I used to see a post on Tianya. The title was very arrogant—called (One year is worth ten years).

I thought it was just another success-story cliché. But when I clicked in, I found the author kept repeating a few lines from (The Discourses on Salt and Iron).

Things from thousands of years ago—when you look at them today, they’re somehow still not outdated.

The first sentence is the most brutal.

Wealth lies in understanding numbers and methods, not in hard labor.

In plain terms, wealth depends on the means of production, not on physical strength.

Ordinary people sell time, while bosses buy time. You only have 24 hours a day—no matter how hard you push, it’s still hard to create a real breakthrough.

The second sentence is also very realistic.

First eat your fill, then talk about refinement; first settle down, then discuss poetry and distant places.

Many people don’t see their income rise, but their spending upgrades first. They use installment plans to live the future early, only to end up mortgaging the future to the present.

In the third sentence, I think the most valuable part is there.

The greater the ambition, the farther one thinks; with far-reaching thoughts comes an outlook toward what’s near.

A truly capable person isn’t someone who keeps watching money; it’s someone who focuses on solving problems.

The more you stare at money, the harder it is for money to come.

The more you try to fill in the holes for others, the money will flow along the path of those holes instead.

But among the six sentences, I like the last one the most.

If clothes are missing what they need and not mended, they grow worse day by day; if a house leaks and isn’t sealed, it will only worsen and grow day by day.

The greatest trouble in life is often not an unexpected disaster.

Instead, it’s those little habits you clearly know are wrong, yet you always think you’ll fix them tomorrow.

Staying up late, procrastinating, impulse spending, and bad moods.

They’re like small holes in your clothes.

If you don’t mend it today, it’s still a hole tomorrow.

It’s only when you notice it that you realize it has already split into a gap.

Many people think changing your life requires something earth-shattering.

Actually, real change usually only needs a very foolish beginning.

For now, put down your phone.

First, do two push-ups.

Two is enough.

Because a clumsy, awkward start often already beats ten thousand times of beautiful daydreaming.