"Motse, or Mo Ti, is the only indigenous religious teacher China has produced. ... Among all Chinese philosophers, he comes closest to the Christian teachings, for he alone taught universal love as the basis of society and of peace, [and] showed that Heaven loved the people equally... He enunciated the clearest teachings "against offensive wars," and even developed in great detail the technique of defensive warfare. He also developed a system of logical method... But what is more, Motse's teachings were a stern call to action... Mencius referred to him as one who "would wear his head and his heels off to benefit the world." He taught and practised altruism, frugality and the hard life... His influence grew so great that for two centuries after Confucius, the Motseanists became the rivals of Confucianists... Why [the Motsean School's] influence suddenly stopped completely remains a matter of speculation."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Lin Yutang, The Wisdom of China and India (New York: Random House, 1942), "Motse, The Religious Teacher", Introduction, pp. 785–787
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mozi
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Mozi
Mozi (; Mòzǐ, also Mo Tzu, latinized as Micius; originally named 墨翟 Mo Di) (c. 470 BC – c. 391 BC) was a Chinese philosopher during the Hundred Schools of Thought era in the early Warring States Period. He founded the school of Mohism and argued strongly against Confucianism and Daoism. Mohism was actively developed and practiced in many states, but fell out of favour when the legalist Qin Dynasty came to power. During that period many Mohist classics were destroyed when [[w:Qin Shihuang|Qin Shi
23 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Mozi →
Related Quotes
"To accomplish anything whatsoever one must have standards. None have yet accomplished anything without them."
"All states in the world, large or small, are cities of Heaven, and all people, young or old, honourable or humble, ar…"
"The words of malicious slander should not be allowed to enter the ear. A defensive voice should not be allowed to com…"
"The virtuous who are prosperous must be exalted, and the virtuous who are not prosperous must be exalted too."
"The wise man who has charge of governing the empire should know the cause of disorder before he can put it in order. …"
"Suppose we try to locate the cause of disorder, we shall find it lies in the want of mutual love."
"If every one in the world will love universally; states not attacking one another; houses not disturbing one another;…"
"The purpose of the magnanimous is to be found in procuring benefits for the world and eliminating its calamities. … M…"
"When nobody in the world loves any other, naturally the strong will overpower the weak, the many will oppress the few…"
"If one does not preserve the learned in a state he will be injuring the state; if one is not zealous (to recommend) t…"