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ipanzica's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting but it wasn't my favorite format of books. The entire book was made up of saying and short stories. Everything in the book was profound and cool to read, though it was hard to read too much of it in one sitting because of it.
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
4.0
The Analects consists of passages compiled by the followers of Confucius, containing many quotes attributed to Confucius, together with comments from others about Confucius, quotes from his disciples, etc. Not being well-informed about China circa 500 BC, I found D. C. Lau's accompanying introduction, appendices, and notes very helpful in understanding the main text.
The Analects are rather disjointed, with no overarching organizational thread running through the passages. They are also rather dry. They lack the poetic quality of, say, the Bhagavad Gita or the King James Bible (at least in this translation). But I found the central ideas in the Analects very appealing, and therefore liked the book considerably. Confucius thought that one should behave morally not in the hope of reward either in this life or any afterlife, but because it is the right thing to do. He prized learning, being benevolent, being trustworthy in what one says. For instance, the following quote by Confucius appears three times: "Make it your guiding principle to do your best for others and to be trustworthy in what you say." I also appreciate the sentiment that correct behavior changes over time, which allows me to hope that had Confucius lived in modern times he would have had a more favorable attitude toward women, who are barely mentioned in the Analects.
Three more quotes of Confucius's that I liked:
- "When you make a mistake, do not be afraid of mending your ways."
- "It is not the failure of others to appreciate your abilities that should trouble you, but rather your failure to appreciate theirs."
- "If a man remembers what is right at the sight of profit, is ready to lay down his life in the face of danger, and does not forget sentiments he has repeated all his life even when he has been in straitened circumstances for a long time, he may said to be a complete man."
The Analects are rather disjointed, with no overarching organizational thread running through the passages. They are also rather dry. They lack the poetic quality of, say, the Bhagavad Gita or the King James Bible (at least in this translation). But I found the central ideas in the Analects very appealing, and therefore liked the book considerably. Confucius thought that one should behave morally not in the hope of reward either in this life or any afterlife, but because it is the right thing to do. He prized learning, being benevolent, being trustworthy in what one says. For instance, the following quote by Confucius appears three times: "Make it your guiding principle to do your best for others and to be trustworthy in what you say." I also appreciate the sentiment that correct behavior changes over time, which allows me to hope that had Confucius lived in modern times he would have had a more favorable attitude toward women, who are barely mentioned in the Analects.
Three more quotes of Confucius's that I liked:
- "When you make a mistake, do not be afraid of mending your ways."
- "It is not the failure of others to appreciate your abilities that should trouble you, but rather your failure to appreciate theirs."
- "If a man remembers what is right at the sight of profit, is ready to lay down his life in the face of danger, and does not forget sentiments he has repeated all his life even when he has been in straitened circumstances for a long time, he may said to be a complete man."
warreng's review against another edition
2.0
20 ‘books’ of quotes by the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his disciples. In modern Western parlance, the name Confucius is a stereotype for wisdom, but few people would be able to say they know much of what he actually said or taught. Much of what is written here is via analogy to third parties and their actions and remains obscure, but certain threads are repeated throughout, often about the moral way to live, the value of learning, and direction in what it means to be benevolent, wise, courageous, reverent and truthful, for its own sake, rather than any reward of heaven or earthly gain.
None of the “sayings” I have seen attributed to Confucius appear in the Analects, and Confucius has probably become a convenient name to hang various anonymous snippets of triteness upon. Read the Analects if you want to seriously consider self-betterment – they are a good start.
“When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming their equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine your own self” Book IV
And his description of himself as “the sort of man who forgets to eat when he tries to solve a problem that has been driving him to distraction, who is so full of joy that he forgets his worries, and who does not notice the onset of old age” Book VII
This was book #21 in my journey to read all the classics of world literature. You can join me at my blog : chronolit.com
None of the “sayings” I have seen attributed to Confucius appear in the Analects, and Confucius has probably become a convenient name to hang various anonymous snippets of triteness upon. Read the Analects if you want to seriously consider self-betterment – they are a good start.
“When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming their equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine your own self” Book IV
And his description of himself as “the sort of man who forgets to eat when he tries to solve a problem that has been driving him to distraction, who is so full of joy that he forgets his worries, and who does not notice the onset of old age” Book VII
This was book #21 in my journey to read all the classics of world literature. You can join me at my blog : chronolit.com
mrsmobarak's review against another edition
4.0
Yet another ancient text focused on virtue—a topic I don't see much of in modern books (fiction and non-fiction alike). The Analects are my first dive into Chinese history, as well as my first exposure to Confucius. I see now I may have benefited from learning who's who within the text, as well as some of the names/words used.
Some thought-provoking quotes:
‘He who aims to be a man of complete virtue in his food does not seek to gratify his appetite, nor in his dwelling place does he seek the appliances of ease; he is earnest in what he is doing, and careful in his speech; he frequents the company of men of principle that he may be rectified:—such a person may be said indeed to love to learn.’
‘Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.’
When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it;—this is knowledge.’
‘The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort.'
‘The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.’
Some thought-provoking quotes:
‘He who aims to be a man of complete virtue in his food does not seek to gratify his appetite, nor in his dwelling place does he seek the appliances of ease; he is earnest in what he is doing, and careful in his speech; he frequents the company of men of principle that he may be rectified:—such a person may be said indeed to love to learn.’
‘Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.’
When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it;—this is knowledge.’
‘The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort.'
‘The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.’
kb_208's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fairly repetitious and oftentimes difficult to understand the meaning of some of the lines, but it gives a pretty good insight into Confucianism. If you're looking into what would make a good politician, here it is.
ellacusso's review against another edition
4.0
reflection from first read:
the profound differences between eastern and western belief in their very foundations are extremely compelling. the sense of duty and commitment to oneself as a betterment of greater society is a concept that arguably butts heads with the intense individualism of western thought. what stood out to me most was book four, wherein confucius addressed his beliefs on very broad concepts of living humanely (ren). many of the quotes i will include are from book four. i very much admire the dedication to learning that confucius had, and i also very much like his way of expressing ideas: like an arrow hitting a target. you must consider both sides thoroughly to make an accurate statement of your own belief.
the profound differences between eastern and western belief in their very foundations are extremely compelling. the sense of duty and commitment to oneself as a betterment of greater society is a concept that arguably butts heads with the intense individualism of western thought. what stood out to me most was book four, wherein confucius addressed his beliefs on very broad concepts of living humanely (ren). many of the quotes i will include are from book four. i very much admire the dedication to learning that confucius had, and i also very much like his way of expressing ideas: like an arrow hitting a target. you must consider both sides thoroughly to make an accurate statement of your own belief.