A Page Wiser
Confucius: 30 Questions · Journal Pages
Every page’s question in one place, each with room to write. Print it, or choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog.
Page 1 · To Learn, and to Practise
What have you learned recently but never actually used? When this week could you practise it once?
Page 2 · At Fifteen I Set My Heart on Learning
Write this decade's aim in one sentence. Which step do you hope to be standing on ten years from now?
Page 3 · I Was Poor When Young
Which “humble” task in your life right now could you do as well as it can be done? Where is it taking you?
Page 4 · An Elbow for a Pillow
Write down the last time you were truly happy. What did it cost? Where did that joy come from?
Page 5 · Not Eating to the Full
Name one person who will tell you the truth. What will you ask them to correct for you this month?
Page 6 · So Eager He Forgets to Eat
If someone were asked what kind of person you are, which three short phrases would you want them to use?
Page 7 · Should I Act at Once?
In a decision you're weighing now, are you more Zilu or Ranyou? Which of the two answers do you need to hear?
Page 8 · Broad Shoulders, a Long Road
What is the most important load you are carrying now? Does it ask more of your breadth or of your resolve?
Page 9 · More Than Feeding Your Parents
The last time you spoke with a parent, what was your face and tone like? What would you change next time?
Page 10 · Would Your Heart Be at Ease?
Is there something lately that was within the rules but left you uneasy? What is that unease trying to tell you?
Page 11 · Three Friends Who Help, Three Who Harm
Name one straight friend, one understanding friend and one well-informed friend. When did you last thank each of them?
Page 12 · Four Stages of Friendship
If you had to make a hard decision tomorrow, who would you talk it through with? How long since you last got in touch?
Page 13 · What You Would Not Want
This week, did you hand someone something you wouldn't want yourself? Had you swapped places first, what would you have done?
Page 14 · Wealth and Rank
If your pay doubled tomorrow, would the way you work change? What does that tell you about why you work?
Page 15 · Tell Me Your Wishes
Write your aim in one sentence. Who does it look after: you, your friends, or more people than that?
Page 16 · Doing It Though It Can't Be Done
What is one thing you know you can't fix entirely, where you could change a little today?
Page 17 · A Person Is Not a Tool
Apart from your job and skills, name three things that describe you. Which one have you neglected lately?
Page 18 · Set on the Way, at Play in the Arts
Which skill (an instrument, a sport, a craft, writing) would you like to master until it feels like play? When this week can you give it time?
Page 19 · Poetry, Ritual, Music
Write down a poem or song that moved you when you were young. What did it wake in you? Is that feeling still there?
Page 20 · Substance and Style in Balance
Think of a recent conversation you regret. Was the problem substance or refinement? If you could redo it, what would you say?
Page 21 · Friends Who Help You Grow
Which friend once made you better with a remark, a book or an argument? How could you return that gift?
Page 22 · Three Months Without Tasting Meat
What music once made you forget the taste of food? Why did it move you so much? Did it make you better in some way?
Page 23 · I'm with Dian
Write your own “bathe in the Yi, feel the breeze on the altar”: which river or hill near you, with which people, this very season?
Page 24 · Not Yet Knowing Life
If you had one year left, which three people would you most want to serve well? What could you do for one of them this week?
Page 25 · Sacrifice as if Present
Think of someone who is gone. If you gave them five minutes of “as if present” attention, what would you tell them?
Page 26 · Hearing the Way in the Morning
Recall a moment when something suddenly became clear. What did you start doing differently after that day?
Page 27 · No One Else to Pray To
What was the last decision you made to please a “stove god”? If you answered only to heaven, what would you have done?
Page 28 · Heaven Knows Me
What recently made you feel no one understood you? Write it down, then add one small thing you can still learn from today.
Page 29 · Want Goodness, and It Is Here
Where tomorrow will you meet a small choice that lets you say, “I want goodness”?
Page 30 · One Thread Runs Through
After thirty pages, which line do you most want to keep? What small thing will you do with it tomorrow morning?
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