Mozi

5th-century BC Chinese philosopher and founder of Mohism

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Lived -470–-391, aged 79

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Era
-470–-391
Aged 79

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

He built the first organized alternative to Confucius — a school that preached universal love, meritocracy, and the will of Heaven, then vanished almost without trace after the Qin dynasty took power.

Biography

About

Born in what is now Tengzhou, Shandong during the Warring States period (c. 475–221 BCE), Mo Di founded Mohism, which stood alongside Confucianism as one of the two dominant schools among the Hundred Schools of Thought. He and his followers argued forcefully against both Confucian and Taoist doctrine, advancing instead a philosophy of universal love, social order, sharing, and honoring the worthy — what some consider the oldest indigenous monotheistic thought in Chinese history. The Mozi, an anthology of his and his followers' writings, spread across warring-era China. After the Qin dynasty fo…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Mozi

Mozi

saidundated

If one does not preserve the learned in a state he will be injuring the state; if one is not zealous (to recommend) the virtuous upon seeing one, he will be neglecting the ruler.

— Book 1; Befriending the Learned

Mozi

saidundated

To accomplish anything whatsoever one must have standards. None have yet accomplished anything without them.

— Book 1; On the necessity of standards

Mozi

saidundated

The words of malicious slander should not be allowed to enter the ear. A defensive voice should not be allowed to come out of the mouth.

— Book 1; Self-culfivation

Mozi

saidundated

The virtuous who are prosperous must be exalted, and the virtuous who are not prosperous must be exalted too.

— Book 2; Exaltation of the Virtuous I

Mozi

saidundated

The wise man who has charge of governing the empire should know the cause of disorder before he can put it in order. Unless he knows its cause, he cannot regulate it.

— Book 4; Universal Love I

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

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