Before You Embark On A Journey

This saying is not found in the Analects, the Doctrine of the Mean, or any other verified Confucian text. Scholars believe it originated as a Japanese proverb (or generic East Asian proverb) and was later attached to Confucius's name. Researchers note that Confucius's own recorded views on revenge in the Analects (Book XIV) were not discouraging — he held that responding proportionately to injury was acceptable. The misattribution is a common pattern: unfamiliar proverbs in East Asian traditions are routinely assigned to Confucius as a default authority figure.