Analects, Book XII · The speaker addressing Sze-ma Niu about brotherhood and respectful conduct in Analects XII.5, in James Legge’s translation.
Substantively reviewed October 9, 2026 · Quotes.org.in editorial desk
About Tsze-hsia
In Analects XII.5, Tsze-hsia responds to Sze-ma Niu’s distress about having no brothers. His answer connects a person’s conduct and respect for others with brotherhood beyond the family. The passage names Tsze-hsia as its speaker, so it should not be labeled as a direct saying of Confucius.
How these quotations are verified
The displayed name, wording and passage reference follow James Legge’s public-domain translation. The quotation preserves the condition about respectful conduct rather than shortening the passage to a universal slogan.
“Let the superior man never fail reverentially to order his own conduct, and let him be respectful to others and observant of propriety:— then all within the four seas will be his brothers.”