"The nature of man is such that he is born with a fondness for profit."

"The ruler is the boat; the common people are the water. The water can support the boat, but it can also overturn it."

"Learning reaches its completion when one has reached the stage of being a sage."

"If you do not climb high mountains, you will not know how high the sky is; if you do not descend into deep valleys, you will not know how thick the earth is."

"If the people have no faith in their rulers, the state cannot stand."