Zhuge Liang warned his son: without detachment one cannot clarify one's ambition; without serenity one cannot reach far.
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From Zhuge Liang's (诸葛亮, Three Kingdoms) 《诫子书》 ('Letter Admonishing My Son'), written to his son Zhuge Zhan: 非淡泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远 — 'without detachment, one cannot clarify one's ambition; without serenity, one cannot reach what is far.' One of the most famous father-to-son admonitions in Chinese literature.
usage
Always quoted alongside its twin 非宁静无以致远. 淡泊 here means 'indifference to fame and profit,' not 'bland.' The pair is a fixture on scholars' desks, school mottos, and Zhuge Liang memorabilia.
