Zeng Guofan has a wise saying: "either a saint or an animal;" Mo Wen harvests, but requires farming. " . This is the motto that Zeng Guofan followed all his life. In fact, this sentence was not initiated by Zeng Guofan, but was given to Zeng by Tang Jian, a master of Neo-Confucianism in the Qing Dynasty. In the twenty-first year of Daoguang, he wrote "Jifu Water Conservancy" and wrote a banner in regular script "If you are not a saint, you are an animal. You only ask about farming and don't ask about harvest. Good Tang Jian was presented to Zeng Guofan. Zeng Guofan praised this couplet and hung it in the living room. Later, I made a slight change to Zeng Guofan's diary, and there was "if it is not a saint, it must be an animal." Mo Wen harvests, but requires farming. "Eternal absolute.

However, Zeng Guofan's fans like to quote this sentence. Liang Qichao is a typical Fan Zeng. In his letter to his son, he once said, "In my life, I believe Ceng Wenzheng's two words most:' Mo Wen has gains, but he seeks gains.' What will you achieve in the future? What do you miss about him now? What's he worried about? On the one hand, don't be complacent and slow down, on the other hand, don't be timid and complacent. We should try our best to achieve our goal, so that we can be fearless and not complacent, and we will always make contributions to society. I have learned a lot in my life. I hope you can all apply my spirit. "Mr. Liang Shuming also educated his son:" In short, you are sincere in serving the public and can be seen everywhere, which is suitable for doing things. But what to do is still unknown. Once you have a clear idea, of course, you must start with this knowledge, and the younger generation will do it, study it, do it, and work hard for a lifetime. As for grades, it seems that they can't be managed, that is, whether there are grades or not can be ignored. There is an old saying,' But ask for cultivation, don't ask for harvest'. Yes, it is. Mr. Wen Yiduo also quoted "Mo Wen reaped, but asked for cultivation" as the last sentence of the preface in his poetry collection "Red Candle", which not only inspired himself, but also inspired the world. It can be seen that this sentence has a profound influence on later generations, and many heroes regard this sentence as a code of conduct.

Zeng Guofan put "if it is not a saint, it must be an animal; Mo Wen's motto is "You gain something, but you need to work hard". In fact, he reminds himself that "you can only ask yourself what you can't do". Zeng Guofan once said in his family letter: "aim high and ask for trouble if you do something wrong." Indeed, life needs an open-minded attitude. If everything is for fame and fortune, and everything is for "no pains, no gains", then such a life will not be able to extricate itself from the whirlpool of fame and fortune, nor will it really make a difference!

Therefore, Zeng Guofan warned his younger brothers: "Learn with an open mind. Those of our friends who have beautiful materials often rely on their own talents and arrogant things to say that others are not as good as themselves. See the township ink, then scold township ink impassability; Scold at the sight of ink. Scold both the housekeeper and the examiner; People who enroll in Zhu will scold the college. In all fairness, there is nothing better than poetry; There is nothing special about the winner, and there are some unbearable ones. It is because you refuse to ask of yourself that you will see that others are not. Not only the examiner, but also the person who won the first place in the same exam. Although my pride is long, I never make progress, so I have been down and out all my life without making progress. " In Zeng Guofan's eyes, it is useless to complain that others have not gained anything. Only by constantly paying can we make progress.

Many times, harvest is invisible like the growth of trees, but with long-term accumulation, small trees can grow into towering trees. No pains, no gains, that's the truth. Therefore, Mencius said, "If you cultivate your heavenly Jue, your Jue will follow."