Color illustration of the Chinese sage ConfuciusIn The Analects, Confucius provides us with one of the earliest maps of human development.

The Master said, at 15 I set my heart upon learning

At 30, I had planted my feet firm upon the ground.

At 40, I no longer suffered from perplexities.

At 50, I knew what were the biddings of heaven.

At 60, I heard them with docile ears.

At 70, I could follow the dictates of my own heart; for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of right.

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For more information about the stages of life in different cultures and traditions, see Thomas Armstrong , The Human Odyssey: Navigating the Twelve Stages of Life

This article was brought to you by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. and www.institute4learning.com.

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I’m the author of 20 books including my latest, a novel called Childless, which you can order from Amazon.

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