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

Mencius

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
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
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
The tendency of mans nature to good is like the tendency of water to flow downward.
MENCIUS

Flow Human Nature Water
The gap between enthusiasm and indifference is filled with failures. The great man is he that does not lose his child’s heart.
MENCIUS

Children Failure Heart Men
He who exerts his mind to the utmost knows his nature.
MENCIUS

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

Character Friendship Men
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
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
All people have the common desire to be elevated in honour, but all people have something still more elevated in themselves without knowing it.
MENCIUS

Deep Desire People Philosophy
Secure property in hand leads to peace in mind.
MENCIUS

Freedom Hands Mindset One Liner Security
A real man is he whose goodness is a part of himself.
MENCIUS

Goodness Man Reality
There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.
MENCIUS

Greatness Sincere
Never has a man who has bent himself been able to make others straight.
MENCIUS

Ability Character Men
Every duty is a charge, but the charge of oneself is the root of all others.
MENCIUS

Duty Responsibility Roots

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

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

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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