quote · Legacy record
All men are evil. The ruler should not tell his desires; for if he reveals his desires, ministers will put on a mask that pleases him. One the whole, the difficult thing about persuasion is to know the mind of the person one is trying to persuade and to be able to fit one’s words to it. The carpenter who makes coffins hopes that men die early. The carpenter has no feelings of hatred towards others; he merely stands to profit from their death. He who claims to be sure of something for which is no evidence is a fool, and he who acts on the basis of what cannot be proved is an impostor. Those who follow the ancient rules are either fools or impostors.
All men are evil. The ruler should not tell his desires; for if he reveals his desires, ministers will put on a mask that pleases him. One the whole, the difficult thing about persuasion is to know the mind of the person one is trying to persuade and to be able to fit one’s words to it. The carpenter who makes coffins hopes that men die early. The carpenter has no feelings of hatred towards others; he merely stands to profit from their death. He who claims to be sure of something for which is no evidence is a fool, and he who acts on the basis of what cannot be proved is an impostor. Those who follow the ancient rules are either fools or impostors.
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Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Han Feizi
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
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- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 1060; PDF page 120; printed attribution: Han Feizi or Han Fei Tzu
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.