Q0152
“The way of great learning lies in illuminating luminous virtue, in renewing…” — The Great Learning (Liji, The Great Learning)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Liji, The Great Learning. Theme: virtue.
English
The way of great learning lies in illuminating luminous virtue, in renewing the people, and in resting in the highest good.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Liji, The Great Learning 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 The Great Learning
The Great Learning appears in this archive through verified English quotations associated with the Confucianism tradition. Biographical certainty varies by figure and text; where the “author” is a scripture or school anthology, read the name as a traditional attribution rather than a modern individual biography.
How to read this passage
Virtue ethics asks not only which acts are right, but what kind of person one becomes. Courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom are classic Western lists; Confucian ren and yi offer related but distinct vocabularies. This passage enters that discussion through virtue, morality.
Concepts in this quote
- Virtue
- Virtue names excellences of character—habits of perception and action oriented toward the good.
- Morality
- Morality in philosophy concerns right and wrong, obligation, and the standards by which we judge persons and acts.
How to cite this quotation
APA: The Great Learning. (n.d.). The way of great learning lies in illuminating luminous virtue, in renewing the people, and in resting in the highest good. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0152
MLA: The Great Learning. “The way of great learning lies in illuminating….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0152.
Chicago: The Great Learning. “The way of great learning lies in illuminating….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0152.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The way of great learning lies in illuminating…”?
The passage is attributed to The Great Learning, Liji, The Great Learning. The archive attributes this English wording to Liji, The Great Learning 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 The Great Learning mean by virtue?
Virtue ethics asks not only which acts are right, but what kind of person one becomes. Courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom are classic Western lists; Confucian ren and yi offer related but distinct vocabularies. This passage enters that discussion through virtue, morality.