Confucius lived just prior to the Warring States Period, from 551 to 479 BCE. What little we know about his life comes primarily from the Analects, a record of conversations Confucius held with his students compiled after he died. In later centuries, in China, Confucius was revered as a sage, and even today outside of China some people might think of him as a strict teacher. However, in the context of his time, Confucius was anything but stiff, and rather a dynamic individual who believed he was mandated by Heaven to return the world to a more socially and politically harmonious time. The Analects not only shows a serious and learned man, but also someone capable in archery and horsemanship, who loved music and ritual, and who untiringly traveled the feudal states in the hopes of serving as an aide to various landowners.