Famous aphorisms about self-cultivation:

1. Those who have real talents will not be shy about their talents; those who are practical scholars will not praise their learning.

2. Incorruptible and clean, with integrity; diligent and thrifty, with a breeze on both sleeves.

3. When walking on the edge of a cliff, you must rein in your reins; when you reach an official position, you must tie your heart.

4. Honesty does not speak of poverty, diligence does not speak of hardship.

5. Put integrity first when serving as an official, and put diligence first when engaging in politics.

6. Calm as water, upright as a rope.

7. You can accumulate virtue in your words, and you can cultivate your moral character in your wife's relationship.

8. Studying is the way to cultivate one's moral character, and keeping one's integrity is the virtue of being an official.

9. A generous person will not make others rely on him; a shrewd person will not make others feel helpless.

10. Plant more lotus ponds to purify yourself, and fight corruption diligently to purify your government.

11. Those who have no intention are public, and those who have no self are wise.

12. An embankment of a thousand feet will be destroyed by the holes of ants; a room of a hundred feet will be burned by the smoke of the gaps.

13. Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world.

14. If you are careless and impetuous, you will achieve nothing. The mind is calm and peaceful, and thousands of auspicious things gather together.

15. Making mistakes without correcting them is called making mistakes.

16. Live as a hero, and die as a ghost.

17. Everyone can be Yao and Shun.

18. Worrying about the country and forgetting about home, sacrificing one’s life to help those in need is the ambition of a loyal minister.

19. A villain manages his own behavior, and a gentleman cultivates his body and mind.

20. Not fighting when you are insulted is an insult.

21. To know one’s nature and nature with one’s heart is to live knowingly and act safely. To cultivate one’s nature and to serve nature is to learn, know and act in a beneficial way. If you die young, you will not live long. If you are in trouble, you will know how to act with encouragement.

22. When treating the body and cultivating one’s nature, one must pay attention to the details. Don’t ignore small benefits because they are uneven, and don’t ignore small losses because they are harmless.