Q0135
“The Master said: What you do not want done to yourself, do…” — Confucius (Analects 15.24)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Analects 15.24. Theme: ethics.
English
The Master said: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Analects 15.24 and files it under Confucianism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Confucius
Confucius (Kong Qiu, 551–479 BCE) taught in the late Spring and Autumn period amid the Zhou order’s political fragmentation. Born in the state of Lu, he briefly held local office and then spent years seeking rulers who would adopt ritual-based, virtue-centered government.
Interpretation
In the Analects ren is the virtue that makes someone fully human, and Confucius defines it differently for each questioner — here through the capacity to recognise others as like oneself. The formulation is negative in form (what you do not want, do not do), which makes it usable without knowing another person's desires in detail. It is a procedure rather than a sentiment, and it is meant to be applied in ordinary dealings rather than in exceptional ones.
Why it matters
The negative form is what makes it workable: you know what you want to avoid without having to guess what someone else wants.
Concepts in this quote
- Ethics
- Ethics appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat ethics as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Confucius. (n.d.). The Master said: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0135
MLA: Confucius. “The Master said: What you do not want….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0135.
Chicago: Confucius. “The Master said: What you do not want….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0135.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The Master said: What you do not want…”?
The passage is attributed to Confucius, Analects 15.24. The archive attributes this English wording to Analects 15.24 and files it under Confucianism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Confucius mean by ethics?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Kwame Anthony Appiah and Simone de Beauvoir), ethics is framed through Africana Philosophy and Existentialism. Some passages define ethics; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through ethics.