Mencius on love
Mencius (c. 371–c. 289 BCE) approaches love within Confucianism. He held that people have innate beginnings of compassion, shame, deference, and moral discernment, which cultivation can enlarge into virtues. Systematically, the teaching links moral psychology, benevolence, government into a practical and theoretical whole. On this page, the archive isolates English passages where that project meets love most directly—useful for searches such as “mencius quotes on love.”
How to use this page
Start with the shortest passage, then compare tone across sources. Return to the Mencius thinker page for biography and to the love theme for other voices on the same question.
Frequently asked
What did Mencius say about love?
The quotations below are the archive’s curated answer: English renderings selected for clarity and attribution, not a complete corpus.
Where else should I read after mencius on love?
Related themes: Philosophy , Self , Knowledge , Freedom , Life , Wisdom .