Confucius edited the Yih-King, the Shoo-King, the She-King, and the Le-Ke, which constitute the whole of the ancient literature of China which has come down to posterity.[1] The Four Books, which contain the doctrines of Confucius, and of his school, were not written by himself, but composed by others after his death.
One of these is called the "Immutable Mean," and its object is to show that virtue consists in avoiding extremes.

Another--the Lun-Yu, or Analects--contains the conversation or table-talk of Confucius, and somewhat resembles the Memorabilia of Xenophon and Boswell's Life of Johnson.[12] The life of Confucius was thus devoted to communicating to the Chinese nation a few great moral and religious principles, which he believed would insure the happiness of the people.

His devotion to this aim appears in his writings.

Thus he says:-- "At fifteen years I longed for wisdom.

At thirty my mind was fixed in the pursuit of it.