--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not difficult to govern. All one…" description: "\"It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.\" — Mencius" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/mencius-3576_difficult_it-is-not-difficult-to-govern-all-one-ha_899192.png" --- # It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to… ![“It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.” quote by Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/mencius-3576_difficult_it-is-not-difficult-to-govern-all-one-ha_899192.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/mencius-3576_difficult_it-is-not-difficult-to-govern-all-one-ha_899192.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/mencius-3576_difficult_it-is-not-difficult-to-govern-all-one-ha_899192.png) > “It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.” [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good governance requires avoiding conflict with powerful elites rather than complex policies. **In simple terms:** Rule by keeping nobles satisfied. Key Takeaway Prioritize harmony with influential groups. Themes politics leadership conflict avoidance Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical political When to use this quote - court politics - modern corporate leadership - policy making - diplomacy Key Concepts Confucianism social hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders balance fairness with appeasing elites? - What risks arise from prioritizing elite interests? A Different Perspective Assumes nobles will always be reasonable; power can be abused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) ## Related quotes > [People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/people-are-difficult-to-govern-because-they-have-too-much-knowledge/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“The people are difficult to govern because of the (excessive) agency of their superiors (in governing them).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-people-are-difficult-to-govern-because-of-the-excessive-agency-of/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [Judgments that give an impression that we can disregard the Constitution for political expediency, or to solve what we regard as current problems, set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-zuma/judgments-that-give-an-impression-that-we-can-disregard-the/) [Jacob Zuma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-zuma/) > [Finally, I want to make the point that we are Republicans. We are the majority. It is going to be a little more difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kingston/finally-i-want-to-make-the-point-that-we-are-republicans-we-are-the/) [Jack Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kingston/) > [There are two types of television: the first makes the intelligent more difficult to govern, and the second makes the dumb easier to govern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-guehenno/there-are-two-types-of-television-the-first-makes-the-intelligent/) [Jean Guehenno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-guehenno/) > [Those that govern most make least noise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/those-that-govern-most-make-least-noise/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) > [In the White House, you can be on the pitcher's mound or you can be in the catcher's position. Put points on the board.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/in-the-white-house-you-can-be-on-the-pitcher-s-mound-or-you-can-be-in/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [If Rob Ford decided he wanted to run for the Liberal Party in 2015, we'd say, 'No, sorry, the way you approach things, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-trudeau/if-rob-ford-decided-he-wanted-to-run-for-the-liberal-party-in-2015-we/) [Justin Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-trudeau/) > [It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. Do not ever let anyone claim to be a true American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-impossible-to-rightly-govern-the-world-without-god-and-the/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [It is the stars, The stars above us, govern our conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/it-is-the-stars-the-stars-above-us-govern-our-conditions/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [They that govern the most make the least noise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/they-that-govern-the-most-make-the-least-noise/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) > [“An anarchist government somehow creates an impression in the hearts of citizens that no one cares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-anarchist-government-somehow-creates-an-impression-in-the-hearts/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [You should govern not by partisanship, but by leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-faulconer/you-should-govern-not-by-partisanship-but-by-leadership/) [Kevin Faulconer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-faulconer/) > [All power corrupts but some must govern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/all-power-corrupts-but-some-must-govern/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [The only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-harrison/the-only-legitimate-right-to-govern-is-an-express-grant-of-power-from/) [William Henry Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-harrison/) ## More by Mencius > [The fruit of humanity is devotion to one's parents. The fruit of righteousness is to respect one's elders. The fruit of wisdom is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-fruit-of-humanity-is-devotion-to-one-s-parents-the-fruit-of/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [People are eager to comment on something when they themselves are not in the situation of doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/people-are-eager-to-comment-on-something-when-they-themselves-are-not/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [Truth uttered before its time is dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/truth-uttered-before-its-time-is-dangerous/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [Only when someone refuses to do certain things will he be capable of doing great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/only-when-someone-refuses-to-do-certain-things-will-he-be-capable-of/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [The disease of men is that they neglect their own fields and go to weed the fields of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-disease-of-men-is-that-they-neglect-their-own-fields-and-go-to/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [People can have a long-term life plan only if they know their private property is secure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/people-can-have-a-long-term-life-plan-only-if-they-know-their-private/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [Is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst? Men's minds are also injured by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/is-it-only-the-mouth-and-belly-which-are-injured-by-hunger-and-thirst/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [Mankind fears an evil man but heaven does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/mankind-fears-an-evil-man-but-heaven-does-not/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [Water indeed will flow indifferently to the east or west, but will it flow indifferently up or down? The tendency of our nature to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/water-indeed-will-flow-indifferently-to-the-east-or-west-but-will-it/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [When the men of antiquity realized their wishes, benefits were conferred by them on the people. If they did not realize their wishes, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/when-the-men-of-antiquity-realized-their-wishes-benefits-were/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [If the King loves music, it is well with the land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/if-the-king-loves-music-it-is-well-with-the-land/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [The poor attend to their own virtue in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-poor-attend-to-their-own-virtue-in-solitude/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [There is the work of great men and there is the work of little men. Therefore it is said, 'Some labor with their minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/there-is-the-work-of-great-men-and-there-is-the-work-of-little-men/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [There is a power in everything; it is the job of the artist to determine it and express it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/there-is-a-power-in-everything-it-is-the-job-of-the-artist-to/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [All people have the common desire to be elevated in honour, but all people have something still more elevated in themselves without knowing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/all-people-have-the-common-desire-to-be-elevated-in-honour-but-all/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) [Explore all 125 Mencius quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) ## More Difficult quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not difficult to govern. 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