Confucius

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance”

If you want to sound like you are all zen and chilled then you have to be able to quote Confucius. You might end up sounding like a dick too but that’s your choice. The man is synonymous with wisdom, but who actually was he?

Confucius was a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history (771 until 476 BC). Before those heady heights he spent time as a shepherd, cowherd, clerk, and a book-keeper.

“Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change”

I always thought this was a biblical one but he’s the man who is credited with first coining the phrase “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself”. Strangely, after his death in 479 BC he became known by other names including “Extremely Sage Departed Teacher” and even better the “Laudably Declarable Lord Ni” — nothing to do with Monty Python’s knights that made the same noise I don’t think.

And my personal favourite to end the article today:

“Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance” – touché.

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