Zeng Guofan’s eight words when faced with difficulties in life are: Great softness is not soft, and extreme hardness is not hard.
Zeng Guofan felt that the predicament was not terrible, so he had to treat it with the approach of "being more gentle than soft, being more rigid than hard". If you think about it carefully, this sentence does have a very good truth, and it is still relevant even today. It is what people call "use softness to overcome hardness, use weakness to overcome strongness". When soldiers come to block it, when water comes, the earth covers it, just like people playing Tai Chi. It seems that Weak, but as strong as steel.
So when people do anything and encounter any difficulties, they should not bow to reality. They should learn from Zeng Guofan, and maybe they will achieve greater results!
Zeng Guofan’s classic sayings:
1. Putting talent first.
2. Start anew and reopen the world.
3. When the heart is extremely miserable, things are extremely prosperous.
4. Why choose a location? Why choose the time? But ask yourself if your determination is true!
5. The first is ambition, the second is knowledge, and the third is perseverance.
6. I do my best to listen to God. I just need to be cautious every day.
7. It must be more clumsy than clever, and then it can last.
8. The rice has become rice and the wood has become a boat, so we have to let it go.
9. If you don’t think deeply, you can’t create the Tao. What is gained without deep thought will be easily lost.
10. If you treat your relatives with love for your wife, you will never be unfilial. If you blame yourself with the same intention of blaming others, you will make few mistakes. If you forgive others with the same heart that you forgive yourself, then you will be friends with everyone.
11. Light wealth is enough to gather people, self-discipline is enough to convince others, tolerance is enough to win people, and being proactive is enough to lead people.
12. Only by rectifying yourself can you transform others, and only by doing your best can you serve others.