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The sole concern of learning is to seek one’s original heart.

Mencius

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

Choice Justice Right Togetherness
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
The way of truth is like a great highway. It is not hard to find.
MENCIUS

Path Philosophy Truth Way
I dislike death, however, there are some things I dislike more than death. Therefore, there are times when I will not avoid danger.
MENCIUS

Avoid Danger Death Myself
The best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories.
MENCIUS

Dream Friendship Life Material Memories
People are eager to comment on something when they themselves are not in the situation of doing it.
MENCIUS

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

King Land Music Rule
He who loves others is always loved by them, and he who respects others is always respected by them.
MENCIUS

Love Reaction Respect Treat
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 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
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
The sole concern of learning is to seek one’s original heart.
MENCIUS

Heart Learning Seek
It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.
MENCIUS

Authority Difficult Family Government
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
Treat your elders as elders, and extend it to the elders of others; treat your young ones as young ones, and extend it to the young ones of others; then you can turn the whole world in the palm of your hand.
MENCIUS

Hands Respect World
The way is near, but men seek it afar. It is in easy things, but men seek for it in difficult things.
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Easy Men Philosophy Seek Way
All things are complete within ourselves.
MENCIUS

One Liner Perfection
Truth uttered before its time is dangerous.
MENCIUS

Honesty Time Truth
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
Friends are the siblings God never gave us.
MENCIUS

Friendship God
The Tao is near and people seek it far away.
MENCIUS

Effort People Spiritual
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

Greatness Heaven Suffering
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
The great man does not think beforehand of his words that they may be sincere, nor of his actions that they may be resolute- he simply speaks and does what is right.
MENCIUS

Inspirational Men Simplicity Thinking
All things are already complete in us. There is no greater delight than to be conscious of right within us. If one strives to treat others as he would be treated by them, he shall not fail to come near the perfect life.
MENCIUS

Divine Failure Perfection Philosophy Right

The sole concern of learning is to seek one’s original heart.

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The sole concern of learning is to seek one’s original heart.

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