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Those who follow the part of themselves which is great are great men; those who follow the part which is little are little men.

Mencius

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
If the King loves music, it is well with the land.
MENCIUS

King Land Music Rule
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 Tao is near and people seek it far away.
MENCIUS

Effort People Spiritual
The great person never loses a childlike spirit.
MENCIUS

Attitude Greatness Person Spirit
The best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories.
MENCIUS

Dream Friendship Life Material Memories
To lay hold of the mean without taking into account the occasion is like grasping one thing only.
MENCIUS

Oneself Understand
Truth uttered before its time is dangerous.
MENCIUS

Honesty Time Truth
Let not a man do what his sense of right bids him not to do, nor desire what it forbids him to desire. This is sufficient. The skillful artist will not alter his measures for the sake of a stupid workman.
MENCIUS

Artist Desire Men Stupidity
The feeling of right or wrong is the beginning of wisdom.
MENCIUS

Beginning Feeling Right Wisdom Wrong
The ways are two: love and want of love. That is all.
MENCIUS

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

Born Fall Men Philosophy Spirituality Spring
He who attends to his greater self becomes a great man, and he who attends to his smaller self becomes a small man.
MENCIUS

Leadership Men Spirituality
If you let people follow their feelings, they will be able to do good. This is what is meant by saying that human nature is good.
MENCIUS

Deep Feeling Human People Philosophy Spiritual
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
One who believes all of a book would be better off without books.
MENCIUS

Believe Book

Those who follow the part of themselves which is great are great men; those who follow the part which is little are little men.

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Those who follow the part of themselves which is great are great men; those who follow the part which is little are little men.

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