The expositions for sayings 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64 and 81 (square numbers) have been borrowed from the book:
1. A situation only becomes favorable when one adapts to it. |
2. To a person of true understanding, it makes no difference whether death comes early or late. |
3. By manifesting a humble attitude, people will naturally want to help you and give you good counsel. |
4. Do not hate. Hatred is a form of subjective involvement that binds you to the hated object. |
5. For power to be truly great it must be inwardly united with the fundamental principles of right and justice. |
6. Take not gain or loss to heart. What man holds high comes to nothing. |
7. In general, opposition appears as an obstruction, but the superior person uses it to his advantage. |
8. If you see good, imitate it. If you have faults, rid yourself of them. |
9. Passion and reason cannot exist side by side. |
10. The way of the superior person is to be joyous of heart, yet concerned in thought. |
11. In the hands of a great master, all material is productive. |
12. Pleasant manners succeed even with irritable people. |
13. It is wise and reasonable not to try to obtain anything by force. |
14. In times of prosperity, it is important to possess enough greatness of spirit to bear with the mistakes of others. |
15. When entangled in a conflict, it is wise to remain so clear headed and strong that you are always ready to come to terms with your opponent by meeting him halfway. |
16. Conflict within weakens the power to conquer danger without. |
17. The small-minded person is ashamed of kindness and does not shrink from injustice. |
18. It is better to go on foot than ride in a carriage under false pretenses. |
19. A superior person acquaints himself with many sayings of antiquity and many deeds of the past, and thus strengthens his character. |
20. If we want to know what anyone is like, we have only to observe on what he bestows his care and what sides of his own nature he cultivates and nourishes. |
21. Once you have gained inner mastery of a problem, it will come about naturally that the action you take will succeed. |
22. To be a superior person, see to it that goodness is an established attribute of character rather than an accidental and isolated occurrence. |
23. Boasting of power, wealth, position, promotion, success, or influential friends inevitably invites misfortunes and humiliation. |
24. In cultivating oneself, it is best to root out bad habits and tolerate those that are harmless. |
25. To act on the spur of every caprice, ultimately leads to humiliation. |
26. To enjoy a meaningful way of life, and to produce long-lasting effects, the ability to endure must be firmly established in you. |
27. To be successful, do not be rigid and immobile in your thinking, but always keep abreast of the time and change with it. |
28. If you attempt too much, you will end by succeeding in nothing. |
29. To remain at the mercy of moods of hope and fear will cost you your inner composure and consistency. |
30. If you live in a state of perpetual hurry, you will fail to attain inner composure. |
31. When confronted with unsurmountable forces, retreat is proper. |
32. Power best expresses itself in gentleness. |
33. The superior person is never led into baseness or vulgarity by community of interests with people of low character. |
34. In financial matters, well being prevails when expenditures and income are in proportion. |
35. Do not be ashamed of simplicity or small means. |
36. A compromise with evil is not possible. |
37. In the time of gathering together, make no arbitrary choice of your associates. There are secret forces at work leading together those who belong together. |
38. Do not allow yourself be led astray by a leader. |
39. Those things in our psychic body later manifest in our physical body. |
40. Only a person who goes to meet his fate resolutely will be equipped to deal with it adequately. |
41. Slander will be silenced if we do not gratify it with injured retorts. |
42. On the road to success, as you near the attainment of your goal, beware of becoming intoxicated with your achievement. |
43. If you neglect your good qualities and virtues, you will cease to be of value to your friends and neighbors. Soon, no one will seek you out or bother about you. |
44. You can succeed in life no matter your circumstances, provided you have determination and follow the path of the superior person. |
45. In order to achieve a quiet heart, rest and movement must follow each other in accordance with the demands of the time. |
46. In exercised of meditation and concentration, trying to force results will lead to an unwholesome outcome. |
47. The superior person spends a lifetime developing strong character, and so enjoys a lifetime of supreme good fortune and great success. |
48. The superior person sees and understands the transitory in the light of eternity. |
49. If you would have your relationship endure, fix your mind on an end that endures. |
50. Mad pursuit of pleasure never takes one to the goal. |
51. Waiting should not be mere empty hoping; it should be filled with the inner certainty of reaching the goal. |
52. Even small power, used correctly, can achieve great success. |
53. After a matter has been thoroughly considered, it is essential to form a decision and to act. |
54. Knowledge is the key to freedom. |
55. Through hardness and selfishness, the heart grows rigid, and this rigidity leads to separation from others. |
56. Unlimited possibilities are not suited to mankind. If they existed, his life would only dissolve into the boundless. |
57. Through words and deeds, the superior person moves heaven and earth. |
58. If you depend on your relationships for your happiness, you will either be happy or sad as your relationships rise and fall. |
59. Exceptional modesty and conscientiousness are sure to be rewarded with great success and good fortune. |
60. The superior person is reverent; at all times acknowledging the great Creator and the wonderousness of the universe. |
61. The superior person is completely sincere i his thoughts and actions. |
62. It is only after perfect balance has been achieved that any misstep brings imbalance. |
63. Even the finest clothes turn to rags. |
64. No plain not followed by a slope, no increase not followed by a decrease. |
65. Do not complain. Enjoy the good fortune you still possess. |
66. If you are not dazzled by enticing goals, and remain true to yourself, you will travel through life unassailed, on a level road. |
67. At the beginning of a project, if many boastful claims are made, the successful attainment of the goal becomes far more difficult. |
68. Not a whole day. |
69. If you would rule, first learn to serve. |
70. In friendships and close relationships, you must make a careful choice. |
71. If one clings to the little boy, one loses the strong man. |
72. Every person must have something to follow -- a lodestar. |
73. In following the path of the superior person, slight digressions from the good cannot be avoided, but you must turn back, before going too far. |
74. If you are not as you should be you will have misfortune, and it does not further you to undertake anything. |
75. Only through daily self-renewal of character can you continue at the height of your powers. |
76. You have received a nature that is innately good. When your thoughts and actions are in accord with your nature, you will enjoy great good fortune and supreme success. |
77. Do not set your eyes on the harvest while planting it, nor on the use of the ground while cleaning it. |
78. Words are movements going from within, outward. Eating and drinking are movements that go from without, inward. Both movements can be modified by tranquility. |
79. Exceptional enterprises cannot succeed unless the utmost caution is observed in their beginnings. |
80. Danger has an important and beneficial use. |
81. Every ending contains a new beginning. |
A beautiful book with a beautiful ending!