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

Mencius

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.
MENCIUS

Greatness Heaven Suffering
There is a power in everything; it is the job of the artist to determine it and express it.
MENCIUS

Artist Job Power
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
He who goes to the bottom of his own heart knows his own nature; And knowing his own nature, he knows heaven.
MENCIUS

Heart Heaven Philosophy
The way of truth is like a great highway. It is not hard to find.
MENCIUS

Path Philosophy Truth Way
Is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst? Men’s minds are also injured by them.
MENCIUS

Food Hunger Injury Men Mindset
It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.
MENCIUS

Authority Difficult Family Government
Evil exists to glorify the good. Evil is negative good. It is a relative term. Evil can be transmuted into good. What is evil to one at one time, becomes good at another time to somebody else.
MENCIUS

Deep Evil Goodness Negative Perspective Philosophy Spiritual
The feeling of compassion is the beginning of humanity.
MENCIUS

Compassion Feeling Humanity
So I like life and I like righteousness; if I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go and choose righteousness.
MENCIUS

Choice Justice Right Togetherness
To lay hold of the mean without taking into account the occasion is like grasping one thing only.
MENCIUS

Oneself Understand
Every duty is a charge, but the charge of oneself is the root of all others.
MENCIUS

Duty Responsibility Roots
A real man is he whose goodness is a part of himself.
MENCIUS

Goodness Man Reality
I dislike death, however, there are some things I dislike more than death. Therefore, there are times when I will not avoid danger.
MENCIUS

Avoid Danger Death Myself
If the prince of a State love benevolence, he will have no opponent in all the empire.
MENCIUS

Enemy Government Love
Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue, and does not admit of assumptions of superiority.
MENCIUS

Character Friendship Men

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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