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Only when one is selfless, can one be fearless. Only when one is fearless, can one dare to shoulder responsibilities.
"Selfless people will see a much broader world out there." To take responsibility, a good official should be aware that responsibility outweighs Mount Tai, that the party's principles, the party's cause, and the people's interests should come first.
A good official should dare to have a clear-cut stance, dare to be earnest in overcoming tough obstacles, should willingly take on hard work, make all-out efforts, and start right and finish well.
"Sturdy grass withstands high winds; genuine gold stands the test of fire." For the cause of the party and the people, our officials must dare to think, dare to act, dare to take responsibility, and become the sturdy grass and genuine gold of our time.
Xi Jinping used a literary quotation which goes: "Sturdy grass withstands high winds; genuine gold stands the test of fire."
The quote "sturdy grass withstands high winds" first appeared in the "Biography of Wang Ba" in the Han Dynasty history book "Han Records of the Eastern Pavilion."
The original words are: "Those who followed me in Yingchuan are all gone except you. This testifies that sturdy grass withstands high winds." It means only in strong winds can we tell which grass is the toughest and only in hardship can we identify who's the most credible. The metaphor has been quoted frequently, and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, later incorporated it into his poem dedicated to Xiao Yu, which goes "sturdy grass withstands high winds; loyal officials are spotted in critical turmoil."
The most admirable characteristic of both Wang Ba and Xiao Yu is the fact that they are reliable in times of difficulty and crisis. It shows how ethical they are as human beings and how responsible they are as government officials.
