Only when someone refuses to do certain things will he be capable of doing great things. Mencius More Quotes by Mencius More Quotes From Mencius When Heaven is about to confer a great office on a man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil ; it exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to extreme poverty ; it confounds his undertakings. By all these methods it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies. Mencius officeexercisemen The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart. Mencius christmaswisdompositive 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 inspirationwishtrying If you know the point of balance, You can settle the details. If you can settle the details, You can stop running around. Your mind will become calm. If your mind becomes calm, You can think in front of a tiger. If you can think in front of a tiger, You will surely succeed. Mencius mindrunningthinking 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 understandingignoranceknowing Friendship is one mind in two bodies. Mencius true-friendbest-friendfriendship The disease of men is that they neglect their own fields and go to weed the fields of others. Mencius weeddiseasemen Charity is in the heart of man, and righteousness in the path of men. Pity the man who has lost his path and does not follow it and who has lost his heart and does not know how to recover it. When people's dogs and chicks are lost they go out and look for them and yet the people who have lost their hearts do not go out and look for them. The principle of self-cultivation consists in nothing but trying to look for the lost heart. Mencius inspirationdogheart People are eager to comment on something when they themselves are not in the situation of doing it. Mencius commentsituationpeople There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination. Mencius examinationdelightself The feeling of right or wrong is the beginning of wisdom. Mencius deferencefeelings One who believes all of a book would be better off without books Mencius would-bebelievebook He who loves others is constantly loved by them. He who respects others is constantly respected by them. Mencius respecting-othersrespect A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him. Mencius despisemenfirsts The ways are two: love and want of love. That is all. Mencius compassionwanttwo The fruit of humanity is devotion to one's parents. The fruit of righteousness is to respect one's elders. The fruit of wisdom is to understand these two and not to betray them. The fruit of propriety is to regulate and polish them. The fruit of music is the joy that comes from rejoicing in them. When one rejoices in them, they grow. When they grow, how can they be stopped? And when they cannot be stopped, unconsciously one's feet begin to dance and one's arms begin to wave. Mencius feetjoytwo The best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories. Mencius things-in-lifedreammemories There is a power in everything; it is the job of the artist to determine it and express it. Mencius artistpowerjobs So I like life and I like righteousness; if I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go and choose righteousness. Mencius righteousnesstogethertwo If you let people follow their feelings, they will be able to do good. This is what is meant by saying that human nature is good. Mencius ablefeelingspeople
