Mencius Quotes on Politics
Mengzi, conventionally known in the West as Mencius, was a Chinese Confucian philosopher of the fourth century BC, traditionally regarded as the second sage of the Confucian tradition after Confucius himself. This page collects quotes attributed to Mencius on the topic of politics, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
-
Attributed to Mencius:
“Heaven sees with the eyes of its people; Heaven hears with the ears of its people.”
-
“He who outrages benevolence is called a ruffian: he who outrages righteousness is called a villain. I have heard of the cutting off of the villain Chow, but I have not heard of the putting of a ruler to death .”
1B:8, In relation to righteousness and the overthrow of the tyrannous King Zhou of Shang , as translated by Sir Robert Kennaway Douglas, China (1904), p. 8 | Variant translations: The ruffian and the villain we call a mere fellow. I have heard of killing the fellow Chou; I have not heard of killing a king. In Free China Review , Vol. 5 (1955) I have merely heard of killing a villain Zhou, but I ha -
“Variant translations: The ruffian and the villain we call a mere fellow. I have heard of killing the fellow Chou; I have not heard of killing a king. In Free China Review , Vol. 5 (1955) I have merely heard of killing a villain Zhou, but I have not heard of murdering the ruler. Wing-tsit Chan, in A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy (1963), p. 78”
He who outrages benevolence is called a ruffian: he who outrages righteousness is called a villain. I have heard of the cutting off of the villain Chow, but I have not heard of the putting of a ruler to death . -
“I have merely heard of killing a villain Zhou, but I have not heard of murdering the ruler.”
The Mencius | Wing-tsit Chan, in A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy (1963), p. 78 -
“Of the first importance are the people, next comes the good of land and grains, and of the least importance is the ruler.”
The Mencius -
“The people are the most important ... and the ruler is the least important.”
The Mencius