Keep carving and even metal and stone give way.
Xunzi, Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1)
What it means
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.
The source
"Keep carving and even metal and stone give way." Xunzi said it in Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1). Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.
"鍥而舍之，朽木不折；鍥而不舍，金石可鏤。"Original Chinese, Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1). Text read at zh.wikisource.org.
Who said it
Xunzi (c. 310-235 BC). 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.
Questions
- What does "Keep carving and even metal and stone give way." mean?
- 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.
- Who said "Keep carving and even metal and stone give way."?
- Xunzi (c. 310-235 BC). Source: Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1).
- What is the original Chinese?
- 鍥而舍之，朽木不折；鍥而不舍，金石可鏤。. Translated from the original Chinese by Spartan Surfers.
- Is "Keep carving and even metal and stone give way." on a shirt?
- Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.
Cite this line
"Keep carving and even metal and stone give way." (Xunzi, Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1), translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/keep-carving-and-even-metal-and-stone-give
Filed under Quotes about discipline and grit.
Wear it your way
The same line in every look it fits. Each one is printed to order on heavy cotton, same price.
Goes well with
A strong fire eats whatever you throw on it.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.1
from$44
What blocks the road helps you along it.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.20
from$44
Up. You were built for the work, not the blankets.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.1
from$44
Life is wrestling, not ballet. Stay braced.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.61
from$44
More from Xunzi
- Learning must never stop.Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1)
- Blue comes from indigo, yet it's bluer than indigo.Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1)
- No half steps, no thousand miles. No little streams, no sea.Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1)
- A slow horse goes the distance by never quitting.Xunzi, Encouraging Learning (ch. 1)
- The road may be short, but you won't arrive unless you walk.Xunzi, Self-Cultivation (ch. 2)