Q0153
“From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all alike…” — The Great Learning (Liji, The Great Learning)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Liji, The Great Learning. Theme: self.
English
From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all alike take the cultivation of the person as the root.
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
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, equality.
Concepts in this quote
- Self
- Philosophy quotes about self explore identity, responsibility, and the examined life—from Socrates’ unexamined life to modern phenomenology and existential authenticity.
- Equality
- Equality appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat equality as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: The Great Learning. (n.d.). From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all alike take the cultivation of the person as the root. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0153
MLA: The Great Learning. “From the Son of Heaven down to the….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0153.
Chicago: The Great Learning. “From the Son of Heaven down to the….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0153.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “From the Son of Heaven down to the…”?
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 self?
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, equality.