Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang (260 BC - 210 BC) was the first Emperor of China and the foundation of Qin dynasty.
Sourced
- 天下共苦戰鬥不休，以有侯王。賴宗廟，天下初定，又復立國，是樹兵也，而求其寧息，豈不難哉！
- Translation: "The reason why China suffers bitterly from endless wars is because of the existence of feudal lords and kings. A reliance on ancestral temples initially brought stability, but the revival of states results in the spread of soldiers. Doing so will never bring about stability!"
- Source: Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian
- Note: This is Qin Shi Huang's criticism of why the ruling techniques of the past were simply a vicious cycle.
- To have a great peace, the state must be united. The King do what it must to fulfill his responsible as a king.
- I have collected all the writings of the Empire and burnt those which were of no use.
- Clive Foss, The Tyrants: 2500 Years of Absolute Power and Corruption, London: Quercus Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1905204965, p. 15