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Confucius said, “There are cases where sprouts appear but no blossoms; there are cases where blossoms appear but no fruit!”
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When speaking of Yan Hui, Confucius said, “What a pity! I saw him constantly advancing – I never saw him stop.”
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Confucius said, “The one who never shows laziness when I speak to him – is it not Yan Hui?”
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Confucius said, “Suppose you are piling up earth to make a mountain. If you stop just one basket short of completion – that stopping is my own doing. Suppose you are leveling ground, and even if you have only dumped one basket – you are advancing, because I am moving forward.”
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Confucius said, “I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as they love beauty.”
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Confucius stood by a river and said, “What passes away is like this – never ceasing day or night!”
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Confucius said, “When outside, I serve dukes and ministers; at home, I serve my father and elder brothers. In matters of mourning, I never fail to do my utmost; I am never overcome by wine. What difficulty is there for me in these things?”
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Confucius said, “After I returned from Wei to Lu, I put the music in order, so that the ‘Ya’ and ‘Song’ sections each found their proper place.”