Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you: Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you, from lt;The Analects·Yan Yuangt;. The famous sayings of the ancient Chinese thinker and educator Mr. Confucius. Meaning: You should do what you want (you know what the other person is not willing to do, don’t force it on the other person.) Free translation: Don’t force things on others that you don’t want to bear.