Sima Qian
Chinese · c. 145–86 BCE
Han dynasty court historian and author of the Records of the Grand Historian, a monumental work covering over two thousand years of Chinese history that established the model for all subsequent dynastic histories.
Wikipedia ↗“前事不忘，后事之师。”
Chinese
“Those who look to the past will find a guide for the future.”
“究天人之际，通古今之变，成一家之言。”
Chinese
“I wished to examine into all that concerns heaven and man, to penetrate the changes of the past and present, and to put forth my views as the work of one school of thought.”
“人固有一死，或重于泰山，或轻于鸿毛，用之所趋异也。”
Chinese
“A man has only one death. That death may be as heavy as Mount Tai, or it may be as light as a goose feather. It all depends on the way he uses it.”
“最下腐刑极矣……所以隐忍苟活，幽于粪土之中而不辞者，恨私心有所不尽，鄙陋没世，而文采不表于后也。”
Chinese
“The greatest disgrace is the punishment of castration. There is no affliction worse than desire, and no sorrow deeper than the grief of the heart. There is no act more shameful than to bring disgrace upon one's ancestors. I suffered the extreme punishment, yet I did not die — all so that I might accomplish this work and transmit it to those who may appreciate it.”
“人无远虑，必有近忧。”
Chinese
“He who does not plan far ahead will find trouble right at his door.”
“鸟之将死，其鸣也哀；人之将死，其言也善。”
Chinese
“When a bird is about to die, its cry is mournful. When a man is about to die, his words are true.”