「种树者必培其根，种德者必养其心。欲树之长，必于始生时删其繁枝；欲德之盛，必于始学时去夫外好。如外好诗文，则精神日渐漏泄在诗文上去；凡百外好皆然。」
又曰：「我此论学，是无中生有的工夫，诸公须要信得及，只是立志。学者一念为善之志，如树之种[1]，但勿助勿忘，只管培植将去，自然日夜滋长，生气日完[2]，枝叶日茂。树初生时，便抽繁枝，亦须刊落[3]，然后根干能大。初学时亦然，故立志贵专一。」
「种树必须培根，种德必须养心。想要树长高，必须在它初生时删去繁枝；想要德盛，必须在初学时去掉外在嗜好。比如爱好诗文，精神就日渐漏泄在诗文上；一切外在嗜好都是如此。」
又说：「我这样论学，是无中生有的功夫，诸位必须信得及，就是立志。学者一念为善之志，如同树种，只要勿忘勿助，只管培植下去，自然日夜滋长，生气日益完足，枝叶日益繁茂。树初生时便抽繁枝，也必须剪落，然后根干才能长大。初学时也是这样，所以立志贵在专一。」
'To plant a tree one must bank the root; to plant virtue one must nourish the mind. Would the tree grow tall, prune the crowded branches at its first sprouting; would virtue flourish, cut off outer attachments at the start of study. Cling to poetry and letters, and the spirit daily leaks away into them — so with every outer attachment.'
He added: 'This way of mine in discussing learning is work out of nothing into being; you must trust it: it is only setting the will. The learner's one thought of good will is the tree's seed — neither forcing nor forgetting, just keep banking and watering, and it will grow day and night of itself, life daily fuller, branches daily denser. When the young tree crowds with branches, they too must be cut away for trunk and root to swell. So at the start of study: hence in setting the will, singleness is precious.'
- 王本，「种」作「根」。
- 王本，「完」作「充」。
- 刊落：删削。