Do not consider any vice as trivial, and therefore practice it; do not consider any virtue as unimportant, and therefore neglect it. If man's desires and wishes be laudable, Heaven will certainly further them. Following virtue is like ascending a steep; following vice, like rushing down a precipice. Those who have discharged their duties as children, will in their turn have dutiful children of their own. He who tells me of my faults is my teacher; he who tells me of my virtues does me harm. Let your words be few, and your companions select: thus you will avoid remorse and repentance; thus you will avoid sorrow and shame. If a man's wishes be few, his health will be flourishing; if he has many anxious thoughts, his constitution will decay. my. Honors come by diligence; riches spring from econo If you wish to know what most engages a man's thoughts, you have only to listen to his conversation. Do not rely upon your wealth to oppress the poor; do not trust to your power and station to vex the orphan and widow. Draw near to the virtuous, that their virtue may be imparted to you; flee away from the vicious, that misfortune may be kept far from you. Propagate good instruction, to correct men's vices; part with your wealth, to effect men's happiness. If a man be not enlightened within, what lamp shall he light? If his intentions are not upright, what prayers shall he repeat? Throughout life, beware of performing acts of animosity; worthless men will always suffer rubs from others as bad as themselves. The duration of wealth ill-gotten, is as that of snow on which hot water is poured; the possession of lands improperly obtained, endures as long as the sands heaped up by the waves. The best cure for drunkenness is, whilst sober, to observe a drunken man. When you put on your clothes, remember the labor of the weaver; when you eat your daily bread, think of the hardships of the husbandman. Would you understand the character of the prince, examine his ministers; would you know the disposition of any man, look at his companions; would you know that of the father. look at his son. APOTHEMS AND PROVERBS.* If the blind lead the blind they will both go into the pit. Misfortunes proceed from the mouth, and by the mouth diseases enter. A fair wind raises no storm. The error of a thought the regret of a whole life. A little impatience subverts great undertakings. Vast chasms can be filled; the heart of man is never satisfied. Diseases may be healed, but fate cannot be remedied. The body may be healed, but the mind is incurable. Instruction pervades the heart of the wise, but cannot penetrate the ears of a fool. A man may be deprived of life, but a good name cannot be taken from him. The extreme of joy is the beginning of sorrow. Every man sees the faults of others, but cannot discern his own. * From Notitia Linguæ Sinica; translated from Chinese into French, by Premare; and from French into English, by J. G. Bridg man. Words spoken are as wind; the tracing of the pencil remains. Man sees only what is before him, but heaven beholds all things. Mere sound is empty; what is seen is solid: what is heard is doubtful; what is seen is certain. Heaven directs the ways of men as a pilot directs a ship. If the fence is secure, the dogs will not enter. Better strong within than strong without. With money one can raise a spirit; without it, he cannot command a man. Virtue requires no coloring. A near friend is better than a distant relative. Good works remain at home; the evil, travel far abroad. The foolish husband fears his wife; the wise woman fears her husband. Men's fortunes are as variable as the weather. What is easily acquired is easily lost. Never engage in what you would fear to have known. The injustice of man may be endured, but the wrath of heaven destroys. Obsequiousness makes friends; truth excites hatred. A thing cannot be at the same time both true and false. A man's face is known, but his heart cannot be told. Man contrives, but heaven decrees. A wise man will not reprove a fool. To indulge a servant is not safe; and to deceive a child is not proper. The tiger does not walk with the hind. He who pursues the stag disdains to notice the hare. The tiger does not molest a lying carcase. He who neglects a good opportunity must not afterwards complain. Trouble neglected becomes still more troublesome. Wood is not sold in the forest, nor fish at the pool. He desires to hide his tracks, and walks upon the snow. His desire to become agreeable renders him disgusting. He seeks the ass, and lo! he sits upon him. When the master is not rigid, the servant is remiss. Great pleasures are purchased only with great pains. Do not choke yourself in eating, nor let your foot slip in walking. A slight deviation leads to a great error. A man is not always known by his looks, nor is the sea measured with a bushel. A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor is man perfected without trials. Extreme peril requires extreme effort. A word spoken in the ear is heard a thousand miles off. Ivory does not come from a rat's mouth.* If I keep with my own wife, she will not be debauched by others. The wise forget past injuries. Man lives one age, the flowers one spring. Better not be, than be nothing. The good seek each other, the bad mutually repel. * Do not look for wisdom out of the mouth of a fool. |