Even shade and water are unpleasant if they breed disease. So, too, may relatives be unpleasant if they cause harm. §
Fear not the foe who is like a drawn sword; rather fear the friendship of an enemy who poses as kin. §
Dread hatred from within and defend yourself against it. In calamitous times it will cut deeper than a potter’s knife.§
Hidden hatreds may lurk only in the mind, yet among kin they can manifest many miseries. §
Hate hidden in a kinsman’s heart will cause many miseries, and more—it will kill a man.§
When hatred arises, dissension destroys unity, and men fall inescapably toward ever-ready death.§
A house that harbors hatred will never be a united whole, though, like a vessel and its lid, it may appear to be one. §
As iron is worn away by frequent filing, a family’s strength is eroded by incessant inner frictions.§
Internal dissension may seem as small as a split sesame seed, yet there is enough power in it to destroy.§
Living with those who cannot dwell in harmony is like living in a hut with a deadly cobra. §