Attaining a level of aggrandizement that, perhaps, only an Alibaba fortune can buy, an actually-published-today-no-jokes article by the SCMP’s Style Magazine advanced, and answered in the affirmative, the question absolutely nobody was asking:
Is Jack Ma the modern-day equivalent of Confucius?
But before you could even stop to ask “dude, you serious?” the piece — written to mark the recent announcement by Ma that he’ll step down as executive chairman of Alibaba next year — underwent a swift rewrite online, stepping back from the bold assertion that the e-retail mogul was on par with the classical Chinese philosopher.
Too bad, modern-day means SCREEN SHOTS!
Though the original Facebook post — positing the question of whether the e-commence tycoon is the modern day’s GOAT when it comes to wisdom — appears to have disappeared, the headline didn’t escape so easily.
At the core of the piece are 10 shiny “inspirational pearls” of Ma wisdom, prefaced by a intro gushing like Sunday’s storm surge — which a) explains Ma’s “relative eloquence compared to other business tycoons” is because he was once an English teacher and b) notes his 10x rejections by Harvard were totally character building (so he’s not bitter, alright).
Putting the oof in proof, these delicious MaNuggets, it’s suggested, showcase the profound sage-like genius of the man who paid to star in his own kung fu film.
They cover the gamut. There’s advice on speaking, dealing with the government, riding metaphorical tigers and catching figurative rabbits. There’s condemnation for middle-aged poor people and a plea to be more understanding of the rich.
They are the words “we like to live by”, the SCMP Style Magazine writes of the life lessons by the boss of their parent company, which bought the newspaper in 2015.
Anyway, over to the direct freakin’ quotes as they really can’t be improved upon.
“Inspirational pearls of wisdom never stop flowing from the Chinese tycoon, philanthropist and executive chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba; here are some of his more profound sayings,” read the original piece’s subhead, prior to the edit.
- Life Lesson #1: “Only fools use their mouth to speak. A smart man uses his brain, and a wise man uses his heart.”
- Life Lesson #2: “If you are poor at 35 you deserve it.”
- Life Lesson #3: “When we have money, we start making mistakes.”
- Life Lesson #4: “If the customer loves you, the government will have to love you.”
- Life Lesson #5: “Never ever do business with the government. Be in love with them, never marry them.”
- Life Lesson #6: “I call myself a blind man riding on a blind tiger.”
- Life Lesson #7: “If there are nine rabbits on the ground, if you want to catch one, just focus on one.”
- Life Lesson #8: “When people think too highly of you, you have the responsibility to calm down and be yourself.”
- Life Lesson #9: “Opportunity lies in the place where the complaints are.”
- Life Lesson #10: “Intelligent people need a fool to lead them. When the team’s all a bunch of scientists, it is best to have a peasant lead the way. His way of thinking is different. It’s easier to win if you have people seeing things from different perspectives.”
There you have it, proof that Jack Ma’s the modern day Confucius or, at the very least, a scholar, with some very dedicated disciples.
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