1. Every measure has its limits, every inch has its strengths; every object has its deficiencies, every wisdom has its limits; every calculation has its bounds, every spirit has its reach.
2. Criticize others with the same rigor you apply to yourself, and forgive others with the same mercy you grant yourself.
3. In stillness, reflect on your own faults; in idle talk, refrain from discussing the failings of others.
4. To criticize others while failing to criticize oneself is the mark of a hypocritical sage.
5. Do not indulge in joy to the point of committing sins, and do not vent anger upon the innocent.
6. A gentleman is calm without being arrogant, while a small man is arrogant without being calm.
7. To establish oneself, one must help others establish themselves; to achieve success, one must help others succeed.
8. In seclusion, think of the distant; in security, prepare for danger.
9. Everyone makes mistakes; allow people the chance to correct them.
10. To commit an error and not correct it is the true error.
11. Those who cannot love anyone, in my view, cannot be loved by anyone.
12. One should not merely expose people's past mistakes without respecting who they are today.
13. To trust everyone or to trust no one is equally incorrect.
14. One who knows of danger but remains silent is an enemy.
15. Everyone can benefit from being recognized.
16. A talent scout must not deceive the horse, and a gentleman must not deceive people.
17. Advice is redundant for the wise, and insufficient for the foolish.
18. Do not view everything with distrust, but be cautious and firm.
19. One may have bad neighbors or bad friends, but if one maintains goodness, one gains both.
20. Combative and restless people often gravitate toward those with gentle and shy characters; the former seek peace through contrast, while the latter seek protection for their weakness.
21. When luck follows a person, friends arrive like clouds; when misfortune strikes, cobwebs hang on the door.
22. What is "supreme action"? It is "ordinary action." What is a "great man"? It is one who is "careful." How to "reach the heights"? Through "learning from below." How to "reach the distance"? Through "contemplation of the near."
23. When intelligence is used for the right path, the more intelligence, the better, and literary fame enhances it. When intelligence is used for the wrong path, the more intelligence, the more erroneous, and literary fame merely facilitates its evil.
24. To correct others' faults is not as good as practicing one's own virtues; to praise one's own virtues is not as good as correcting one's own faults.
25. The clever should guard against excessive scrutiny; the strong should guard against excessive violence; the gentle should guard against indecisiveness.
26. Enlarge the heart to contain the things of the world; empty the heart to receive the goodness of the world; level the heart to discuss the affairs of the world; quiet the heart to observe the principles of the world; steady the heart to respond to the changes of the world.
27. With only self-reflection, there is nothing in the world that cannot be resolved.
28. Those who slander others lose their integrity; those who praise others lose their truth; such people are close to being hypocrites.
29. Knowing one's faults is not difficult, but correcting them is; speaking of goodness is not difficult, but practicing it is.
30. When water is too clear, no fish can live; when a person is too scrutinizing, no followers will stay. Gems hide their flaws, and rivers and lakes accept impurities.
