Famous and down-to-earth aphorisms

1. The steps are built layer by layer, and the current reality is the foundation of future ideals. If you only think about the future and don't start from the near reality, you will have no foundation and it will become an illusion. ——Xu Teli

2. If a person does not do it down-to-earth, then everything he hopes for will be in vain. ---Moluwa

3. To think, you must be ambitious; to work, you must be down-to-earth. ——Myanmar

4. The greatest admiration we can express for the truth is to fulfill it down-to-earth. --- Emerson

5. If you want your children to always be down-to-earth, you must let them take some responsibility. ---Bunyan

6. If a person does not do it down-to-earth, then everything he hopes for will come to nothing. ——French writer Molois

7. Whoever lives a down-to-earth life will love sincerely. --- I.B. Browning

8. The greatest admiration we can express for the truth is to fulfill it down-to-earth. ——American writer Emerson

9. The trick to learning a lot is not to learn a lot all at once. ---Locke

10. People learn something every day, and what they often learn is that what they learned yesterday is wrong. --B.V

11. Throughout the ages, those who have accomplished careers and made a difference to mankind are all the result of down-to-earth climbing. ——Qian Sanqiang

12. Only by having lofty ideals and comprehensive plans on the narrow basis of the current reality; by taking step-by-step actions, thinking of the great future and moving forward steadily and down-to-earth can we achieve something. ——Xu Teli

13. Everything must be done in a down-to-earth manner. Do not indulge in daydreams or false claims, but work hard with an attitude of seeking truth. If you study with this attitude, you can understand the truth, and if you work with this attitude, you can achieve success. ——Li Dazhao

14. A person is most afraid of being dishonest. The most valuable thing for young people is an honest style. "Honest" means not deceiving oneself and others. It is easy not to deceive others, but the most difficult thing is not to deceive oneself. "Honest" "Style" means being down-to-earth and not taking advantage. Nothing is cheap in the world, and whoever wants to take advantage will suffer. ——Chinese revolutionist and educator Xu Teli

15. To study, you must have courage, vision, and perseverance. The two words of courage and knowledge are inseparable. To be knowledgeable, you must dare to have your own opinions, even if they are temporarily different from the previous ones. It doesn’t matter if people are different. If my predecessors can convince me, it’s because they were right. But if my predecessors can’t convince me, it’s because they are wrong. People’s hearts are as different as their faces. We must be down-to-earth and don’t sacrifice ourselves to follow others’ advice. ——Contemporary scholar and litterateur Lin Yutang "On Reading"

Extended information:

Source (Song Dynasty) Volume 18 of Shao Bowen's "Wen Jian Qian Lu".

Definition: Keep your feet firmly on the ground and work steadily. It is a metaphor for being down-to-earth and conscientious in doing things, with a simple style, not frivolous or opportunistic.

Historical Allusions

Sima Guang, a famous politician, thinker and historian in the Northern Song Dynasty, was smart, alert and courageous since he was a child, and was deeply loved by people around him. Once, Sima Guang was playing with several friends, and one of the friends slipped and fell into the tank.

The other friends were dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do. You looked at me and I looked at you, and they were all so scared that they cried. Sima Guang was the only one who remained calm in the face of danger. He picked up the stone next to him and threw it at the vat. The vat was broken and the water flowed out with a "swish" sound, and the little friend was saved.

Sima Guang, who studied hard, passed the Jinshi examination before he was 20 years old. During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty, he had been promoted to the post of Tianzhang Pavilion Standing Committee and also known as the Admonition Court. In the third year of Emperor Yingzong's rule in the Song Dynasty (1066 AD), Sima Guang began to work on the chronicle of history - "Tongzhi". It took him 19 years to complete this masterpiece. After the book was completed, Song Shenzong was very happy and named the book "Zizhi Tongjian".

Sima Guang was rigorous and meticulous in his scholarship. He always maintained this style of scholarship during the 19 years he wrote "Zi Zhi Tong Jian".

For this, not only Sima Guang's friends admired him, but even his political enemy Wang Anshi was deeply impressed.

Shao Yong was a scholar contemporary with Sima Guang. This old gentleman was indifferent to fame and fortune, and refused to serve as an official in the court throughout his life. He refused appointments from the court many times. He devoted his whole life to studying "The Book of Changes" and wrote many works, the most famous of which is "Emperor's Classics". Shao Yong and Sima Guang had a close relationship. They often commented on government affairs and exchanged knowledge together.

When they were in Luoyang, Sima Guang, Shao Yong, Wen Yanbo, Lu Gongzhu and others often gathered together. Everyone knew that Shao Yong was very good at observation and had considerable research on physiognomy, so they all asked him for advice. , ask him to talk about himself. Shao Yong said to Wen Yanbo: "You have a good face, and you are a kind-hearted person with a bit of a temper."

Sima Guang became interested after hearing this, and asked: "Sir, I am What kind of person are you?" Shao Yong said without hesitation: "You are a down-to-earth person!" After hearing this, Sima Guang couldn't help but sigh: "Shao Yong is the only one who knows me!"

Reference: Down-to-earth person! (Four-character idiom)_Baidu Encyclopedia