Zeng Guofan’s golden words are as follows:

1. When a mortal does something, he must concentrate on it with all his energy, without any change in thoughts. Do this, think that, sit on this mountain, Look at that mountain. A person has no permanence and accomplishes nothing in his life.

2. People should save themselves from trouble and should not be afraid of it. People should be free from vulgarity, not artificial. You should not go with the times, and you should not follow the times.

3. The sky can be mended, the sea can be filled, and the Nanshan Mountains can be moved. The sun and the moon have passed and cannot be traced back.

4. The mediocre people in the world, both ancient and modern, are all defeated by the word laziness; the talents in the world, ancient and modern, are all defeated by the word arrogance.

5. Don’t work too hard, but work persistently.

6. Do not love the past, do not love the present, and do not welcome the future.

7. 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, and those who are too brave will not have a sincere heart. Literary elegance.

8. 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.

9. A person who likes reading will not have bad character; a person with good character will not have bad luck in life.

10. Trying to do things with suspicious people will not work out. If you do things with beneficial people, you will suffer.

11. Do not act according to your will, and do not speak according to your words.

12. 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.

13. Four ways to look at people: be trustworthy, non-bureaucratic, organized, and less talkative.

14. Keep your ambition strong, work hard, and work hard. No matter how big or small, you will succeed.

15. Youth cannot endure good times, middle age cannot endure leisure, and old age cannot endure adversity.