To draw near the worthy and distance the petty -- this is why the Former Han flourished. To draw near the petty and distance the worthy -- this is why the Later Han declined.
親賢臣、遠小人、此先漢所以興隆也。親小人、遠賢臣、此後漢所以傾頽也。
Military Strategists
Zhuge Liang
The legendary chancellor and military strategist of the Shu Han kingdom during China's Three Kingdoms period (3rd century CE). Zhuge Liang's mastery of logistics, diplomacy, and psychological warfare — combined with unwavering loyalty to a doomed cause — made him the archetype of the brilliant advisor in East Asian culture.
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Zhuge Liang's Other Quotes
Related Quotes
Youth on horseback has passed. The world is at peace and white hairs multiply. With what remains of life that heaven permits, how can I not enjoy it?
-- Date Masamune
Wisdom that comes only after hearing others' opinions is not true wisdom.
-- Toyotomi Hideyoshi
People are the castle, people are the walls, people are the moat. Compassion makes allies; cruelty makes enemies.
-- Takeda Shingen
Without first establishing internal governance, there can be no external campaigns.
-- Ōkubo Toshimichi
Governance must be clean and transparent.
-- Ōkubo Toshimichi
A man who wants neither life, nor fame, nor rank, nor money — such a man is the hardest to deal with.
-- Saigō Takamori