More Wisdom From China
Where passion burns, there burns the fire of Hell; where passions storm, there storms the sea of bitterness.
When the heart is free from desires, temptations melt away like snowflakes on a stove.
He who understands human nature, when he is called an ox or a donkey, will only nod his head.
Honor is maintained by simple living and lost in luxury.
Only those who can forget the name of righteousness can be truly righteous.
The standing eagle looks sleepy and the walking tiger sick; but these are their ways of snatching prey.
Licentiousness may be cured, but logicality never.
Desires and passions need not injure the heart; but self-righteousness eats it like a canker.
The lover of money inclines toward the path of unrighteousness; the lover of reputation sneaks into the hall of fame.
It is better to be poor and feel rich than to be rich and feel poor.
In time of unhappiness think of the most unfortunate; in time of elation think of the most deserving.
The covetous longs for jade when he receives gold, and hopes to be a prince when made a prime minister.
To display one’s own learning and virtue is the surest way to criticism and ridicule.
Narrow and flinty is the path of competition; take a step back, and you will find it level and smooth.
Ecstasy is transient; but make your joy more moderate and you will find it more lasting.
Time is long, but the hustlers are always rushing; the universe is wide, but the narrow-minded are always cramped.
Only the mind that is at leisure can read in Nature her best literature.
Undeserved rewards and unexpected gains are either snares of man or pitfalls of Nature.
It is easier to subdue wild beasts than to subdue human passions; it is easier to fill the valley than to satisfy human greed.
To the narrow-minded, a hair may be as thick as a wheel.
True freedom lies in the heart.
Blessings come when we least expect them; disaster falls on those who try hardest to avoid it.
Showers of favors may fail to win a heart, but the giving of a simple meal brings gratitude for life.
There is an inch of gold in every inch of time.
Do not wait until you feel thirsty before you dig your well.
The only way to keep absolutely secret (1) is to have no secrets; (2) is not to do what needs to be concealed.
Sickness enters by the mouth; disasters issue from it.
Only the meek can overcome the strong.
Don’t do anything wrong because it is small; don’t neglect to do a good deed because it appears unimportant.
He who lives in hardship dies in peace.
Exclusive desires are hard to realize.
Only he who can eat the bitterness of bitterness can become the hero of heroes.
Much anger shows lack of force of character; excessive explanation indicates lack of sincerity; conscious display of affection reveals lack of real love.