Zeng Guofan, one of the four famous officials in the late Qing Dynasty, left behind his famous sayings about life and work that are worth learning. Below is a collection of Zeng Guofan’s famous quotes about life and work. I hope it will be helpful to everyone!

Zeng Guofan’s classic quotes about life and work

1. It is better to be patient than to be victorious in every battle.

2. If you hear someone is good, you will be suspicious of him; if you hear someone is evil, you will believe him. This is full of murderous intent.

3. A gentleman has the ambition to reach the world, and if he is too severe in punishing evil, he will harm the public spirit.

4. Those who are involved in harsh matters cannot start on their own, even if they are very upright.

5. When doing things, you should keep your feet firmly on the ground and speak your mind at the same time.

6. Those who are involved in harsh matters cannot start on their own, even if they are very upright.

7. When doing things, you should keep your feet firmly on the ground and speak your mind at the same time.

8. There is no greater sin than being eager to make progress, no greater disaster than too much talk, no greater pain than not hearing, and no greater fault than shamelessness.

9. Those who get angry after hearing slander are the opportunity for slander. Those who rise to fame are like matchmakers. If there is no gap, go to the matchmaker, and the slander will be far away. ——Zeng Guofan

10. Accumulating good deeds in one’s body will only increase over time, but people don’t know it. Accumulated evil in the body is like fire burning away ointment, but no one can see it. Who can know this without knowing one's temperament or observing the customs?

Selected quotes from Zeng Guofan on life and work

1. Be content with joy and hardship.

2. The literati are rich and live in the market. Wealth can lead to poetry, but speaking of belongings brings shabbiness.

3. Don’t drink too much when you are worried, and don’t write notes when you are angry.

4. Peace can eliminate people’s resentment, and patience can drive away disaster stars.

5. Those who are good at observing others should observe themselves, and those who are good at observing themselves should observe their hearts.

6. To show respect with dignity is fake. To love in hiding is to be private.

7. Only those who can eat plain food can taste the strange smell, those who can cope with the noise of the city can travel to famous mountains, and those who can endure torture can achieve fame.

8. If a person who is not blessed enjoys his blessings too much, there will be sudden disaster. People who are always poor are worried about their poverty, and there will be unexpected worries.

9. When frustration comes, treat it with patience, so that you will not suffer from frustration. When things come to your mind, take them lightly so that you won't be confused by your worries.

10. If you eat a vegetarian diet, your breath will not be turbid; if you sleep alone, your spirit will not be turbid; if you sit in silence, your heart will not be turbid; if you read, your mouth will not be turbid.

11. It is advisable to taste the sweet, sour and bitter. Right and wrong, likes and dislikes are always decided by people. It is not easy to pass from death to life, so everyone should work hard to cultivate themselves.

12. Don’t blame others for their faults, but reflect on them silently. If there is something like this, the prime minister will regret it and change it quickly.

13. There are three things a scholar should not fight: no fighting with a gentleman for fame, no fighting with a villain for profit, and no fighting with heaven and earth for cleverness.

14. When traveling independently, you should not follow popular customs, but you must not be unsympathetic to resentments. Don't avoid trivial suspicions about high righteous matters, but you can't ignore them when they are tiring.

15. I often see those who praise themselves, only to be praised and ridiculed; I often see those who flatter others, only to be pleased, only to be despised.

16. When a gentleman lives in the world, he should do nothing to discuss, and do not expect others to praise him. He should do nothing to blame, and do not expect others to please him.

17. Jueluo can honor one’s body, but not one’s heart. Articles can be written about one's own body, but cannot be written about one's actions.

18. Fame, rank, wealth, sound and sex are all called desires, and they can all lead to death.

19. Be sincere without regrets, forgive without resentment, be harmonious without enmity, and endure without humiliation.

20. Those who are skillful in arguing are often contrary to the Tao, and those who are clumsy will inevitably be alienated. It is better to be alienated from the world than to go against the Tao.

Popular articles on Zeng Guofan’s famous sayings about life and work

1. Loose words go against the grain, and miscellaneous knowledge messes with one’s nature.

2. Contentment brings happiness, greed leads to worry.

3. Those who accumulate extensively will cause harm to their descendants; those who are sensual will ruin their lives.

4. The way to build a body is to be strong inside and soft outside; If there is no harmony, we cannot accept things, and if we are not strict, we cannot control them.

5. Improper eating and drinking is the cause of illness; improper thoughts and worries are the root of death.

6. People in ancient times cultivated themselves to avoid fame, but people today decorate themselves to gain reputation. Therefore, the ancients did not seize it when it came to a big event, but today people easily defend it when they see small gains.

7. A gentleman is loyal when he goes out, filial when he goes in, he is knowledgeable when he uses it, and he is foolish when he gives up.

8. Those with great wisdom and hard work will be crazy, while those with little strength will be overwhelmed by heavy responsibilities.

9. Good people cultivate virtue and bring good fortune to heaven. Evil people sow disaster and bring disaster later.

10. It is better to give false reputation to a villain than to listen to God. The wealth left behind by the descendants is not as urgent as the Zhou people.

11. Benefits can be obtained by all but not alone, and strategies can be gained by few but not by many. If you stand alone, you will lose; if you work together, you will be defeated.

12. If you ignore a thought, you will say the wrong thing and do the wrong thing.

13. The greater your self-esteem, the more you will see your inferiority.

14. Those who like to conquer others will never be able to conquer others. If they can conquer others, they will never be victorious.

15. A gentleman only does his best in human affairs, regardless of destiny, and destiny is in human affairs.

16. Those who are intelligent and agile should be knowledgeable.

17. There is no evil greater than the good that destroys others, and no virtue is greater than the injustice of white people.

18. Things can be defeated by haste, but success can be achieved by thinking slowly.

19. If you can be indifferent, you will have some true knowledge.

20. Just a small opinion can make everything impossible and lead to failure.