In his old age, Confucius (551 BC-479 BC) called on his disciples to learn from him: „At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right.“ The disciples included his words in their anthology „Sayings of Confucius (Lun Yu).“ In 1909, the German sinologist Richard Wilhelm translated them and explained the meaning: At the age of 30, a person must be able to find their way in life and stand firmly on their own two feet.