Sean Myers's Reviews > The Analects

it’s not meant to be a book it’s a compilation of his teachings. without prior knowledge of historical context it can seem to be a mere collection of random quotes with zero connection. however, if you study chinese history (or just read DC Lau’s introduction which is very informative :3) then everything threads together nicely, leading to a comprehensive collection of teachings which fit together nicely. i think it’s a complete oversimplification to say “it’s not much more than a bunch of quotes” - because this collection of quotes aims to thread Confucius’ teachings together over a long period of time, during which he was travelling across china with his disciples and teaching the importance of duty, ritual and virtue. each quote can be paired with historical context to provide a detailed message which can be practically applied to ethics in the modern day, giving a fresh insight and a different perspective to which western ethical theories provide.

i personally think it differs from the tao te ching greatly - The Analects is dealing with the practical applications of ethics etc. whereas Tao Te Ching is more concerned with the pursuit of ideals - but i accept the similarity between them in their intent to posit what the ultimate good in life is as well as how to reach aforementioned ‘goodness’.