《四書集注》與《荀子》摘句
Selected texts from the ancient scripts of Confucius (Kong Zi, 551-479 B.C.), Mencius (Meng Zi, 390-305? B.C.) and Xun Zi (313-230 B.C.), and their students in particular Cheng Zi and Zhu Zi (1120-1300). I do not attempt a direct translation of these ancient ideas. Rather I cite below either other people's translation or well-known western ideas that I think are close in meaning or spirit.
大學之道，在明明德，親（新）民，止於至善。 ?D?D《大學》
"Many people consider Confucianism a religion. But Confucianism has no clergy and does not teach the worship of a God or gods or the existence of a life after death. Confucianism can more accurately be considered a guide to morality and good government. " -World Book Encyclopedia.
程子曰：“不偏之謂中，不易之謂庸。中者天下之定理，庸者天下之達道。”
"Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ is really a special case of a more general law of survival of the stable." Richard Dawkins. "The Selfish Gene" 1976.
“人心惟危，道心惟微，惟精惟一，允執厥中。“ 舜之授禹者也。
子曰：“天下國家可平也，白刃可蹈也，爵祿可辟也，中庸不可能也。”
朱子曰： “蓋嘗論之：心之虛靈知覺，一而已矣。而以為有人心，道心之異者，則以其或生於形氣之私，或原於性命之正，而所以為知覺者不同﹔是以或危殆而不安，或微妙而難見耳。然人莫不有是形，故雖上智不能無人心﹔亦莫不有是性，故雖下愚不能無道心。二者雜於方寸之間，而不知所以治之，則危者愈危，微者愈微，而天理之公卒無以勝人欲之私矣。精則察夫二者之間而不雜也，一則守其本心之正而不離也。從事於斯，無少間斷，必使道心常為一身之主，而人心每聽命焉，則危者安，微者著，而動靜雲為自無過不及之差矣。”
"For the mind of man is far from the nature of a clear and equal glass, wherein the beams of things should reflect according to their true incidence; nay, it is rather like an enchanted glass, full of superstition and imposture, if it be not delivered and reduced." Francis Bacon.
"He shall see that the nature is the opposite of the soul, answering to it part for part. One is seal., and one is print. Its beauty is the beauty of his own mind. Its laws are the laws of his own mind. Nature then becomes to him the measure of his attainment. So much nature as he is ignorant of, so much of his own mind does he not yet possess. The ancient precept 'know thyself' and the modern precept 'study nature' become at last one maxim." R. W. Emerson, "American Scholar", 1837.
夫驥一日而而千裡，駑馬十駕則亦及這矣。將以窮無窮、逐無極與，其折骨、絕筋終身不可以相及也。將有所止之，則千裡雖遠，亦或遲、或速、或先、或後，胡為乎其不可相及也？不識步道者將以窮無窮、逐無極與？意亦有所止之與？夫“堅白”、“同異”、“有厚無厚”之察，非不察也，然而君子不辯，止之也﹔倚魁之行，非不難也，然而君子不行，止之也。故學曰：“彼止而待我，我行而就之，則亦或遲、或速、或先、或後，胡為乎其不可以同至也？”故跬步而不休，跛鱉千裡﹔累土而不輟，丘山崇成﹔厭其源，開其瀆，江河可竭﹔一進一退，一左一右，六驥不致。彼人之才性之相縣也，豈若跛鱉之與六驥足哉？然而跛鱉致之，六驥不致，是無他故焉，或為之，或不為爾？ 道雖邇，不行不至﹔事雖小，不為不成。其為人也多暇日者，其出人不遠矣。 ?D?D 《荀子。修身》
For to be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough; the prime requisite is rightly to apply it. The greatest minds, as they are capable of the highest excellencies, are open likewise to the greatest aberrations; and those who travel very slowly may yet make far greater progress, provided they keep always to the straight road, than those who, while they run, forsake it. -- Discourse on the method of rightly conducting the reason and seeking the truth in the sciences, Rene Descartes, 1596-1650.
子曰：“仁者人也，親親為大﹔義者宜也，尊賢為大。親親之殺，尊賢之等，禮所生也。”
"The essence of morality is the right intention. The substance of it is the right action." -Unknown
子曰：“信而好古，述而不作。”
"As a 'Professor' I always felt myself a sham, with its chief duties of being a walking encyclopedia of erudition." -William James, in a letter to his brother Henry James.
君子之道費而隱。《中庸》
Honor means to give more than one has; pride means to take less than one deserves.