The noble look to themselves. The petty look to others.

What it means

When something goes wrong, the mature person asks what they could have done; the small person looks for someone to blame or someone to rescue them. Look inward first. It is the only place you have full control.

The source

"The noble look to themselves. The petty look to others." Confucius said it in Analects 15.20. Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.

"君子求諸己，小人求諸人。"

Original Chinese, Analects 15.20. Text read at zh.wikisource.org.

Who said it

Confucius (551-479 BC). Teacher from the state of Lu whose conversations, collected by his students as the Analects, shaped two thousand years of Chinese ethics. He taught that character is built through learning, ritual and honest self-examination.

Questions

What does "The noble look to themselves. The petty look to others." mean?

When something goes wrong, the mature person asks what they could have done; the small person looks for someone to blame or someone to rescue them. Look inward first. It is the only place you have full control.

Who said "The noble look to themselves. The petty look to others."?

Confucius (551-479 BC). Source: Analects 15.20.

What is the original Chinese?

君子求諸己，小人求諸人。. Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.

Is "The noble look to themselves. The petty look to others." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"The noble look to themselves. The petty look to others." (Confucius, Analects 15.20, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/the-noble-look-to-themselves-the-petty-look