Quiz: Did Confucius Really Say That?

For as long as humans have existed, they’ve sought advice and wisdom to help illuminate what can be a frightening and uncertain world. Philosophy, religion, and literature have been rich resources; so has Confucius, the Eastern sage born circa 551 BCE, who has become synonymous with deep thinking. See if you can divine which of the statements in the quiz below are from the philosopher and which come from other, less enlightened sources.

Confucius lived at a time when Chinese history may have needed him most: In the 6th century BCE, traditional moral guidelines that had long informed the country’s actions were crumbling. Through books and word of mouth, Confucius expressed profundities in ways that were easy to understand and bound by tenets of self-discipline and education. But it’s unlikely that Confucius had any idea of what he would mean in the centuries to come: Upon his death in 479 BCE, he was unconvinced that his lessons had made a radical impact.

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