My learning is different from that of others in the fact that with me every word comes spontaneously. Although I have uttered tens of thousands of words, they all are expressions of what is within me, and nothing more has been added. Recently someone has commented of me that aside from [Mencius'] saying, "First build up the nobler part of your nature” (1) I had nothing clever. When I heard this, I said, "Very true indeed."

(Lu Hsiang Shan)