When Confucius spoke, people listened, and they still listen today. The wisdom of this Chinese philosopher, teacher, politician, and writer still rings as true today as it did over 2,000 years ago. Who was the legend who has become revered as a sage throughout the ages? To put it shortly, he was a simple man. Confucius was born into poverty, but at an early age he came to value education, integrity, and moral behavior. He developed the knowledge to become a teacher by his early 30s. He also developed an ethical code that valued, above all else, personal integrity, ethical behavior, ritual propriety, and compassion. Throughout his brief political career and his long journey afterward, he sought to spread his philosophy in the hopes that it would be adopted as political policy. While his political goals were not realized in his lifetime, his philosophy would live long after he died.
