The Analects

No other book in history has wielded greater influence over a larger number of people over a longer period of time than The Analects of Confucius. Since it was written about 2,500 years ago, it has been the essential text of Chinese philosophy. The teachings of Chinese philosopher and thinker Confucius (BC 551-479) espouse the importance of education for moral development and celebrate qualities such as sincerity, piety, and virtue. It was in these pivotal writings that, for the first time, human behavior was put under the microscope. The Analects are not the work of just one man, but a collective effort; an anthology of words of and about Confucius, gathered by his loyal disciples. To this day, they remain deeply influential in shaping Eastern philosophy, politics, and culture. Confucius provides a moral code by which each one of us should live, based on ideals and responsibility, respect, kindness, and honesty—qualities as relevant and sought-after today as they were 2,500 years ago.