MANILA, Philippines?Here are gems of wisdom from the Chinese to bring light into our lives:

A man of talent but without principle is inferior to a simpleton with principle.

Rice obtained by crooked means will not boil up into good food.

A speck of rat's waste spoils a whole pot of rice.

Hungry and pure

Better to be hungry and pure than full and corrupt.

He who rides in a chair is a man; he who carries it is also a man.

Hasty weaving produces ill-quality cloth; a girl who marries in haste has a fool for a husband.

A man can't be known by his looks, nor can the sea be measured by a basket.

Money comes like soil picked up with a pin, but it goes like sand washed away by water.

Long roads test horses; long dealings test friendship.

Though starving to death, do not steal; though annoyed to death, do not file a lawsuit.

Be able to say to his face what you say behind his back.

If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words.

Words once released can't be recaptured by the swiftest horses.

Slander can't destroy an honest man; when the flood recedes, the rock appears!