Han Feizi Quotes

No country is permanently strong. Nor is any country permanently weak. (國無常强無常弱)

Past and Present have different customs; new and old adopt different measures. To try to use the ways of a generous and lenient government to rule the people of a critical age is like trying to drive a runaway horse without using reins or whip.

Flatterers: "He who knows how to flatter also knows how to slander." — Napoleon Flattery: Diplomats must have no delusions of grandeur, but they should know how to induce them in others. Flattery: "Flattery pleases very generally. In the first place, the flatterer may think what he says to be true; but, in the second place, whether he thinks so or not, he certainly thinks those whom he flatters of consequence enough to be flattered." — Samuel Johnson Flattery, influence through: "Praise other men whose deeds are like those of the person you are talking to; commend other actions which are based on the same policies as his. If there is someone else who is guilty of the same vice he is, be sure to gloss over it by showing that it really does no great harm; if there is someone else who has suffered the same failure he has, be sure to defend it by demonstrating that it is not a loss after all. If he prides himself on his physical prowess, do not antagonize him by mentioning the difficulties he has encountered in the past; if he consider himself an expert at making decisions, do not anger him by pointing out his past errors; if he pictures himself a sagacious planner, do not tax him with his failures. Make sure that there is nothing in your ideas as a whole that will vex your listener, and nothing about your words that will rub him the wrong way, and then you may exercise your powers of rhetoric to the fullest. This is the way to gain the confidence and intimacy of the person you are addressing and to make sure you are able to say all you have to say without incurring his suspicion." — Han Feizi, as translated by Burton Watson [誉异人与同行者，规异事与同计者。有与同污者，则必以大饰其无伤也；有与同败者，则必以明饰其无失也。彼自多其力，则毋以其难概之也；自勇其断，则无以其谪怒之；自智其计，则毋以其败穷之。大意无所拂悟，辞言无所系縻，然后极骋智辩焉，此道所得亲近不疑而得尽辞也。——《韩非子·说难》]

Foreign affairs, annoyance of: Foreign affairs often strike governments, especially those of large nations, as an annoyance which is to be evaded rather than addressed, but such annoyances are unavoidable and must, in the end, be addressed. Foreign affairs, temptation of: "Each ruler says, 'By attending to foreign affairs I can perhaps become a king, and if not I will at least ensure security for myself'. ... Neither power or order, however, can be sought abroad — they are wholly a matter of internal government. ... If the ruler does not apply the proper laws and procedures within his state, but stakes all on the wisdom of his foreign policy, his state will never become powerful and well ordered." — Han Feizi, as translated by Burton Watson [皆曰“外事大可以王，小可以安。”[...]治强不可责于外，内政之有也。今不行法术于内，而事智于外，则不至于治强矣。——《韩非子·五蠹》]

Persuasion: "On the whole, the difficult thing about persuading others is not that one lacks the knowledge needed to state his case nor the audacity to exercise his abilities to the full. On 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 important thing in persuasion is to learn how to play up the aspects that the person you are talking to is proud of and to play down the aspects he is ashamed of. Thus, if the person has some urgent personal desire, you should show him that it is his public duty to carry it out and urge him not to delay. If he has some mean objective in mind and yet cannot restrain himself, you should do your best to point out to him whatever admirable aspects it may have and to minimize reprehensible ones. If he has some lofty objective in mind and yet does not have the ability needed to realize it, you should do your best to point out to him the faults and bad aspects of such an objective and make it seem a virtue not to pursue it. If he is anxious to make a show of wisdom and ability, mention several proposals which are different from the one you have in mind but of the same general nature in order to supply him with ideas; then let him build on your words, but pretend that you are unaware that he is doing so, and this way abet his wisdom. If you wish to urge a policy of peaceful coexistence, then be sure to expound in terms of lofty ideals, but also hint that it is commensurate with the ruler's personal interests. If you wish to warn the ruler against dangerous and injurious policies, then make a show of the fact that they invite reproach and moral censure, but also hint that they are inimical to his personal interests." — Han Feizi, as translated by Burton Watson [cf. 《韩非子·说难》：凡说之难，非吾知之有以说之之难也，又非吾辩之能明吾意之难也，又非吾敢横失而能尽之难也。凡说之难，在知所说之心，可以吾说当之。……凡说之务，在知饰所说之所矜而灭其所耻。彼有私急也，必以公义示而强之。其意有下也，然而不能已，说者因为之饰其美而少其不为也。其心有高也，而实不能及，说者为之㪯其过而见其恶，而多其不行也。有欲矜以智能，则为之㪯异事之同类者，多为之地，使之资说于我，而佯不知也以资其智。欲内相存之言，则必以美名明之，而微见其合于私利也。欲陈危害之事，则显其毁诽而微见其合于私患也。 see also, Flattery, influence through] Persuasion, bargaining and: Persuasion generally precedes bargaining in negotiations. Persuasion differs from bargaining in that it represents an effort to bring the other side to an acceptance, through appeals to reason or emotion, of the reasons that your demands are so important to you and of your views of why their demands are excessive, unacceptable, and contrary to their own interest. Bargaining is characterized by conditional offers, threats, and inducements intended to promote acceptance of proposals for compromise and a trade-off between competing interests. Placement: The art of seating guests in such a manner as to recognize their status and order of precedence, and to please rather than enrage or bore them.