I Ching Quotes: Lines from the Book of Changes Worth Keeping

The most-quoted line in the I Ching is the Image of the first hexagram: "The movement of heaven is full of power. Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring." Below are 15 more lines worth keeping, sorted by what you might want them for: getting through change, staying steady, waiting for the right moment, and the people around you. Each gives its hexagram, its place in the text and the Chinese.

English quotes are from Richard Wilhelm's The I Ching or Book of Changes, rendered into English by Cary F. Baynes.

Which I Ching quotes are the best known?

Quote	Where it's from	Chinese
"The movement of heaven is full of power. Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring."	Hexagram 1, The Creative, Image	天行健，君子以自强不息
"The earth's condition is receptive devotion. Thus the superior man who has breadth of character carries the outer world."	Hexagram 2, The Receptive, Image	地势坤，君子以厚德载物
"No plain not followed by a slope. No going not followed by a return."	Hexagram 11, Peace, third line	无平不陂，无往不复
"When there is hoarfrost underfoot, solid ice is not far off."	Hexagram 2, The Receptive, first line	履霜，坚冰至

The first two belong together. In China they're often quoted as a pair, and together they gave Tsinghua University its motto after a 1914 speech by Liang Qichao.

Quotes for when everything is changing

"To and fro goes the way. On the seventh day comes return."

Hexagram 24, Return, the Judgment · 反复其道，七日来复

Recovery has its own rhythm. You can't rush the turn, but it comes.

"No plain not followed by a slope. No going not followed by a return."

Hexagram 11, Peace, third line · 无平不陂，无往不复

It sits in a hexagram about good times, as a reminder that good times turn too.

"Fire in the lake: the image of Revolution. Thus the superior man sets the calendar in order and makes the seasons clear."

Hexagram 49, Revolution, the Image · 泽中有火，革；君子以治历明时

When real change comes, the answer is to understand its timing, the way a calendar makes the seasons predictable.

Quotes about strength that lasts

"Water flows on uninterruptedly and reaches its goal: the image of the Abysmal repeated."

Hexagram 29, The Abysmal, the Image · 水洊至，习坎

Water gets through a gorge by filling each low place and moving on. Consistency beats force.

"Arrogant dragon will have cause to repent."

Hexagram 1, The Creative, sixth line · 亢龙，有悔

Even the strongest hexagram ends with a warning against going too far.

"Thus the superior man takes thought of misfortune and arms himself against it in advance."

Hexagram 63, After Completion, the Image · 君子以思患而豫防之

Written for the moment just after success, which is the best time to prepare for trouble.

Quotes about patience and timing

"Waiting. If you are sincere, you have light and success. Perseverance brings good fortune."

Hexagram 5, Waiting, the Judgment · 需，有孚，光亨，贞吉

Wilhelm reads this as waiting with an inner certainty of reaching the goal, which makes patience a strength rather than a delay.

"Thus the superior man does not permit his thoughts to go beyond his situation."

Hexagram 52, Keeping Still, the Image · 君子以思不出其位

A line for a racing mind: think about what's in front of you.

"When one's own day comes, one may create revolution."

Hexagram 49, Revolution, second line · 己日乃革之

The same move can fail too early and succeed later. This marks the moment it's time.

Quotes about friendship and love

"A crane calling in the shade. Its young answers it. I have a good goblet. I will share it with you."

Hexagram 61, Inner Truth, second line · 鸣鹤在阴，其子和之；我有好爵，吾与尔靡之

Sincere feeling reaches people even when it's quiet.

"Men bound in fellowship first weep and lament, but afterward they laugh."

Hexagram 13, Fellowship with Men, fifth line · 同人，先号咷而后笑

People who belong together may struggle first; the struggle gives way.

"And when two people understand each other in their inmost hearts, their words are sweet and strong, like the fragrance of orchids."

Confucius, Great Treatise, in Wilhelm's notes on hexagram 13 · 同心之言，其臭如兰

Wilhelm places this in his commentary on the fifth line of Fellowship with Men, where the Great Treatise also sets it.

"Thus the superior man joins with his friends for discussion and practice."

Hexagram 58, The Joyous, the Image · 君子以朋友讲习

Two lakes keep each other from drying up. Friendship here means learning together.

Where in the book do these lines come from?

Each hexagram carries three kinds of text, and knowing which one a quote comes from tells you how broadly to read it. The Judgment describes the whole situation. The Image pairs the hexagram's two trigrams with a picture from nature and says how a wise person responds; most of the quotable lines are Images. The six line statements speak to one stage of the situation, and in a reading they matter when that line is changing. What is the I Ching has the background, and the 64 hexagrams page lists every hexagram if you want a quote's full context.

How do I use a quote for daily reflection?

Pick one line, read the hexagram it comes from, and ask what it says about one real situation in your day. Write one sentence back. In an actual reading, the same line means more, because it turns up for your question: if you cast hexagram 2 with a changing first line, "hoarfrost underfoot" becomes a question about which small sign you're overlooking. How to read changing lines explains which lines to weigh.

FAQ

What is the most famous I Ching quote?

In China, the Image of hexagram 1: "The movement of heaven is full of power. Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring" (天行健，君子以自强不息). With the Image of hexagram 2, it inspired Tsinghua University's motto.

Who translated the I Ching quotes in English?

The quotes here are from Richard Wilhelm's German translation of the 1920s, rendered into English by Cary F. Baynes as The I Ching or Book of Changes (1950). Historically it has been the most influential translation in a Western language. James Legge's The I Ching (1882) is older and in the public domain.

Can I use I Ching quotes for a daily reflection?

Yes. Choose one line, read its context, and write one sentence on what it says about something real in your day.