Qingfeng | Great achievements come from ambition, extensive work comes from diligence

"Great achievements come from great ambition, and broad enterprises come from diligence" is from the Book of Documents, Zhou Shu. It means that to establish great achievements, one must have great ambitions; to accomplish great undertakings, one must be diligent and hardworking.

　　Ambition and diligence: ambition is the direction, diligence is the path. Whether a country wants to achieve development or an individual wants to succeed in their career, two conditions must be met: first, to set ambitions; second, to be diligent. Setting ambitions is the premise, diligence is the guarantee. Without ambition, one cannot go far; without diligence, it is difficult to succeed. Throughout history, those who have achieved anything were always people who dared to set great ambitions.

　　The importance of "ambition" in life has been emphasized countless times by the ancients. Su Shi said in "On Chao Cuo": "Those who established great undertakings in ancient times not only had extraordinary talents but also had firm and unyielding ambition." Wang Yangming, from the perspective of personal conduct, affirmed the impact of ambition on personal career: "Without ambition, nothing in the world can be accomplished." He also said: "Without ambition, it is like a boat without a rudder, a horse without reins, drifting and running wildly, ultimately going nowhere." If a person does not set lofty ambitions, it is like a boat without a rudder or a horse without reins; although drifting and moving, it will eventually lose the meaning of moving forward due to lack of direction.

　　When setting ambitions, one should set great and far-reaching ambitions, able to climb high, see far, and think deeply. Zhuge Liang said in "Admonition to Nephew": "One's ambition should be lofty and far-reaching, admiring the sages, renouncing desires, discarding stagnation, so that the humble ambition is clearly established and deeply felt." A person should establish lofty ideals, admire the sages, control desires, remove worldly thoughts that weigh on the heart, establish their lofty ambitions, and constantly use them to motivate themselves. Hong Yingming of the Ming Dynasty said in "Vegetable Roots Discourse": "If one does not take a step higher in life, it is like shaking dust off clothes or washing feet in mud—how can one transcend and reach far?" This especially emphasizes the importance of setting lofty ambitions, persevering in adversity, and steadily moving toward higher goals through consistent actions.

　　Having lofty ambitions, one must also persist in diligent effort. "Standing at the top of a hundred-foot pole is not difficult; with diligence, nothing in the world is difficult." "There is a path up the mountain of books through diligence." "A gentleman works diligently all day and remains vigilant at night." "Heaven rewards diligence." "People's livelihood depends on diligence; with diligence, there is no shortage." Therefore, lofty ambitions are a good start and half of success, but only half; whether one can complete it diligently is the other half.

　　Zeng Guofan can be said to be a representative of "diligence." He claimed that in his youth he was "extremely ignorant," not naturally talented, even lagging behind others, relying entirely on unyielding diligence and down-to-earth persistence to accumulate strength and achieve success. Zeng Guofan said that officials should have "five diligences": "First, diligence of the body: personally verify dangerous and distant roads; personally experience hardships. Second, diligence of the eyes: carefully observe every person met; repeatedly review every document received. Third, diligence of the hands: pick up things easily discarded; record things easily forgotten. Fourth, diligence of the mouth: mutually admonish colleagues; repeatedly instruct subordinates. Fifth, diligence of the heart: where sincerity reaches, even metal and stone can be opened; where hard thinking accumulates, even spirits and gods respond."

　　"Where there is ambition, things will be accomplished; breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats, the 120 Qin passes finally belonged to Chu; the persevering person is not forsaken by heaven; enduring hardships and tasting gall, the 3,000 Yue soldiers can swallow Wu." Pu Songling's words best explain ambition and diligence. On the new journey of the new era, the vast number of party members and cadres should set lofty ambitions, hold the "ambition to serve the country" in their hearts, build a rock-solid belief, maintain a calm attitude toward fame and fortune, achieve dreams through struggle, create a better future, and write a new chapter for the new era.

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