The Qing statesman Zeng Guofan kept warning his younger brothers against pride. In one letter, he wrote: “Pride that overrides others need not use words. Some override others with their air, and some with the look on their face.” His brother Wen had a brilliant air, he went on, but at times a rough, stubborn look, “and that most easily overrides people.”
In another letter, Zeng recalled his grandfather’s advice when he left for the capital: “Your talent is good, but you must not be proud.”