"I hate luxury. I exercise moderation… It will be easy to forget your vision and purpose once you have fine clothes, fast horses and beautiful women. [In which case], you will be no better than a slave…"

"Heaven grew weary of the excessive pride and luxury of China... I am from the Barbaric North. I wear the same clothing and eat the same food as the cowherds and horse-herders."

"Man's highest joy is in victory: to conquer one's enemies, to pursue them, to deprive them of their possessions, to make their beloved ones weep, to ride on their horses, and to embrace their wives an…"

"The justification for my actions lies in the will of Heaven."

"The people who abandon their traditions are like the trees that lose their roots."