不患人之不己知，患不知人也。Fear not that others fail to understand us, but fear instead should we fail to understand others.

A sound piece of advice extrated from 易博天下http://www.umpaper.com:8081/blog/blog_news_detail.jsp?pwid=1172

Loosely translated for the benefit of my "No Speak Mandarin Friends".

孔子说：不患人之不己知，患不知人也。 不怕人不知道、不认识我，而是担心自己不懂别人。如果能认真去了解别人，还会与人有误会矛盾吗？还会有冲突吗？还至于要拳脚相见吗？然而要真的了解别人先得认识自己，认识自己就要不断地学习、不断地反省自身。知人先知己，求人先求己；知人又知己，人知且己知，人和人还会有对立敌对吗？ 凡事要反求诸己方可与他人共立、共求、共谋、共进！

Confucious has this remarkable saying very close to my heart:Fear not that others fail to understand us, but fear instead should we fail to understand others.The crux of the saying is this, never fuss about others being inconsiderate or insensitive towards our own needs. Instead, be really worried about not knowing others' dispositions.

If we really take the trouble to know and understand the people around us, would there still be misunderstandings? Will there still be clashes of opinions? Will there still be preconceived notions? However, we need to really get to know ourselves before we can even begin to understand others. Knowing ourselves, well, is a process of life long learning and constant reflection.

And so the saying goes: "To know others, know ourselves first. Set the standard upon ourselves before placing demands on others."

Think about it, will there still be hostilities and contentions when there is mutual understanding, consideration and sensitivity?Whatever it is, demands and expectations should always be pinned on oursleves first, not others. Only then can we be united sharing the same dreams, execute the same plans and advance together!