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Confucius said, “There are cases where sprouts appear but no blossoms; there are cases where blossoms appear but no fruit!”
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When speaking of Yan Hui, Confucius said, “What a pity! I saw him constantly advancing – I never saw him stop.”
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Confucius said, “The one who never shows laziness when I speak to him – is it not Yan Hui?”
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Confucius said, “Suppose you are piling up earth to make a mountain. If you stop just one basket short of completion – that stopping is my own doing. Suppose you are leveling ground, and even if you have only dumped one basket – you are advancing, because I am moving forward.”
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Confucius said, “The phoenix no longer appears; the Yellow River no longer reveals its chart. Alas, my cause is finished!”
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Liu Bei is not the most brilliant strategist, nor the fiercest warrior, nor the most cunning politician of the Three Kingdoms. Yet across centuries – through both historical records like Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi) and the romanticized drama of Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms – he remains the…
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The poor man sweeps his floor until it is spotless. The poor woman combs her hair until it is neat and tidy. Neither produces a wonderful sight, but these actions bespeak a sensibility of elegance.
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A favour received inevitably brings harm in its wake. When you feel gratified, stop forging ahead, and turn round promptly.