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 until you are old and learn until you are old. 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.