standards in the family, workplace or community.
Lesson 9: Sincerity and trustworthiness
One of Confucius’s major teachings was that you should keep your word and be true to what you say if you want to be properly trusted by someone. He wrote: ‘Sincerity is the way of Heaven.’ Sincerity ‘is called knowledge. The attainment of sincerity is the way of men.’ If you remain true to your word, we can form a deep and abiding connection with you, building the trust that is vital for us to flourish.
Lesson 10: Patience and perseverance
If Confucius possessed knowledge of modern psychology, he would have emphasized that character can withstand significant obstacles through perseverance and patience. He would’ve stressed the need to stay on the path, come what may, and to regard difficulties as useful stepping stones towards personal enrichment. Through patience, we can reap greater rewards in a more pleasant manner when we hit our targets.
Lesson 11: The value of rituals and traditions
Rituals were prominent in Confucian practice because they were believed to help cultivate virtue and promote social cohesion by honoring the past. When we voluntarily join others in meaningful rituals, we gain a deeper sense of social connectedness with fellow participants. There is no more subtle and beautiful way to shed light on this process than with the age-old rituals of Lent and Easter. Through our participation in these rituals, which reach back into the distant past, we elevate our lives by honoring a set of traditions that we cherish.
Lesson 12: Benevolence and compassion
‘Kindness and concern for others are paramount,’ said Confucius. A truly civilized Republic of Humans would never prosper without a people that is benevolent and compassionate. ‘The continual fostering of empathetic goodwill, the continual harboring of concern for the welfare of others,’ he said, ‘are what constitute humaneness.’ If we can expand our charity past our family and friends, we will become, like the sage King Shun, a better person, and the world will become a better place.
Lesson 13: The pursuit of wisdom and truth
Learning and understanding were central to Confucius’ ethos – ‘Empire lies on the cross-ways,’ he reportedly said, ‘and at the cross-ways, there are four things: the ruler who is instructor, the master who is educator, the father who is lover, and the friend who enjoys the same thing.’ He was committed to educating his students and himself for its own sake, to achieving wisdom as a lifelong project of self-discovery. He encouraged his students to seek truth and put what they learned about the world to good use. This lifelong pursuit of wisdom brings understanding and quality of life; the more we know about the world and ourselves, the better our decisions.
Lesson 14: Rectification of names and speaking precisely
The ‘rectification of names’ is one of Confucius’s famous Six Arts, holdovers from the broad education that the award of a scholar’s degree used to guarantee, which through history have become identified with Confucius himself. One good place to start is with the master’s insistence on rectifying names – to be clear in what you say and make sure others use the right word in the right place. Still in full effect today, the injunction was presented very practically by the Master to his disciple Zi Gong: If everyone in the state Yang calls a lychee fruit a pitaya, and a pitaya a lychee fruit, then contractors will know that if the state’s chief adviser offers ‘pitaya,’ it’s really a lychee fruit and not a pitaya they are supposed to deliver. Verbal taboos or mindfulness of what one is saying or to whom you are addressing can help establish relationships from the ground up and prevent mindless conflicts from firing in the explanation circuits.
Lesson 15: The art of reflection and self-examination
Confucius said: ‘At 50, I had already found my values; at 70, I had already let go of them.’ How did he come to this realization? What did he build himself and his students to do to reach that point? Confucius urged his students to ask themselves tough questions about their behavior and motivations almost daily. He believed that, with regular self-examination, effective questioning, and receptivity to other voices, we meet the often difficult events and demands of our lives.
Key Takeaways
- Embrace continuous learning and self-improvement
- Cultivate integrity and moral character
- Respect others and promote social harmony
- Maintain balance and harmony in relationships
- Practice humility and self-awareness
- Apply the Golden Rule and cultivate empathy
- Seek education and mentorship, and share knowledge
- Lead by example with compassion and wisdom
- Be sincere and trustworthy
- Develop patience and perseverance
- Engage in meaningful rituals and honor traditions
- Practice benevolence and compassion
- Pursue wisdom and truth through learning and reflection
- Communicate clearly and precisely
- Regularly engage in self-examination and reflection
Conclusion
The teachings of Confucius maintain their relevance to this day, helping countless people worldwide find direction and meaning in their lives. These 15 life lessons can, in turn, inspire readers to enhance their own lives by instilling in them a sense of direction, a deeper sense of connectedness with others, and more persistence in doing good. In our ever more complex world, the teachings of one of the world’s great philosophers continue to hold valuable lessons.