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To lay hold of the mean without taking into account the occasion is like grasping one thing only.

Mencius

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

Himself Mind Nature
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
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
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
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
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
Truth uttered before its time is dangerous.
MENCIUS

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

Flow Human Nature Water
Never lose your child’s heart.
MENCIUS

Children Heart One Liner
Kindly words do not enter so deeply into men as a reputation for kindness.
MENCIUS

Kindness Men Reputation
The Tao is near and people seek it far away.
MENCIUS

Effort People Spiritual
The ways are two: love and want of love. That is all.
MENCIUS

Compassion Love
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
To act without clear understanding, to form habits without investigation, to follow a path all one’s life without knowing where it really leads; such is the behavior of the multitude.
MENCIUS

Act Ignorance Leadership Life Understand
To lay hold of the mean without taking into account the occasion is like grasping one thing only.
MENCIUS

Oneself Understand

To lay hold of the mean without taking into account the occasion is like grasping one thing only.

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To lay hold of the mean without taking into account the occasion is like grasping one thing only.

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