The Master said, “At fifteen I set my heart upon learning. At thirty, l had planted my feet firm upon the ground. At forty, I no longer suffered from perplexities. At fifty, I knew what were the biddings of Heaven. At sixty, I heard them with docile ear. At seventy, I could follow the dictates of my own heart; for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of right.”
子曰：「吾十有五而志于學，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳順，七十而從心所欲，不踰矩。」
Notes
This passage from the Analects is Confucius’ reflection on his life journey—not merely milestones of age, but a complete path of ethical refinement: from deliberate cultivation to spontaneous harmony with the Dao, each stage deepening his understanding of the self and its relationship with the world.
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