The Master said, If a man sets his heart onbenevolence, he will be free from evil

The Analectsare a collection of Confuciuss sayings broughttogether by his pupils shortly after his death in 497 BC. Together they expressa philosophy, or a moral code, by which Confucius, one of the most humanethinkers of all time, believed everyone should live. Upholding the ideals ofwisdom, self-knowledge, courage and love of ones fellow man, he argued thatthe pursuit of virtue should be every individuals supreme goal. And, whilefollowing the Way, or the truth, might not result in immediate or material gain,Confucius showed that it could nevertheless bring its own powerful and lastingspiritual rewards.

This edition contains a detailed introduction exploring the concepts of theoriginal work, a bibliography and glossary and appendices on Confuciushimself,The Analectsand the disciples who compiled them.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classicliterature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700titles,Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughouthistory and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust theseries toprovide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes bydistinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well asup-to-datetranslations by award-winning translators.

About the Author

Confucius(551-479 BC), though of noble descent,was born in humble circumstances. He believed that politics is only anextension of morals, and spent ten years travelling through the various statesof China spreading his ideas. When he realised that there was no way ofconverting the feudal rulers to his way of thinking he returned to Lu and spentthe rest of his life there teaching his pupils.

D.C. Lauread Chinese at the University of Hong Kong, and, in 1946,he went to Glasgow, where he read philosophy. In 1950 he entered the School ofOriental and African Studies in London to teach Chinese philosophy. Afterlecturing in Chinese philosophy at the University of London he returned to HongKong, where he is a Professor at the Chinese University.