Wisdom

“A wise man can learn more from a foolish answer than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”     – Bruce Lee

 “Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good.”     – H. L. Mencken

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things he has not, but rejoices for those that he has.”     – Epictetus

 “Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.”     – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“Be as smart as you can, but always remember that it is better to be wise than to be smart.”     – Alan Alda

Preaching

“The nobler man first practices what he preaches and afterward preaches according to his practice.”     – Confucius

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tonnes of preaching.”     – Mohandas Gandhi

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”     – Francis of Assisi

Kong Fuzi

More popularly known as Confucius.

Born in the mid-6th Century BCE in the Chinese state of Lu (now Shandong Province), Confucius was such a monumental figure that many of his philosophies were adopted by Chinese governments spanning multiple dynasties.  Even centuries after his death his wisdom helped guide the governing bodies of the Chinese states.  After his death his philosophy was codified into the form we know today, Confucianism.

While this body of philosophy does touch on esoteric realms, such as the afterlife and heavens, its primary focus is on ethics and how they apply to politics.  His ethical points focused on being an exemplary individual within oneself, regardless of the outside world, and one of the most famous of his proverbs has been transliterated into the Golden Rule learned by so many children in the West.

“Do unto others as you wish others to do unto you.”