Confucius Books

Easton Press books:
The Analects of Confucius - 1976

Franklin Library books:
The Analects of Confucius - 100 Greatest Books of All Time - 1980

 

The Analects of Confucius
One of the most influential books of all time,  The Analects of Confucius  collects the sayings and wisdom of the Chinese philosopher and his followers. Still as relevant today as they were over two thousand years ago, these teachings together present a moral code that values virtue above all, and make up the core values of the Confucian tradition.

The Analects are a collection of Confucius’s sayings that were brought together by his pupils shortly after his death in 497 BC. Together they express a philosophy, or a moral code, by which Confucius, one of the most humane thinkers of all time, believed everyone should live. Upholding the ideals of wisdom, self-knowledge, courage and love of one’s fellow man, he argued that the pursuit of virtue should be every individual’s supreme goal. And, while following the Way, or the truth, might not result in immediate or material gain, Confucius showed that it could nevertheless bring its own powerful and lasting spiritual rewards.

Compiled centuries before the birth of Jesus, the Analects of Confucius is anything but dry ancient philosophy. Many of its passages hold the same power as any great Socratic dialogue. Which makes trying to get to the heart of the Analects and its importance a challenging and undeniably exciting intellectual pursuit.

From his teachings came a system of ethics for managing society that has influenced generations of politicians, social reformers, and religious thinkers. Indeed, the effect of Confucian philosophy has been so profound that it has become basic not only to an understanding of traditional Chinese civilization, but of Western society as well.

"The Master said, “If a man sets his heart on benevolence, he will be free from evil"