He wrote 'without study, no broadening of talent' above his desk.
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history
From 诸葛亮 《诫子书》 ('Admonition to My Son,' c. 234 CE), the deathbed letter to his son 诸葛瞻: 夫学须静也，才须学也，非学无以广才，非志无以成学 (Study requires stillness; talent requires study. Without study there is no way to broaden one's talent; without resolve there is no way to complete one's study). One of the most-quoted self-cultivation texts in Chinese education.
usage
Almost always cited paired with 非志无以成学 (without resolve, no completion of study). 无以 = classical 'have no way to / cannot.' Standard mainland textbook passage.
