Against Servile Speech
A person of true worth neither bows nor swaggers. Consider Wen Tianxiang, a scholar-official during the Song Dynasty. When Mongol forces invaded, he sold his property, raised 30,000 volunteers, and marched against an overwhelming enemy. Someone scoffed, "A lamb fighting a tiger?" He replied, "If my country cries for help and I do nothing, how can I live with myself?" Eventually captured, he refused every offer of amnesty, preferring death to dishonor. His famous couplet endures: "No one since time began but ends his days; let my red heart shine through the pages of history."
In modern times, we often face pressure to flatter or to cringe. But remember: true dignity doesn't depend on wealth or status. It lives in the quiet strength of standing upright. Speak neither with arrogance nor with groveling—let your words reflect your inner worth.
Stand like bamboo: hollow yet unbreakable. Flow like water: soft yet relentless.