I always tell my kids, 'If you're going to do something, do it well. And if you're not going to do it well, don't do it at all.'

Anything you say before the word “but” does not count.

我们曾有过残暴的国王，也有过愚蠢的国王。但我真不知道是造了什么孽才有了这有一个又残暴又愚蠢的国王。

充分发挥人的天性禀赋，发挥得越多越好：运用天性去穷究物理，极尽智力，通达自然，思惟神妙，造就豁达的胸怀和高洁的品德；尽量压抑人的情感欲望，遏制到越少越好：管束自己去谨慎说话，持重办事，约束自身，心地高洁，还要节衣缩食并减少情欲和嗜好。