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Throughout ancient times, numerous wise sayings from virtuous sages have served as guidance for descendants and future generations. In this article, we unveil the wise sayings from ancient times, brimming with profound wisdom.
I. Insights from the Ancients
1. A book worth revisiting is worth reading thoroughly.
During the day, if you feel troubled or restless while studying, focus on meditation to dispel distractions. Just like reading a book, even if you don't feel like it, you must read it thoroughly. It's like prescribing the right medicine for the ailment, it's a correct method.
Insight: The superficial worries often stem from the instinct of seeking pleasure and avoiding suffering. However, the more we desire a peaceful and comfortable life, the less we can mature, progress, and even the more we may cause ourselves anxiety and troubles.
Therefore, the more one seeks tranquility and comfort, the more one must overcome adversities and oneself. When we are reluctant to do something, we must strive to accomplish it; this is the cultivation of our own mind and character.
2. Do not harbor selfish thoughts.
To restrain oneself, one must eliminate selfish thoughts entirely, leaving no trace behind. As long as there is selfishness, there will be evil intentions and the struggle to control oneself.
Insight: Curbing one's own desires is like building a dam to block floods. The dam must be solid and firm, without any leakage, or else it will eventually collapse, causing devastation. Similarly, if humans harbor even a trace of desire and selfishness, it's like drilling a hole in a dam, making it vulnerable to collapse.
3. Fear not the three-eyed devil, only fear those with a deceitful heart.
The three-eyed devil may be fearsome, but what's truly frightening is the unpredictability of human hearts. All treachery originates from within. No matter how strong the opponent is, they cannot withstand the united force of people. What's feared is someone with a deceitful heart, betraying their comrades. Human hearts are like a thick layer of skin, difficult to discern. Therefore, one must be cautious in choosing friends.
A long road reveals the strength of a horse, while a long day reveals the true nature of people. Long-lasting friendships, forged through enduring hardships, are always more reliable.
4. Among friends: Humility and sincerity are paramount.
In interpersonal relationships with friends, humility and sincerity always yield benefits. Seeking personal gain, comparing gains and losses, and being self-important only lead to harm.
Insight: Humans inherently seek personal gain, valuing their own interests and expecting reciprocity. This is a common understanding. Therefore, in friendships, humility and sincerity form a lasting foundation. They not only benefit each individual but also foster stronger bonds, mutual support, and increased benefits.
5. Regret is life's most potent medicine.
Regret serves as a valuable remedy for mistakes, cherished for its potential for change. However, clinging to regret incessantly breeds illness instead of healing.
Insight: Humans are not saints; they inevitably err. Recognizing mistakes and correcting them is valuable. Therefore, the first step is awareness, the second is correction, and the third is releasing lingering regret. This is the journey of personal growth.
6. A busy and unsettled life stems from the pursuit and loss of authenticity.
Handling tasks often fluctuates between success and failure, leading to dire situations. This is largely due to wavering mental states and loss of composure, resulting in subpar performance compared to what reason dictates.
Insight: In today's society, many people struggle with managing tasks under pressure, busying themselves all day, becoming more chaotic and rushed, complicating matters further. Even oneself falls into constant distress. Why is this so?
Vương Dương Minh once said: “The root cause of all this is an excessive attachment to success and fear of failure, leading one to obscure their ability to handle it better. In reality, life's ups and downs are natural, and the ideal attitude is to deal with everything naturally and flexibly.”
7. Laughter often follows tears.
True joy only emerges after suffering; without tears, there is no real happiness. Despite the pain, it's through that we find solace and delight.
Insight: For instance, someone accustomed to extravagance may eventually find it mundane, losing the essence of enjoyment. Living a lavish life daily makes festive occasions lose their significance.
Therefore, embracing hardship is the cornerstone of future happiness and fulfillment. Just as success follows failure, becoming noble requires enduring bitterness; one cannot mature without enduring trials.
8. Criticizing others is akin to belittling oneself.
Speaking ill of others is the epitome of ignorance, the folly of the uninformed. If one lacks understanding and merely utters superficial words, it's akin to self-deprecation.
Insight: This behavior reflects one's shallow understanding, failure to recognize narrow-mindedness, and lack of tolerance, misplacing energy and neglecting self-improvement.
9. Extending kindness nourishes gratitude; bearing grudges nourishes enmity.
When someone is in dire straits, offering them a handful of rice is aiding them in solving a significant problem, evoking boundless appreciation. However, if you continue to provide rice, it becomes expected. One handful of rice is insufficient, two handfuls are insufficient; providing a sack of rice still makes them feel as though you're giving them a grain of salt from the sea.
Life often unfolds such scenarios: initially, you extend help, and they feel grateful; subsequently, their gratitude wanes. By the nth time, they deem your assistance as a given, believing you ought to aid them. Even if you cease helping, they'll resent you.
Hence, human kindness needs boundaries. When faced with those who lack initiative, relying solely on others, timely retract your benevolence!
10. Evading won't yield progress.
Humans must strive upwards; in endeavors, investing effort reaps rewards. If one seeks only tranquility, they'll panic when challenges arise, hindering progress. Avoiding troubles grants temporary peace but ultimately leads to peril.
Insight: Today's society is immensely complex, life increasingly stressful. Therefore, resilience, courage in facing difficulties is essential for growth. Avoidance only weakens us, never leading to progress.
11. All that deceives us is material desire.
Without material temptation, everything would align with our reason, never straying from the Dao. Yet, most are misled by material desires, unable to follow reason.
Insight: Here, Vương Dương Minh refers to 'reason' as 'nature.' Everyone possesses innate reason, but most of us falter due to material desires clouding our judgment.
Especially in today's society, when people prioritize materialistic life above all else, the tendency towards materialistic desires clouds judgment even more severely.
Ferrying across leads to the other shore, building a tower requires reaching the summit.
12. In everything one does, perseverance until the end is necessary; perseverance is victory.
In this world, most people fail not because of insufficient talent or poor luck, but because they lack the perseverance to see things through to the end.
There's a law called the lotus law: on the first day, the lotus blooms only a small part, on the second day, it doubles its speed. By the 30th day, it fills an entire pond. Do you know when the lotus blooms halfway? Many think it's on the 10th day, but it's actually on the 29th day. Until the last day, it completes the remaining half. The speed of the last day is the fastest, equal to the sum of the 29 preceding days. Most people in the world stop at the 29th day, success seems distant, but it's just one final step away.
13. Focus on what you do
There's a story about an old monk before and after enlightenment:
A wanderer asked the old monk: 'What did you do before enlightenment?'.
The old monk replied: 'Chopping wood, carrying water, cooking rice.'
The wanderer asked again: 'So what about after enlightenment?'.
The old monk said: 'Chopping wood, carrying water, cooking rice.'
The wanderer asked: 'Does that mean you're enlightened then?'.
The old monk replied: 'Before enlightenment, when chopping wood, I thought about carrying water, when carrying water, I thought about cooking rice. After enlightenment, chopping wood is chopping wood, carrying water is carrying water, cooking rice is cooking rice.'
In reality, the most specialized endeavor is self-cultivation, those who can concentrate on what they think are the ones cultivating themselves.
Ultimately, human life is an incessant effort with one's own feet, and only through efforts to give can one truly receive.
14. Compassion without engaging in battle, righteousness cannot retain wealth
Those overly compassionate and soft are not suitable for leading troops into battle, those valuing righteousness are not suitable for managing wealth. The battlefield is the boundary between life and death, at critical moments, weakness must not be allowed to jeopardize major endeavors. Training troops for a thousand days, employing them for an hour, in this 'hour,' the commander must be firm and determined in commanding operations, absolutely not allowing compassion and weakness to ruin great undertakings.
Similarly, those who uphold righteousness have broad communication, with many good friends. They are those who prioritize loyalty over talent, always wholeheartedly assisting others, even in matters of money. Once they help, they never refuse. Consequently, they cannot retain money, not because they cannot, but because they prioritize relationships over wealth.
15. Blaming the difficult and avoiding it, one cannot achieve greatness; Supplementing the weak and neglecting the strong, one cannot achieve fairness.
(Handling the difficult makes the easy effortless; Strengthening the weak makes the strong effortless).
Work requires focusing energy and attention on challenges. By resolving the difficult aspects, the easy ones will naturally fall into place. Being human means leveraging strengths to compensate for weaknesses. By addressing our shortcomings, our strengths will naturally be enhanced.
II. Ancient sayings carry great wisdom
1. Mastering one craft is better than dabbling in nine.
Our ancestors were right: depth is better than breadth. One's energy and capacity are limited. To excel in any profession, one must delve deep into it, seeking mastery rather than superficial knowledge. Trying to learn everything often results in mastering nothing.
It's better to be a skilled craftsman producing top-quality products than to be an average worker with superficial knowledge, creating mediocre products.
2. Without experiencing the depths of the sea, one does not know its vastness; without raising children, one does not understand the depths of parental love.
To truly understand the depth of the sea, one must have fallen into it; to comprehend the challenges of parenthood, one must have children. It's only when we find ourselves in the shoes of others that we can genuinely empathize with them.
A person who has never been a parent will never fully appreciate the sacrifices and worries parents endure for their children. It's only through the experience of parenthood that one truly understands gratitude and filial piety towards parents.
3. Utilize people as you would weapons, leveraging their strengths.
(Using people as tools, leveraging each individual's strengths)
Utilizing people is akin to utilizing tools, each person choosing their own forte. Tools should be used according to their specific functions. When employing talent, one must leverage each person's strengths, not only maximizing their effectiveness but also ensuring that their talents are fully utilized. If one only sees their weaknesses and not their strengths, then there will be no one suitable for use in this world.
Emperor Đường Thái Tông could have been an enlightened monarch; during his reign, the famous policy of 'Trinh Quán chi trị' emerged in history, closely related to his belief in utilizing talents and his adeptness in employing them.
4. Do not overlook what is useful, nor only approve people who conform to your desires; quiet diligence often conceals great ability. Do not reject what seems inappropriate, nor only seek those who agree with you; true wisdom often lies in dissent.
(Not caring about right or wrong but enjoying others' praise is the height of foolishness; Not considering principles but seeking to please others is the epitome of flattery)
Indiscriminately seeking praise from others without regard for truth or falsehood is the epitome of foolishness and folly. Blindly flattering others without ethical considerations only leads to contempt.
5. Everywhere is gold, but discernment makes the difference between gold and silver.
Instead of resenting fate and envying others, why not take action and seize opportunities? This world is full of opportunities; what matters is whether you have the courage to seize them.
Having the dignity to eat just a portion of rice reflects fairness in life. Those who have three portions of dignity but consume ten portions of rice likely obtained it through flattery and sycophancy. Such individuals, even if wealthy, will not live comfortably.
Opportunities abound everywhere; there's no need to speculate for profit, as such schemes are short-lived. With integrity, one need not fear a downfall. Moreover, only by earning a living through one's own dignity can you truly be a person of conscience.
6. Hitting is kinship, scolding is love.
Hitting signifies a close relationship, where only close friends playfully tease each other, engaging in physical jests. Scolding is love, indicating that only in a good relationship do people point out your flaws and shortcomings directly, showing genuine concern rather than talking behind your back.
Love deeply rooted might use tough love; it signifies an extremely close relationship. When seeing the other party not making efforts, not progressing, not heeding advice, they might resort to stronger measures to push and assist them. Outwardly, they may appear harsh, but deep down, they are deeply saddened, genuinely wanting to help the other party.
7. Giving parents twelve taels, children return a full pound.
How one treats their parents will be reciprocated by their children and grandchildren in the future. A family is like a big tree, grandparents are the roots, parents are the branches and leaves, children are the sweet fruits. Only when you nurture the roots will the branches and leaves flourish, and the fruits will be rich in nutrients.
When someone takes care of their parents, their children are watching. Filial piety and respect for elders set an example for children.
Children learn what filial piety is through their parents' actions. In a family, if parents are respectful to the elderly, children will be respectful to their parents, creating a harmonious and warm family atmosphere.
7. Care for small matters to achieve greatness, be cautious with all details to gain clarity. Listen to all sides for insight, believe in one side blindly is foolish.
By listening to all perspectives, one can understand the reasoning behind the situation clearly. Following news without considering different perspectives is foolish and reckless. This famous saying advises kings to listen to all sides. Vương Phù (Han Dynasty) in Tiềm Phu Luận Minh Ám said: 'A wise king listens to all sides, an ignorant king follows one side blindly,' a succinct statement that deeply enlightens people.
Listening to various opinions helps gain a thorough understanding of the truth, while blindly believing in one-sided information is foolish and reckless. This famous saying by Ngụy Vy advises kings to listen to various advisors. Vương Phù (Han Dynasty) in his Tiềm Phu Luận Minh Ám stated: 'A wise king is enlightened by listening to all perspectives, while a foolish king remains in the dark by listening to one-sided views,' a concise and profound statement that serves as a wake-up call.
Two phrases, 'minh' (clarity) and 'ám' (foolishness), indicate the different effects of 'listening to all sides' versus 'believing in one side.' Only by listening to all sides can one understand the situation comprehensively, distinguish right from wrong, and make accurate decisions. Listening to one side and believing in one side may lead to falling into traps or being deceived. Especially when faced with differing opinions, it is essential to listen attentively to avoid mistakes. It is advisable for everyone to listen to diverse opinions and address disagreements.
8. Virtue commands respect, talent earns affection. Affection leads to familiarity, respect leads to distance, as people often overlook virtue while being dazzled by talent.
People with virtue are respected, and people with talent are admired. Those admired are easily trusted and employed, while those respected are often kept at a distance, as talent tends to overshadow one's virtues.
Individuals with virtue are esteemed, while those with talent are loved. Being loved makes one approachable, while being esteemed makes one distant, as people tend to be blinded by the talents of others and overlook their virtues when selecting talent.
9. Acknowledging one's faults brings happiness; seeking praise brings disgrace.
Hearing one's own faults leads to a reduction in mistakes and an increase in blessings; hearing one's own praise leads to damage to honor and the onset of calamity.
Often hearing about one's own mistakes from others reduces those mistakes and brings happiness; often hearing praise from others damages honor and invites disaster. We should heed more sincere advice and not let flattery cloud our judgment. Of course, 'calamity' and 'blessings' here should be understood as human affairs, not destiny.
10. Arrogance leads to wealth and fortune; recklessness leads to misfortune and ruin.
(Arrogance breeds wealth and extravagance, negligence breeds disaster and chaos)
Wealth can lead to arrogance (excessive luxury), while negligence can lead to disaster and chaos. Wealth doesn't necessarily breed arrogance, but arrogance certainly arises from wealth, as it provides the conditions for extravagance both materially and spiritually, something the wealthy cannot afford to ignore. Negligence, on the other hand, leads to carelessness, always looking but not seeing the seeds of disaster, allowing them to grow unchecked, ultimately resulting in calamity. This saying advises everyone to be especially cautious against arrogance when wealthy and to remain vigilant against negligence in every moment of life.
11. Intelligence should flow smoothly without excess scrutiny, while literary talent should avoid conceit.
(The intelligent should avoid excessive scrutiny, while the less literary should avoid pretense.)
The intelligent should be cautious of excessive scrutiny. Those who listen and see little must avoid concealing their limited knowledge.
12. Former insincerity leads to later sincerity, which inevitably arouses suspicion and disbelief from others.
(Previously insincere but later becoming sincere will inevitably lead others to doubt and not believe.)
Former insincerity, later displayed sincerity, will undoubtedly raise suspicion and disbelief among others.
13. Arrogance triumphs, excessive pride in oneself, cunning in speech, falsely displaying intelligence, stern and imposing demeanor, stubbornly assertive, these six traits are the vices commonly found in rulers.
(Arrogance triumphs, feeling ashamed to hear others point out one's mistakes, displaying false intelligence, being stern, obstinate, these are the bad habits often exhibited by rulers.)
Aggressively defending one's pride, refusing to listen to criticism, boasting to showcase verbal prowess and false intelligence, being overly stern and harsh towards others, and stubbornly insisting on one's own correctness. These six traits are vices that rulers should be particularly wary of.
14. A sincere heart is not deceitful, but a deceitful mind leads to confusion. Even if one holds a bow, if the aim is not sincere, the arrow will miss the target.
(If the core wood is not straight, the grain will be twisted, even with a strong bow, the arrows will not fly straight.)
When the core wood is not straight, the grain of the wood will also be crooked. Using it to make bows and arrows, even if they are strong, the arrows will not fly straight and hit the target.
15. Virtue conquers talent, making one a gentleman; Talent conquers virtue, making one petty.
(Virtue prevailing over talent is called a gentleman; talent prevailing over virtue is called petty.)
Excellence surpassing talent is called a nobleman; talent surpassing excellence is called petty.
Wisdom passed down from ancient sages
1. A closed mouth brings happiness, a drawn sword brings fortune.
2. Skills polished bring shine, knives sharpened bring sharpness.
3. Learning without reflection is futile; reflecting without learning is perilous.
4. Blaming neither the heavens nor people is the mark of a nobleman.
5. The wise inquire into the cause of their own mistakes, while the foolish ask for reasons in others.
6. One without integrity will not accomplish anything worthwhile.
7. Everything emerges from emptiness.
8. Don't expect others to agree with you, for gaining their agreement breeds arrogance.
9. In communication, seek not personal gain, for seeking one's own gain forfeits moral integrity.
10. Don't worry about lacking status; worry instead about lacking the skills to attain it.
11. Learn broadly, inquire deeply, think cautiously, discern clearly, and act with full effort.
12. When encountering a virtuous person, consider how to match their virtue. When encountering an aggressive person, reflect on one's own aggression.
13. Hearing the teachings of wisdom in the morning ensures a fulfilled day, even if facing death in the evening.
14. The noble-minded embrace generosity and tolerance, while the petty-minded are narrow and calculating.
15. Don't expect your career path to be smooth sailing; without encountering obstacles, there's no chance for steadfast determination.
16. Don't hope for tasks to be easy to accomplish; when tasks are easy, pride often prevails.
17. Please don't anticipate reciprocity; seeking recompense is a sign of ulterior motives.
18. The worst trait in navigating the world is failing to recognize one's own faults.
19. A true knight worries not about others only recognizing oneself but fears one's own inadequacy.
20. The noble seek within, while the petty seek validation from others.
21. When considering the body, don't wish for absence of illness, for without illness, desires easily arise.
22. When seeing gains, refrain from getting involved; meddling darkens the mind.
23. Turn a blind eye to wrongdoing, deaf ear to nonsense, speak no falsehood, and engage in no mischief.
24. When examining the mind, don't wish for absence of doubt, for without doubt, understanding remains shallow.
25. When seeing someone wise, aim to be equal; when seeing someone foolish, examine oneself for folly.
26. The wise inquire about their own mistakes, while the foolish inquire about others' faults.
27. Bearing no grudge against heaven, blaming no one, that is the mark of a nobleman.
28. Filial piety is the foundation of morality.
29. Everyone has the right to education, regardless of their status.
30. Without righteousness, words falter.
31. Don't suspect when using, don't use when suspecting.
32. Don't act heroic at the dinner table, for alcohol has brought many to their knees.
33. Knowing one's fault but refusing to correct it is the true fault.
34. What you don't want to do, don't force others to do.
35. Those who don't plan ahead will inevitably face immediate troubles.
36. Birds sing mournfully before death, humans speak kindly before departing.
37. In life, don't wish for no difficulties, for without difficulties, one cannot rise above sorrow.
38. A noble person neither promotes the eloquent nor disregards the words of the wicked.
39. A noble person holds themselves to strict standards, while petty individuals are critical of others.
40. Wisdom lies in understanding, not in criticism; eloquence lies in acceptance, not in rejection.
In this article, Software Tricks brings you the timeless words of wisdom from ancient sages around the world. Have a great day, everyone!
