Duke Ding asked, “Is there really a single saying that can bring prosperity to a state?”Confucius replied, “Words cannot be taken so absolutely. Yet people often say, ‘It is difficult to be a ruler; it is not easy to be a minister.’ If a ruler truly understands the difficulty of rulership and remains cautious…
Mencius said: “Speech without factual basis brings misfortune. And the one who bears the consequences of this misfortune is the person who blocks or suppresses the worthy.”