c. 310-235 BC
Xunzi
Confucian thinker who held that human nature has to be shaped by effort and learning. His essay Encouraging Learning is one of the great defenses of steady practice.
Every line we carry
Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.
- Learning must never stop.
Xunzi opens his whole book with this. There is no point at which you are finished getting better. Keep studying long after anyone requires it.
Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1), our translation from the Chinese
- Blue comes from indigo, yet it's bluer than indigo.
The dye is extracted from the plant and ends up deeper than its source, just as ice ends up colder than the water it came from. Students can surpass their teachers. Where you start does not limit where you finish.
Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1), our translation from the Chinese
- No half steps, no thousand miles. No little streams, no sea.
Every great distance is made of short strides, and every sea is made of small streams. Big results are accumulations. Respect the small daily step.
Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1), our translation from the Chinese
- A slow horse goes the distance by never quitting.
The champion horse cannot cover ten paces in one leap, but a plodding horse that keeps going for ten days gets there. Talent is a head start; persistence is the finish. Be the horse that does not stop.
Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1), our translation from the Chinese
- Keep carving and even metal and stone give way.
Give up and you can't even cut rotten wood; keep at it and you can engrave metal. The material matters less than whether you stop. Stay on the work.
Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1), our translation from the Chinese
- The road may be short, but you won't arrive unless you walk.
Even a small task stays undone until someone does it. Knowing the way is not the same as going. Take the first step today.
Xunzi, Self-Cultivation (ch. 2), our translation from the Chinese