1001Philosophers

Confucius vs Lao Tzu on Virtue

Confucius and Lao Tzu share the conviction that moral cultivation is the central task of human life but disagree about what cultivation requires. Confucius cultivates humanness (ren) through ritual, study, and the patient performance of social roles; Lao Tzu cultivates spontaneity (wu-wei) by unlearning the very distinctions Confucian cultivation refines. The Confucian sage is at home in social form; the Daoist sage acts from a place prior to social form altogether.

About this topic

Virtue has been a central category of ethics since the Greeks treated it as the excellence proper to a human being. Plato analyzed the cardinal virtues, Aristotle developed virtue ethics as habituated dispositions of character, and Confucian and Buddhist traditions parallel this concern with cultivated moral excellence. Medieval thinkers added the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity to the classical inheritance. The modern revival of virtue ethics in the twentieth century returned attention to character and practical wisdom as the ground of moral life.

For a side-by-side overview of the two philosophers more broadly, see the full Confucius vs Lao Tzu comparison. To browse philosophy more widely on this theme, see the Virtue quotes hub.

Representative quotes on virtue

Confucius on virtue

  • “Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself.”

    己所不欲，勿施於人

  • “The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.”

    君子欲訥於言而敏於行。

  • “Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.”

    以直報怨，以德報德。

  • Attributed to Confucius:

    “At fifteen I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty I stood firm. At forty I had no doubts. At fifty I knew the decrees of Heaven. At sixty my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. At seventy I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right.”

  • Attributed to Confucius:

    “What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.”

All 9 Confucius quotes on virtue →

Lao Tzu on virtue

  • “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”

    interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992) | Variant translation by Lin Yutang : "He who knows others is learned; he who knows himself is wise".

  • “A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

    Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17

  • “When men lack a sense of awe, there will be disaster.”

    translated by Gia Fu Feng

  • Attributed to Lao Tzu:

    “The best fighter is never angry.”

  • Attributed to Lao Tzu:

    “Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard.”

All 6 Lao Tzu quotes on virtue →

Continue reading