Mencius was an ancient Chinese philosopher who became the most important teacher of Confucianism after Confucius himself. According to a famous legend, his mother moved their home three times to find the right environment for his upbringing, a story still told in China today as an example of devoted parenting. He taught that people are naturally good at heart, and that kind, moral leadership creates a fair and peaceful society. His writings, collected in a book called the Mencius, became one of the Four Books at the heart of Confucian education and are still studied as core texts of Confucian thought today.