Mencius said, "He who exerts his mind to the utmost knows his nature. He who knows his nature knows Heaven. To preserve one’s mind and to nourish one's nature is the way to serve Heaven. Not to allow any double-mindedness regardless of longevity or brevity of life but to cultivate one's person and wait for [destiny (ming: fate, Heaven’s decree or mandate) to take its own course] is the way to fulfill one’s destiny.

(Meng-tzu)