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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

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

Ability Character Men
The feeling of compassion is the beginning of humanity.
MENCIUS

Compassion Feeling Humanity
It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.
MENCIUS

Authority Difficult Family Government
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 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
Human nature is disposed to do good.
MENCIUS

Goodness Human Nature One Liner Spirituality
There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.
MENCIUS

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

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

King Land Music Rule
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

Greatness Men
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
Men must be decided on what they will not do, and then they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do.
MENCIUS

Decision Men Vigor

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.

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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.

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