实践是检验真理的唯一标准。

———— 《光明日报》评论员，1978年

Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.

———— The commentator of Bright Daily, 1978

如果人民不欢迎我们，就该我们下台了。

———— 胡耀邦，1981年

We should step down when the people don’t support us.

———— Hu Yaobang, 1981

中国政府始终强调要“解放思想”，但没有什么比活跃的思想市场更能解放人们的思想。

———— 科斯和王宁，2012年

Ever since the start of economic reform, the Chinese government has been persistently calling for the “emancipation of the mind,” but nothing is more effective than an active market for ideas in freeing people’s minds.

———— Ronald Coase and Ning Wang, 2012

对中国正在发生和已经发生的事情的研究和理解，将会极大地帮助我们改进和丰富我们关于制度结构对经济体系运转的影响的分析。

———— 科斯，1988年

An understanding of what is happening, and has happened, in China will greatly help us to improve and enrich our analysis of the influence of the institutional structure on the working of the economic system.

———— Ronald Coase, 1988

中国可能永远不会以‘资本主义’国家自居，甚或使用‘私有产权’这一类字眼。我的推测不外是，中国将来所采用的产权结构必然与私有产权制度极其类似。

———— 张五常，1982年

It may well be that China will never officially denote its economic system as “capitalism”, nor even adopt the term “private property”. The prediction is simply that China will eventually adopt a structure of rights which resembles, or functions in the manner of, a private-property economy.

———— Steven Cheung, 1982

若包产到户，农民平均一年只需干24天农活就可以了。

———— 杜润生，1980年

With fixed household’s duty, a farmer only needs 24 days a year to work in farming fields.

———— Du Runsheng, 1980

包产到户没有错。

———— 邓子恢，1972年

There is nothing wrong with fixing the duty for each household.

———— Deng Zihui, 1972

毛泽东是人不是神。  

———— 陈云，1980年

Mao Zedong is only human, not god.

———— Chen Yun, 1980

摸着石头过河。    

———— 邓小平，1980年

To cross the river by feeling the stones.

———— Deng Xiaoping, 1980

不管黑猫白猫，抓住老鼠就是好猫。 

———— 邓小平，1962年

It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.

———— Deng Xiaoping, 1962

人类事务的历史就必然涉及到那些促使人们行动并指导它们的行为的价值判断。如果不弄清行动的个人的各种评值，我们就无从发现和叙述历史中到底发生了什么。

———— 米塞斯

The history of human affairs has to deal with the judgments of value that impelled men to act and directed their conduct. What happened in history cannot be discovered and narrated without referring to the various valuations of the acting individuals.

———— Ludwig von Mises

如果从长期来看，我们主宰着我们的命运；那么从短期来看，我们被我们创造的观念所奴役。

———— 哈耶克

If in the long run we are the maker of our own fate, in the short run we are the captives of the ideas we have created.

———— Hayek

一切历史都是当代史。

———— 克罗齐

All history is contemporary history.

———— Benedetto Croce

研究世界历史就如栖身月球的观察者从整体上对我们所在的星球进行考察时形成的观点，因而与居住在华盛顿、伦敦、巴黎、或者北京、德里、开罗的观察者的观点迥然不同。

———— 斯塔夫里阿诺斯

It is as though you … were perched upon the moon looking down on our whole vast planet. From there your viewpoint would be different from that of an observer living inWashington,London, orParis—or, for that matter, in Peking,Delhi, orCairo.

———— L. S. Stavrianos

几乎每一个文明都是“自杀身死”。

———— 汤因比

The civilizations … in almost every instance … suicide.

———— Arnold Joseph Toynbee

说穿了，历史往往不过是人类的罪行、愚蠢和不幸遭遇的记录而已。

———— 吉本

History is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind.

———— Edward Gibbon

有谁不知道，历史的首要原则是不可有任何谎言，其次是不可有任何不真实，再次是写作时不可偏袒，不可怀怨?

———— 西塞罗

For who does not know history's first law to be that an author must not dare to tell anything but the truth? And its second that he must make bold to tell the whole truth? That there must be no suggestion of partiality anywhere in his writings? Nor of malice?

———— Marcus Tullius Cicero

史，记事者也。从又持中，中，正也。

———— 许慎

"History" is to record events, and means fairness for its Chinese character being originated from "Neutral".

———— Xu Shen

以史为鉴，可以知兴替。

———— 李世民

To take history as a mirror, to know why rising and declining.

———— Li Shimin

究天人之际，通古今之变。

———— 司马迁

To explore boundary between the God and human beings;

To master changes from ancient times to today.

———— Sima Qian

禹汤罪己，其兴也勃焉！桀纣罪人，其亡也忽焉！

———— 臧文仲

King Yu and King Tang blame themselves, and how sharply are their rises!

King Jie and King Zhou blame others, and how suddenly are their falls!

———— ZangWenzhong

殷因于夏礼，所损益可知也；周因于殷礼，所损益可知也。

———— 孔子

Yin dynasty followed Xia dynasty in customs, what the customs were added to or taken from may be learned;

Zhou dynasty followed Yin dynasty in customs, what the customs were added to or taken from may be learned.

———— Confucius

国会不得制定法律，建立宗教或禁止宗教信仰自由；剥夺言论自由或新闻出版自由；褫夺人民和平集会及向政府请求救济的权利。

———— 《美国宪法第一修正案》

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

———— Amendment I to the United States Constitution

中华人民共和国公民有言论、出版、集会、结社、游行、示威的自由。

———— 《中国宪法第三十五条》

Citizens of the People’s Republic of China are endowed with the freedom of speaking, of publishing, of assembling, of associating, of marching and of demonstrating.

———— ARTICLE 35 of the P.R.C. Constitution

在思想市场中，政府管制是不适宜的，应该对政府管制加以严格限制。

———— 罗纳德•哈里•科斯

In the market for ideas, government regulation is undesirable and should be strictly limited.

———— Ronald Harry Coase

没有出版自由,其他一切自由都是泡影。自由的一种形式制约着另一种形式，正像身体的这一部分制约着另一部分一样。只要某一种自由成问题，那么整个自由都成问题。

———— 卡尔•马克思

The absence of freedom of the press makes all other freedoms illusory. One form of freedom governs another just as one limb of the body does another. Whenever a particular freedom is put in question, freedom in general is put in question.

———— Karl Marx

我们永远不能确定自己所奋力压制的看法是错误的；即便确定了，对它的压制也是个错误。

———— 约翰•斯图尔特•密尔

We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still.

———— John Stuart Mill

让真理和谬误争斗；谁曾听说在自由和公开的冲撞中，真理会处于劣势?

———— 约翰•弥尔顿

Let truth and falsehood grapple; who ever knew truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter.

———— John Milton

夫人朝夕退而游焉，以议执政之善否。其所善者，吾则行之；其所恶者，吾则改之。

———— 子产

People gather in countryside school after work every day for talking over whether governance is good or bad. I will carry out what they regard as good while reform what they regard as bad.

———— Zichan

上以风化下，下以风刺上；主文而谲谏。言之者无罪，闻之者足以戒。

———— 《毛诗序》

Political elites moralize ordinary people with poem, while the latter criticize the former with poem. Criticism is in a cultural way. Critics are not guilty and the criticized should be warned enough.

———— the Preface for Book of Songs

昔者天子有争臣七人，虽无道，不失其天下；诸侯有争臣五人，虽无道，不失其国。

———— 孔子

In ancient time, a king with seven critics among ministers would maintain his world although he might have no justice; a duke with five critics among ministers would maintain his state although he might have no justice.

———— Confucius

防民之口，甚于防川。川壅而溃，伤人必多；民亦如之。是故为川者决之使导，为民者宣之使言。

———— 召公

To block people’s mouths is more difficult than to block rivers. When rivers are blocked, they will burst the banks and hurt lots of people. The same is true with blocking people’s mouths. Therefore, a governor of river should dredge it while a governor of people should encourage them to speak.

———— Duke of Shao

法治的意思就是指政府在一切行动中均受到事前规定并宣布的规则约束——这种规则使得一切个人有可能确定地预见到当局在特定情况中会如何使用其强制权力，并据此知识来规划自己的个人事务。

———— 哈耶克

The Rule of Law means that government in all its actions is bound by rules fixed and announced beforehand----rules which make it possible to foresee with fair certainty how the authority will use its coercive powers in given circumstances and to plan one’s individual affairs on the basis of this knowledge.

———— Hayek

权力导致腐败，绝对权力导致绝对腐败。

———— 阿克顿勋爵

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

———— Lord Acton

假如人人都是天使，就不需要任何政府了。假如由天使来统治人类，就不需要对政府进行任何外在或者内在的控制了。

———— 詹姆斯•麦迪逊

If men are angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.

———— James Madison

一切有权力的人都容易滥用权力，这是万古不易的一条经验。有权力的人们使用权力一直到遇有界限的地方才休止。要防止滥用权力，就必须以权力约束权力。

———— 孟德斯鸠

Constant experience shows us that every man invested with power is ape to abuse it, and to carry his authority as far as it will go. To prevent this abuse, it is necessary, power should be a check to power.

———— Montesquieu

没有人对于自己或者他人具有毁灭自己的生命或剥夺他人生命或财产的绝对专断的权力。

———— 洛克

Nobody has an absolute arbitrary power over himself, or over any other, to destroy his own life, or take away the life or property of another.

———— Locke

闻诛一夫纣矣，未闻弑君也。

———— 孟子

I just heard that there was a man punished to die, and never heard that a king was killed.

———— Mencius

天何言哉？四时行焉，百物生焉，天何言哉！

———— 孔子

Does the God say? Seasons change, and plants and animals grow. The God doesn’t say!

———— Confucius

士志于道。

———— 孔子

The Natural Law is the Gentlemen’sMission.

———— Confucius

尧曰：“咨！尔舜！天之历数在尔躬，允执其中。四海困穷，天禄永终。”

———— 《论语》

King Yao said, “ Shun, my son, you will bear the duty for the God, and should keep justice and fairness. You would be dismissed by the God forever if there still were sufferings and poverty in the world.”

———— The Analects

天听自我民听，天视自我民视。

———— 《尚书》

The God hears through people’s ears, and He sees through people’s eyes.

———— The Book of History​