The requisites of government are that there be sufficiency of food, sufficiency of military equipment, and the confidence of the people in their ruler.

The real fault is to have faults and not to amend them.

The parents’ age must be remembered, both for joy and anxiety.

He who requires much from himself and little from others, will keep himself from being the object of resentment.

When a man feels the difficulty of doing, can he be other than cautious and slow in speaking?

Boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination.

If one learns from others but does not think, one will be bewildered. If, on the other hand, one thinks but does not learn from others, one will be in peril.

Even when walking in the company of two other men, I am bound to be able to learn from them. The good points of one I copy; the bad points of the other I correct in myself.

No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.

When prosperity comes, do not use all of it.