greatest wisdom book

Chapter 49 Independence: Continuous Enrichment of Self 1
Book Two, The Prince

Machiavelli delved into history with loyalty, and wrote this world-renowned book dedicated to the monarch he was loyal to.His point of view is that as a monarch, if he wants to succeed, he must know how to accumulate his own strength and rely on his own strength and means to gain status.He believes that the monarch needs to imitate the fox and the lion, with the cunning of the fox and the bravery of the lion.

Because of the repeated references to unscrupulous methods in the book, "The Prince" was once called the Bible of evil.But we cannot deny that the book also provides people with some life skills and wisdom.It may be extreme or dark, but some points of view express the truth of life. Reading "The Prince", people will never gain less than what they lose.

Machiavelli made "political theory" get rid of morality, and took "power" as the basis of law, thus opening a new page in the history of political thought.His political thinking also represents the birth of a new way of thinking.

——Marx, statesman, philosopher, and revolutionary theorist

Machiavelli claimed to be giving lectures to the monarch, but in fact he was giving lectures to the people.

—Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French Enlightenment thinker

Machiavelli studies political actions as the chemist studies chemical reactions... He looks at them with the coolness and composure of a scientist.He prescribes political medicine.

- German philosopher Ernst Cahill
If we admit that we tend to agree with the old idea that Machiavelli teaches evil, we shall not be alarmist: we will only expose ourselves to honest or almost harmless sarcasm.

- German philosopher Leo Strauss
The second Chapter 1 Independent Journal: Constantly Enriching Yourself 1
Parasitic crabs can stretch their teeth and claws, but they have no ability to survive; soft earthworms are fragile, but they can always live for a long time.The survival philosophy of animals has given people countless enlightenments, and the most profound enlightenment is: all creatures that can last from generation to generation must be independent and self-reliant, relying on their own strength to survive.The same is true for people, constantly enrich themselves and strive for self-improvement, our destiny will be subdued by us.

Run with the big guys
A wise man should always trace the paths of great men, and imitate those who have become the most excellent.In this way, even if one's ability is not as strong as theirs, at least one will have a bit of style.He is to act like those wise archers who, when they feel that the object they want to shoot seem too far away, and know the limits of their bow power, they aim a little higher than the target, not trying to put their own The arrow shoots that high, but hopes that by aiming that high, he will be able to hit where he wants to shoot.

——"Chapter 6 A New Monarchy Acquired by Your Own Strength"

Great men are universally welcomed and admired forever, and their excellence is always admired and imitated, because men also want to be such excellent men.Great people can live life to the fullest, get the greatest happiness and satisfaction, and live a successful and exciting life. Their superiority seems to be a blessing from God, but in fact there are great personal reasons.Originally, a good life is not exclusive to them, but something that each of us can have, but we are not yet familiar with some successful methods, and with their outstanding personality, quality, ideas and methods, they make success in the world within reach of them.

Life is a sea journey to open up a new sea route. Sooner or later, everyone must stand at the helmsman's position and drive a life-long boat into the vast sea.Is it to ride the wind and waves, or to go slowly; is it to sail against the current, or to go downstream?The choice of each ship is different, and the voyage of life is also different, and the results are also different.There are turbulent waves, deadly reefs, squalls, and undercurrents in the sea. The voyage of life cannot be smooth sailing for anyone.If we have a map of the voyage at the beginning, before we have experienced all the troubles, it will at least reduce the danger of the journey by half.This voyage map is the excellent characters we follow, and their various experiences and ways of doing things provide us with practical voyages.

The reason why great people are great must have their excellence.We can take a comprehensive look at the outstanding monarchs, politicians, scientists, writers, artists, etc. in the history of China and foreign countries. Except for a certain aspect of talent, the remaining common characteristics are the desire for achievement, steely will, eternal determination and Humble spirit.

Several figures in Western history, such as Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, and Theseus, were admired by many people for their character and spirit.Moses is the founder of Judaism, Cyrus is the most outstanding ruler of the Persian Empire, Romulus is the founder of ancient Rome, and Theseus is the great hero of Athens.Let's first take a look at what is so special about Theseus's legendary life.

There is an old proverb in Athens: There is nothing that Theseus has not done.Theseus was the son of Agis, King of Athens, and spent his youth in his mother's hometown (a city in southern Greece).It can be said that Theseus is the romantic debt of Agis outside.When Theseus grew up, he had excellent physical fitness and a lively personality. He wanted to become a great hero, and the sooner the better.His mind was filled with images of Heracles, the hero of all Greece.Hercules is a hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus.

Theseus decided to leave his hometown and go to Athens to find his way to success.If he chose to take a boat, he would avoid many dangers, but Theseus chose to go by land, and he had to face a large number of bandits.Along the way, Theseus killed all the robbers he passed, defended justice everywhere, eliminated evil and punished rape.It is conceivable how the Greeks warmly praised this young man who eradicated poisonous insects.When Theseus arrived in Athens, he was already a recognized hero and invited to the king's banquet.

But Agis didn't know that Theseus was his son at the moment. Instead, he was worried that Theseus's public influence would surpass his own, so he wanted to poison him.It wasn't until Theseus took out the saber that Agis left to his mother that Agis recognized him and prevented the tragedy from happening in time.After that, Theseus became a prince loved by the people of Athens.But Theseus's life could not be so peaceful.It turned out that King Minos, the powerful ruler of Crete at that time, was attacking the Kingdom of Athens, because his only son Rogers died in Athens.The reason is that Agis once asked Logis to kill a mino bull monster that was roaming around. Unexpectedly, the Mino bull killed Logis instead.

After Minos captured Athens, he claimed that he would raze the place to the ground, unless Athens would pay him 7 pairs of boys and girls every nine years as sacrifices to the Minoan bulls.At this time, Theseus took the initiative to ask to be one of the tributes. Everyone respected his dedication and virtue, but no one knew that he actually wanted to kill the mino bull.Theseus was extremely brave. Not only did he plan to kill the Mino bull, but he also got the favor of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos. They boarded a ship and eloped together, sailing to Athens.On the way back, Ariadne died unfortunately, and Theseus had to return to his country and became king.

The excellence of Theseus must be obvious. The desire for achievement, iron will, eternal determination and humble spirit, except for the fourth point, which is slightly weak, he absolutely possesses the other three points.Theseus regards Hercules as an idol and regards him as a lifelong mentor, which is enough to prove that even great people have idols, and regard surpassing them as their goal.

To become a man of great achievement, it seems inevitable to trace the paths of great men.The old Chinese saying "take history as a mirror" also contains this meaning.So, start now and set yourself a great goal to emulate.

(End of this chapter)