This sentence is: Don’t do good deeds because they are small, and don’t do evil deeds because they are small.

These are the words in Liu Bei’s posthumous edict to his son Liu Chan before his death. They come from the biography of Liu Bei written by Chen Shou of the Western Jin Dynasty, "Three Kingdoms·Shu Shu·Biography of the First Lord". The original text is as follows:

My initial illness was diarrhea, but later it became complicated with other illnesses, and I was almost unable to help myself. When a man is fifty, he is not called young, and he is more than sixty years old. He no longer hates himself, and no longer hurts himself, but he thinks of his brothers. When Lord She arrived, he said that the Prime Minister sighed that your intelligence had greatly improved, which was beyond expectation. If you can do this, why should I worry? Encourage it, encourage it! Do not do evil because it is small, and do not do good because it is small.

Only virtuous and virtuous, able to obey others. Your father has a weak virtue, so don’t imitate him. You can read the Han Dynasty and the Book of Rites, and take some time to look at the books of the Masters, Liu Tao and Shang Jun, which will benefit people's mind and wisdom. I heard that the prime minister had finished writing Shen, Han, Guanzi, and Liu Tao. If it was not sent, the Tao was dead. You can update it yourself and seek to hear it.

Vernacular translation: I just had a little dysentery at first, but later I got other diseases. I'm afraid it will be difficult to save myself. A person who dies at the age of fifty cannot be called a premature death. I am already over sixty, so what do I have to regret? So I don’t feel sentimental about myself anymore, I just miss you brothers. Mr. Sheyuan came and said that the Prime Minister (Zhuge Liang) was amazed at your wisdom and magnanimity. You have made great progress, far better than he expected.

If this is really the case, then I have nothing to worry about! Work hard, work hard! Don't do bad things because they are small, and don't avoid doing good things because they are small. Only with talent and noble moral character can you convince others. Your father and I are not very virtuous, so don’t imitate me. You can learn from the Prime Minister, treat him like your father, don't slack off! Don't forget! Let your brothers know too! Be sure to remember!

Extended information

The purpose of Liu Bei's sentence is to encourage his son to cultivate morality and make a difference. Don't not do good things because they are small, and don't do bad things because they are small. Small good deeds accumulated in large quantities will become great good deeds that benefit the world, while small evil deeds accumulated in large quantities will be "enough to disrupt the country."

This sentence talks about the principle of life. As long as it is good, no matter how small it is, you must have the courage to do it; as long as it is "evil", no matter how small it is, you must not do it. These words deserve to be remembered by the world. It is not difficult for a person to do a good deed. What is difficult is to do good deeds all his life. Small acts of kindness and effort do not require us to pay much, but they can earn respect, praise, and even convey virtue and promote positive energy.

The philosophy embodied: the philosophy of quantitative change to qualitative change.

Good things should start from small things, and if they add up, they can become big things; bad things should also be prevented from small things, otherwise they will add up to big things. Therefore, don’t not do good things just because they are small, and don’t do bad things just because they are small. Materialist dialectics tells us that the development of things is caused by quantitative changes leading to qualitative changes. The reason why these two sentences are correct is that they are consistent with this objective truth. "

Baidu Encyclopedia-Don't do evil because it's small, don't do good because it's small