Q0481
“Attitudes toward life are basically three: striving forward, holding the mean in…” — Liang Shuming (Eastern and Western Cultures and Their…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Eastern and Western Cultures and Their Philosophies. Theme: society.
English
Attitudes toward life are basically three: striving forward, holding the mean in harmony, and turning back inward.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Eastern and Western Cultures and Their Philosophies and files it under Modern New 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 Liang Shuming
Liang Shuming (1893–1988) was a modern Confucian thinker and rural reformer who argued for China’s cultural distinctiveness against wholesale Westernization. Though not a classicist by training alone, he taught at Peking University and led village reconstruction efforts.
How to read this passage
Social philosophy asks how individuals and collectives constitute each other, and what justice requires of shared life. This passage enters that discussion through society, life.
Concepts in this quote
- Society
- Society is the web of institutions, customs, and mutual expectations in which individual freedom takes shape.
- Life
- Philosophy quotes about life ask what makes a life good, meaningful, or worth examining—questions that drive ethics, religion, and everyday decision.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Liang Shuming. (n.d.). Attitudes toward life are basically three: striving forward, holding the mean in harmony, and turning back inward. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0481
MLA: Liang Shuming. “Attitudes toward life are basically three: striving forward,….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0481.
Chicago: Liang Shuming. “Attitudes toward life are basically three: striving forward,….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0481.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Attitudes toward life are basically three: striving forward,…”?
The passage is attributed to Liang Shuming, Eastern and Western Cultures and Their Philosophies. The archive attributes this English wording to Eastern and Western Cultures and Their Philosophies and files it under Modern New 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 Liang Shuming mean by society?
Social philosophy asks how individuals and collectives constitute each other, and what justice requires of shared life. This passage enters that discussion through society, life.