1. When scholars study, they must first be ambitious, secondly knowledgeable, and thirdly perseverant. If you have ambition, you will never be willing to be humble. If you have knowledge, you know that knowledge is endless, and you dare not be satisfied with just one thing. You are like a river boy looking at the sea, or a well frog looking at the sky, both of which have no knowledge. With perseverance, nothing can be accomplished. All three are indispensable. ——Zeng Guofan's "Letter from Zeng Guofan's Family"

2. When a mortal does something, he must concentrate on it with all his energy, without any change in thoughts. He does this, thinks of that, sits on this mountain, and looks at that mountain. A person has no permanence and accomplishes nothing in his life. ——Zeng Guofan's "Letter from the Family of Zeng Guofan"

3. Only the most sincerity in the world can defeat the most false in the world; only the most clumsy in the world can defeat the most skillful in the world. ——Zeng Guofan's "Letter to the Family of Zeng Guofan"

4. A diligent family will prosper, a diligent person will be thrifty, and he will never be poor. ——Zeng Guofan's "Letter from the Family of Zeng Guofan"

5. If you have a broad mind, you should learn from the two words "flat" and "indifferent". As a mortal, you must look at things calmly, and at times of fame and fame, you must look at them lightly. The sun is brighter. ——Zeng Guofan's "Letter from the Family of Zeng Guofan"

1. The mediocre people in the world, both ancient and modern, are all defeated by the word "lazy"; the talents in the world, ancient and modern, are all defeated by the word "arrogant". ——Zeng Guofan

2. If you don’t love the past, you won’t love the present, and you won’t welcome the future. ——Zeng Guofan

3. Those who are too impatient will not have a sense of perseverance; those who are too fearful will not have outstanding views; those who are too lustful will not have generosity; those who talk too much will not have a sincere heart. A brave man must have no literary elegance. ——Zeng Guofan

4. Four ways to understand people: be trustworthy, be unofficial, be organized, and avoid big words. ——Zeng Guofan

5. Keep your ambition, work hard, and work hard. No matter how big or small, you will succeed. A person who likes reading will not have a bad character; a person with a good character will not have a bad luck in life. ——Zeng Guofan

6. If you deal with suspicious people, nothing will happen. If you do things with beneficial people, you will suffer. ——Zeng Guofan

7. Light wealth is enough to gather people, self-indulgence is enough to convince others, magnanimity is enough to win people, and being proactive is enough to lead people. ——Zeng Guofan

8. There are countless flowers leaning against the sky and shining on the sea, and the mountains and flowing water are self-aware. ——Zeng Guofan

9. If it is too soft, it will be weak; if it is too hard, it will break; hardness comes from softness, and softness can overcome hardness. ——Zeng Guofan

10. Before social chaos, there must be three precursors: 1. No matter what happens, there is no distinction between black and white. 2. Kind people become more and more humble and polite; useless people become more and more outrageous and reckless. 3. After the problem reaches a serious level, everything is rationalized, everything is accepted as acquiescence, and it is indifferent and inexplicable. ——"Signs of Collapse"

11. If you are not a sage, you will be a beast; you don't care about harvest, but about hard work. ——Zeng Guofan

12. Being cautious and independent will make you feel at ease, respecting the master will make you strong, seeking benevolence will make people happy, and practicing hard work will make you divine. ——"The Book of Commandments"

13. Heroes from ancient times, my grandfather taught people to regard the four words "cowardly and without strength" as a great shame, so a man must be stubborn to stand on his own. However, when tens of thousands of people are trapped under a fortified city, it is easiest to secretly display their strength. My brother is able to cultivate the strength of tens of thousands of people without losing it for a long time. This is an extraordinary thing, and it is even more appropriate to make more contributions from now on. ——"Letter from the Family of Zeng Guofan"

14. Youth cannot endure good times, middle age cannot endure leisure, and old age cannot endure adversity. Zeng Guofan's theory of three realms of life. ——Zeng Guofan

15. A gentleman’s ambition must be measured by the people and things, and he must have the deeds of being a saint within and a king outside. Then he will not be dissatisfied with being born to his parents, and he will be worthy of being a perfect man in heaven and earth. ——"Zeng Guofan's Family Letter"