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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

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

Death Freedom
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
The disease of men is that they neglect their own fields and go to weed the fields of others.
MENCIUS

Avoid Destroy Hate Man
If the King loves music, it is well with the land.
MENCIUS

King Land Music Rule
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
Mankind fears an evil man but heaven does not.
MENCIUS

Evil Heaven Men Reality
Sincerity is the way to heaven; to think how to be sincere is the way of man.
MENCIUS

Heaven Men Thinking
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.
MENCIUS

Difficult Evil Men Seek
There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.
MENCIUS

Greatness Sincere
The people turn in allegiance to Humanity, as surely as water flows downward or as a wild animal takes cover in the wilderness.
MENCIUS

Animal Humanity People Water Wild
Human nature is good, just as water seeks low ground. There is no man who is not good, just as there is no water that does not flow downward.
MENCIUS

Goodness Human Humanity Men Nature Water
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
The great person never loses a childlike spirit.
MENCIUS

Attitude Greatness Person Spirit
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
Friendship is one mind in two bodies.
MENCIUS

Body Friendship Oneself
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
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
Benevolence is one of the distinguishing characters of man.
MENCIUS

Character Kindness Men
It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.
MENCIUS

Authority Difficult Family Government
There is a power in everything; it is the job of the artist to determine it and express it.
MENCIUS

Artist Job Power
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
If the prince of a State love benevolence, he will have no opponent in all the empire.
MENCIUS

Enemy Government Love
A man must not be without shame, for the shame of being without shame is shamelessness indeed.
MENCIUS

Character Existence Men Shame
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

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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