1. If jade is not carved, it will not become a tool; if wood is not carved, it will not be useful; if people do not learn, they will not understand.

2. Live and learn until you are old, and learning at eighty is still too little.

3. The stupid bird flies first and enters the forest early, and the hard work pays off.

4. Practice makes perfect, and skill makes essence.

5. The period of hard work does not stop, but more gains come from hard work. ——Ouyang Xiu

6. A diligent person forgets to eat and sleep, while a lazy person never has time.

7. Learning comes from hardship, and art comes from hard work.

8. Bees pluck hundreds of flowers to make sweet wine, and people read books to understand the truth.

9. Diligence is the mother of good luck.

10. The harder you work, the luckier you will be.

11. Wei’s three masterpieces are the hanging beams that pierce the bones, the walls that are chiselled to steal the light, the fireflies in the bags that reflect the snow, the gallbladder that lies on firewood, and the logs that serve as pillows.

12. No matter how hard you work, you will gain a lot; to harvest well, you must cultivate well. ——Xu Teli

13. Genius comes from hard work.

14. As long as you can harvest sweetness, there will also be busy bees among the thorn bushes.

15. Being eager to learn but not asking questions frequently is not a truly good scholar.

16. A diligent person is the master of time, and a lazy person is a slave of time.

17. The lights are on at three and the chickens are on at five, which is when men are studying. Black-haired people don't know how to study diligently early, and white-haired people regret studying late. ——Yan Zhenqing

18. If you work hard for a day, you can get a good night's sleep; if you work hard for a lifetime, you can get a happy sleep.

19. Prudence and diligence bring good luck, and diligence is the mother of good luck.

20. The edge of a sword comes from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold.