The Analects of Confucius
In the Analects, a book of his pithy sayings, it is recorded that he said that he didn't invent any of his philosophy. He said he was only transmitting the ancient teachings to his disciples. He wanted his disciples to read the ancient texts. He said he wanted to teach about the Mandate of Heaven.
This important belief of his political philosophy was that Heaven would choose a person and his clan to rule. He mixed his theology with his ideas of politics. So he encouraged everybody to behave as they should in whatever role they had in their society. He said that if they did so, there would be harmony and prosperity and happiness.
He taught what is called the Silver Rule of behavior that is less expansive than the Golden Rule:
子貢問曰:“有一言而可以終身行之者乎?”子曰:“其恕乎! 己所不欲、勿施於人。”
Zi Gong (a disciple of Confucius) asked: "Is there any one word that could guide a person throughout life?"
The Master replied: "How about 'shu?' Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself."
The Analects of Confucius is thought to be pithy sayings of Confucius that were recorded by his disciples. For foreigners who want a taste of this Confucian philosophy, reading the Analects of Confucius is a good introduction since the statements are usually simple and like common sense. However, modern Confucian thought only partly resembles those teachings, and it isn't a book to read to learn about modern Confucianism.