先生锻炼人处，一言之下感人最深。一日，王汝止出游归。
先生问曰：「游何见？」
对曰：「见满街人都是圣人。」
先生曰：「你看满街人是圣人，满街人到看你是圣人在。」
又一日，董萝石出游而归。
见先生曰：「今日见一异事。」
先生曰﹕「何异？」
对曰：「见满街人都是圣人。」
先生曰：「此亦常事耳，何足为异。」
盖汝止圭角未融，萝石恍见有悟，故问同答异，皆反其言而进之。
洪与黄正之、张叔谦、汝中丙戌[1]会试归，为先生道涂中讲学，有信有不信。
先生曰：「你们拿一个圣人去与人讲学，人见圣人来都怕走了，如何讲得行！须做得个愚夫愚妇，方可与人讲学。」
洪又言今日要见人品高下最易。
先生曰：「何以见之？」
对曰：「先生譬如泰山在前，有不知仰者，须是无目人。」
先生曰：「泰山不如平地大，平地有何可见？」
先生一言翦裁，剖破终年为外好高之病，在座者莫不悚惧。
先生锻炼人，一句话之下感人最深。一天，王汝止出游归来。
先生问：「出游见到了什么？」
答：「见满街人都是圣人。」
先生说：「你看满街人是圣人，满街人倒看你是圣人在。」
又一天，董萝石出游回来，见先生说：「今日见到一件奇事。」
先生问：「什么奇事？」
答：「见满街人都是圣人。」
先生说：「这也是常事，何足为奇。」
大概汝止锋芒未融，萝石恍然有悟，所以问同而答异，都是反过来推进他们。
德洪与黄正之、张叔谦、汝中丙戌年会试归来，向先生讲起途中讲学，有人信有人不信。
先生说：「你们端着一个圣人去与人讲学，人见圣人来了都吓跑了，怎么讲得成！须做得个愚夫愚妇，才能与人讲学。」
德洪又说如今要见人品高下最容易。
先生问：「怎么看？」
答：「先生就像泰山在眼前，有不仰望的，除非是没眼睛的人。」
先生说：「泰山不如平地大，平地有什么好看的？」
先生一句话裁断，剖破了终年向外好高的病，在座的人无不悚惧。
The Master tempered men, and a single sentence could cut deepest. One day Wang Ruzhi returned from an outing.
'What did you see?' asked the Master.
'I saw the whole street full of sages.'
'You see a street full of sages — to the street, it is you who are the sage.'
Another day Dong Luoshi came back and said: 'Today I saw a strange thing.'
'Strange how?'
'The whole street full of sages.'
'That is an everyday matter — what is strange in it?'
Ruzhi's corners were not yet worn round; Luoshi had wakened as in a flash — the same question, answers opposed: each turned back to push the speaker forward.
Dehong, with Huang Zhengzhi, Zhang Shuqian and Ruzhong, back from the examinations in the bingxu year, told the Master of lecturing on the road, believed by some, not by others.
The Master said: 'Carrying a sage along to lecture — the sight of a sage coming puts everyone to flight: how lecture so! You must play the plain ploughman and ploughwife before you can lecture with men.'
I added that nowadays to judge men's quality was easiest.
'How so?'
'With Mount Tai before them, whoever does not look up must be eyeless.'
The Master said: 'Mount Tai is not so large as level ground. What is there to see in level ground?'
One sentence, and the yearlong disease of outward-looking height was cut through; all present were struck with awe.
- 丙戌：嘉靖五年（1526），王守仁五十五岁。