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

Mencius

Heaven sees as the people see. Heaven hears as the people hear.
MENCIUS

Equality Heaven People See
Every duty is a charge, but the charge of oneself is the root of all others.
MENCIUS

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

Ability Character Men
The best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories.
MENCIUS

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

Character Friendship Men
Kindly words do not enter so deeply into men as a reputation for kindness.
MENCIUS

Kindness Men Reputation
He who wishes to be benevolent will not be rich.
MENCIUS

Choice Himself Rich
Human nature is disposed to do good.
MENCIUS

Goodness Human Nature One Liner Spirituality
Friends are the siblings God never gave us.
MENCIUS

Friendship God
A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him.
MENCIUS

Hate Men
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
Never has there been one possessed of complete sincerity who did not move others. Never has there been one who had not sincerity who was able to move others.
MENCIUS

Ability Change Sincere
He who exerts his mind to the utmost knows his nature.
MENCIUS

Himself Mind Nature
The foundation of the world lies in the nation. The foundation of the nation lies in the family. The foundation of the family lies in the individual.
MENCIUS

Confidence Family Foundation Nation World
A small country cannot contend with a great; the few cannot contend with the many; the weak cannot contend with the strong.
MENCIUS

Country Greatness Strong Weakness
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
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
Never lose your child’s heart.
MENCIUS

Children Heart One Liner
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
It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.
MENCIUS

Authority Difficult Family Government
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 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
To lay hold of the mean without taking into account the occasion is like grasping one thing only.
MENCIUS

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

Flow Human Nature Water
The regular path of virtue is to be pursued without any bend, and from no view to emolument.
MENCIUS

Path View Virtue
Benevolence is one of the distinguishing characters of man.
MENCIUS

Character Kindness Men

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

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

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