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A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him.

Mencius

By exhaustively examining one’s own mind,one may understand his nature. One who understands his own nature understands Heaven.
MENCIUS

Heaven Mind Nature Understand
The way is near, but men seek it afar. It is in easy things, but men seek for it in difficult things.
MENCIUS

Easy Men Philosophy Seek Way
A small country cannot contend with a great; the few cannot contend with the many; the weak cannot contend with the strong.
MENCIUS

Country Greatness Strong Weakness
If you know that a thing is unrighteous, then use all dispatch in putting an end to it–why wait till next year?
MENCIUS

End Evil Wait Years
It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.
MENCIUS

Authority Difficult Family Government
All things are complete within ourselves.
MENCIUS

One Liner Perfection
Where it is permissible both to die and not to die, it is an abuse of valour to die.
MENCIUS

Death Freedom
To act without clear understanding, to form habits without investigation, to follow a path all one’s life without knowing where it really leads; such is the behavior of the multitude.
MENCIUS

Act Ignorance Leadership Life Understand
When one by force subdues men, they do not submit to him in heart. They submit because their strength is not adequate to resist.
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Force Heart Men Power Resistance
When Heaven is about to confer a great office upon you, it first exercises your mind with suffering and your sinews and bones with toil.
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Greatness Heaven Suffering
The great man is he who does not lose his child’s heart.
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Children Greatness Heart Man Wisdom
The feeling of compassion is the beginning of humanity.
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Compassion Feeling Humanity
Listen to a man’s words and look at the pupil of his eye. How can a man conceal his character?
MENCIUS

Character Eyes Hide Men Word
A man must not be without shame, for the shame of being without shame is shamelessness indeed.
MENCIUS

Character Existence Men Shame
He who goes to the bottom of his own heart knows his own nature; And knowing his own nature, he knows heaven.
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Heart Heaven Philosophy
Is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst? Men’s minds are also injured by them.
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Food Hunger Injury Men Mindset
The way of learning is none other than finding the lost mind.
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Lost Mindset Way
The sole concern of learning is to seek one’s original heart.
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Heart Learning Seek
The way of truth is like a great highway. It is not hard to find.
MENCIUS

Path Philosophy Truth Way
The regular path of virtue is to be pursued without any bend, and from no view to emolument.
MENCIUS

Path View Virtue
One who believes all of a book would be better off without books.
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Believe Book
The way of truth is like a great road. It is not difficult to know it. The evil is only that men will not seek it.
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Difficult Evil Men Seek
If the King loves music, it is well with the land.
MENCIUS

King Land Music Rule
Friends are the siblings God never gave us.
MENCIUS

Friendship God
Treat your elders as elders, and extend it to the elders of others; treat your young ones as young ones, and extend it to the young ones of others; then you can turn the whole world in the palm of your hand.
MENCIUS

Hands Respect World
Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence.
MENCIUS

Inspirational Yourself
Heaven sees as the people see. Heaven hears as the people hear.
MENCIUS

Equality Heaven People See

A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him.

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A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him.

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