The famous sayings of Wang Chong of the Han Dynasty are as follows:

1. If you are poor, you will think about change, and if you change, you will be successful.

2. The heart cannot bear it, but the mouth does not speak.

3. He who knows others is wise, and he who knows himself is wise. He who conquers others is powerful, and he who conquers himself is strong.

4. If it is not a material for studying the world, it must be discarded; if it is not a method for a hundred generations, it must be discarded.

5. When things come true, everything becomes a market. When things fail, everything collapses. It depends not on oneself but on God.

6. If you want to rule the world, you must first regulate your family; if you want to regulate your family, you must first cultivate your body.

7. Today’s debaters all want to have a reason to argue, but they do not want to understand the principles of debate.

8. Everyone meets me with my strengths, but I sacrifice my strengths to others.

9. Therefore, the wise want to change the foolishness of the fool but cannot change the wisdom of the wise.

10. A good scholar will not learn by being good, and a bad scholar will not waste by being evil.

11. Heaven cannot help people, but it will help those who can.

12. A gentleman’s body is hard to describe because of its external qualities; his writings are hard to change because of his inner qualities.

13. I will call it the house of the middle way.

14. If I want to speak to myself but others forget my words, my words must be virtuous; if I want to speak to myself but others will remember my words, my words must not be virtuous.

15. Even though no one can know the things of the wise, everyone knows the things of the crazy.

16. Although knowledge is not real, what else is it than that it cannot be known?

17. The magic tricks used by witch judges are trustworthy, not because they do not know the gods; the magic skills used by great Confucians cannot be falsely accused, not because they have failed to become saints.

18. Although ordinary saints and Ruzi have different words, if one’s heart is enough to understand saints, then they are saints.

19. Alchemists do not deceive others with their words. You can't tell the meaning of your words, but you don't get tired of worrying about the meaning.

20. The journey of a person with lofty ideals has the sound and appearance; the career of a family leader has the appearance and meaning.

21. The human heart is troubled by insufficiency and trapped by excessive desires; the ears of the Dharma are troubled by unclear hearing and trapped by insufficient hearing.

22. Those who govern the masses will do their best to achieve success and benefit the masses; those who incite the masses will do their best to defeat the masses and suffer the consequences.

23. If the people's minds are strong, they will speak slowly, and if they speak slowly, things will be difficult; if they speak of worries, things will change; if they speak of joy, things will prosper.

24. People use complaints as excuses and clever words as wisdom. This is the trouble of fools.

25. Those who correct what they say but hide the truth are popular among people; those who correct what they say but deny the truth are popular among people.