Zhuge Liang’s famous sayings

1. The key to marching an army is to capture the heart of a hero, to strictly control rewards and punishments, to generalize the ways of civil and military affairs, to practice the art of hardness and softness, and to talk about etiquette and music. Read poetry and calligraphy, first benevolence and righteousness, then wisdom and courage.

2. If the soldiers are well-organized, even if the generals are mediocre, they will not be defeated; if the soldiers are in chaos, even if the generals are good, they will be in danger.

3. External injuries lead to inner isolation, and confusion leads to doubts; doubts lead to neglect of relatives, and confusion leads to loss of control; loss of control leads to disorderly planning, disorderly planning leads to national danger, and national danger leads to unrest.

4. Scholars know each other. Warmth does not increase flowering, cold does not change leaves.

5. Favoring someone based on their position will lead to inferiority; obeying someone with kindness will lead to slowness, which will lead to disadvantages.

6. Don’t be humble because of your noble body, don’t go against others because of your unique views, don’t break your trust because of your functions.

7. When God does something but does not do it but man does it, this is called going against the times; when heaven does something but man does it when it does not do it, it is called going against nature; when heaven does something but when man does it but man does not do it, it is called going against man.

8. A well-controlled army and incompetent generals cannot be defeated; an uncontrolled army and capable generals cannot be defeated.

9. Die before leaving the army, which makes the hero burst into tears!

10. When I first served the late emperor, I looked up to and relied on officials and had no control over my livelihood. Today, my family has 800 mulberry trees and 15 hectares of thin fields in Chengdu. I have enough food and clothing for my descendants.

11. If you know the yin and yang of the sky, the shape and name of the earth, and the heart and soul of human beings, you will gain their merits. If you know your soldiers, you know your enemies; if you don't know your soldiers, you don't know your enemies; if you don't know your enemies, you will perish in every battle. Therefore, when an army attacks, it must know the intentions of the soldiers on its left and right.

12. A person of high integrity can be strict with customs, a filial brother can make a name for himself, a person of faith can make friends, a thoughtful person can be tolerant of people, and a diligent person can make meritorious deeds. These are the top five generals.