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. When scholars study, they must first have ambition, secondly have knowledge, and thirdly have perseverance. 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. Just like the river boy looking at the sea, like the well frog looking at the sky, both of them have no vision. With perseverance, nothing can be accomplished. All three are indispensable. There are countless flowers leaning against the sky and shining on the sea, and the flowing water and high mountains are self-aware. The past is not loved, the present is not mixed, and the future is not welcomed.

When a person does something, he must concentrate on it with all his energy, without any change in thoughts. Do this, think about that, sit on this mountain, and look at that mountain. A person has no permanence and accomplishes nothing in his life. The four ways to observe people are to be trustworthy, non-bureaucratic, organized, and rarely talk big. A person who likes reading will not have a bad character. A person with good character will not have much bad luck in life. Keep your ambition strong, work hard, work hard, no matter how big or small, you will definitely achieve something. Trying to do things with suspicious people will never work out. If you do things with beneficial people, you will suffer. Don't be afraid of being poor when you are young in life.

Classic quotations from Zeng Guofan's family tradition

Being able to stand up and achieve is the essence, and not complaining is not special. There are two types of bad virtues that lead to defeat: being proud and talkative. By hearsay, smart people will laugh at you, and ignorant people will be horrified by it. The horrified person will eventually figure it out and say that you are actually cheating on him. Those who laugh at you look down upon you, and no matter how much you swear, they will doubt you. Choosing a friend is the first priority, and you must choose someone with great ambitions.

To learn how to cook meat, you must first cook it over high heat, and then warm it over slow heat. When an ordinary person does something, he must concentrate on it with all his energy, from beginning to end, without any change in thoughts. He does this, thinks that, sits on this mountain, and looks at that mountain. A person has no permanence and accomplishes nothing in his life.

I have been grateful for a meal, and I have been able to support and support you, but I have only been pregnant for ten months. It is difficult to repay the kindness with a lot of money. Even in terms of human relationships and physics, I still have to weep and shed blood for three years. Working hard is like digging a well. Instead of digging several wells but none of them reach the spring, how about always keeping one well and striving to reach the spring and using it inexhaustibly?