Although many associate Confucianism with conformity and tradition, there are many aspects of the Confucian culture that are concerned with innovation and cultural change. One of my favorite passages is in the Great Learning:

“King Tang had inscribed on his washbasin [so he would see it every morning] this maxim: “If you innovate today, and each day you continue to innovate, [innovation will become a habit] and that innovation will continue on into the future.”

 

汤盘铭曰：“苟日新，日日新，又日新”

 

 

The point of this passage is that innovation must become a habit and a practice.