1
Words that speak of things close at hand and carry far-reaching implications — those are the good words.Mencius
2
Words that defy reality are ominous. And it’s ominous reality that confronts those who would obscure the wise and worthy.Mencius
3
There’s only one way to know if people are good or evil: look at the choices they make. We each contain precious and worthless, great and small. Never injure the great for the sake of the small, or the precious for the sake of the worthless. Small people nurture what is small in them; great people nurture what is great in them.Mencius
4
Integrity, wisdom, skill, intelligence — such things are forged in adversity.Mencius
5
For nurturing the mind, there’s nothing like paring your desires away to a very few. If you have few desires, there may still be some capricious whims in your mind, but they’ll be few. If you have many desires, there may be some enduring principles in your mind, but they’ll be few indeed.Mencius
6
If someone stops where they should not, they’ll stop anywhere. If someone slights a person they should treat generously, they’ll slight anyone. And if someone races ahead, they retreat in a hurry.Mencius