Xunzi Quotes
When a man sees something desirable, he must reflect on the fact that with time it could come to involve what is detestable. When he sees something that is beneficial, he should reflect that sooner or later it, too, could come to involve harm.
Xunzi. Xunzi: A Translation and Study of the Complete Works, Volume I, Books 1-6. Translated by John Knoblock, Stanford University Press, 1988, p. 176.
First ladies have often advised as to campaign tactics and strategy. In 1824 it was considered unseemly to actively campaign for the presidency. Adams did and won. Advice continued
Xunzi (c. 310 – c. after 238 BCE), born Xun Kuang , was a Chinese philosopher of Confucianism during the late Warring States period. After his predecessors Confucius and Mencius, Xunzi is often ranked as the third great Confucian philosopher of antiquity. By his time, Confucianism had suffered considerable criticism from Daoist and Mohist thinkers, and Xunzi is traditionally regarded as a synthesizer of these traditions with earlier Confucian thought. The result was a thorough and cohesive revision of Confucianism, which was crucial to the philosophy's ability to flourish in the Han dynasty and throughout the later history of East Asia. His works were compiled in the eponymous Xunzi, and survive in excellent condition. Unlike other ancient compilations, his authorship of these texts is generally secure, though it is likely that Western Han dynasty historian Liu Xiang organized them into their present form centuries after Xunzi's death.
