The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart.

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

The tendency of mans nature to good is like the tendency of water to flow downward.

A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him.

Water indeed will flow indifferently to the east or west, but will it flow indifferently up or down? The tendency of our nature to good is like the tendency of water to flow downwards. There are none but have this tendency to good, just as all water flows downward.

To feed men and not to love them is to treat them as if they were barnyard cattle. To love them and not respect them is to treat them as if they were household pets.

A small country cannot contend with a great; the few cannot contend with the many; the weak cannot contend with the strong