The strong beam must break,
And the wise man wither away like a plant.”
But his labours were not lost. His wise words were put into a book by his followers, more than a hundred years after his death. Mencius, the greatest of his disciples, carried on his work. His fame spread all over China and far beyond it. Now there are 1500 temples in which he is worshipped by millions of people, and so great is the honour given to him that his followers say:
“Confucius! Confucius!
Great indeed are thou, O Confucius.
Before thee
None like unto thee!
After thee
None equal to thee.
Confucius! Confucius!