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Incessant falls teach men to reform, and distress rouses their strength. Life springs from calamity, and death from ease.

Mencius

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

Character Friendship Men
All things are already complete in us. There is no greater delight than to be conscious of right within us. If one strives to treat others as he would be treated by them, he shall not fail to come near the perfect life.
MENCIUS

Divine Failure Perfection Philosophy Right
He who exerts his mind to the utmost knows his nature.
MENCIUS

Himself Mind Nature
Where it is permissible both to die and not to die, it is an abuse of valour to die.
MENCIUS

Death Freedom
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
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
The best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories.
MENCIUS

Dream Friendship Life Material Memories
The Way lies at hand yet it is sought afar off; the thing lies in the easy yet it is sought in the difficult.
MENCIUS

Difficult Hands Lying Warrior
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
In abundance prepare for scarcity.
MENCIUS

Abundance Money One Liner Scarcity
Only when someone refuses to do certain things will he be capable of doing great things.
MENCIUS

Capability Greatness Inspirational
Virtue alone is not sufficient for the exercise of government; laws alone cannot carry themselves into practice.
MENCIUS

Alone Enough Exercise Government Law Practice Virtue
To feed men and not to love them is to treat them as if they were barnyard cattle. To love them and not respect them is to treat them as if they were household pets.
MENCIUS

Freedom Men Pet
Mankind fears an evil man but heaven does not.
MENCIUS

Evil Heaven Men Reality
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
If the King loves music, it is well with the land.
MENCIUS

King Land Music Rule

Incessant falls teach men to reform, and distress rouses their strength. Life springs from calamity, and death from ease.

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Incessant falls teach men to reform, and distress rouses their strength. Life springs from calamity, and death from ease.

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Popular Authors

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