Echoes of History: Words That Shook the World

What has moved you over the past five thousand years?

Was it King Huiwen of Qin, who said:

“Strength means survival. Weakness means ruin.”

Or Ying Zheng, who swept across the Six Kingdoms:

“By the Mandate of Heaven, may our rule endure forever!”

Was it Chen Sheng, defying fate with his cry:

“Are kings and nobles born to their stations?”

Or the words in the Book of Odes:

“All beneath Heaven is the king’s land; all who dwell within its bounds are the king’s subjects.”

Was it the bold declaration in the Book of Han:

“If the enemy can march out, so can I!”

Or Cao Cao’s longing for worthy men across the land:

“May the Duke of Zhou spit out his food to welcome the wise, and all under Heaven turn their hearts to us.”

Was it Zhao Kuangyin’s words:

“How can we allow another man to sleep soundly beside our bed?”

Or Yue Fei’s:

“The shame of Jingkang remains unavenged; when will the hatred of a subject be erased?”

Was it Zhu Yuanzhang’s vow:

“Rid the land of a century of calamity, subdue the warlords of north and south, proclaim it before Heaven and Earth, and found the Great Ming with the Hongwu reign title.”

Was it the pledge:

“To establish the heart of Heaven and Earth, secure the lives of the people, continue the lost teachings of the sages, and bring peace to all generations.”

Or the wish:

“How I long for a thousand, ten thousand spacious halls, to shelter all the poor scholars under Heaven and fill their faces with joy.”

So, do you understand now?

Why the road through these millennia moves the heart so deeply.