Seek truth from facts.

The words of Deng Xiaoping—“Seek truth from facts.”—resound with the clarity of a hammer upon stone. In this brief yet mighty phrase lies the call to turn away from illusion, from ideology, from the fog of empty rhetoric, and to root ourselves in the soil of reality. Truth is not to be invented, nor imagined, nor manufactured by wishful thought. It is to be sought in the firm ground of facts, in the testimony of what is, not what we desire to be. Deng’s words are both simple and profound, a distillation of wisdom that can guide individuals, nations, and generations.

The origin of this phrase lies in China’s struggle to rise from the shadows of chaos and rigidity. For years, ideology had clouded judgment, and slogans had replaced substance. But Deng, pragmatic and bold, declared that a nation’s path must not be dictated by empty theories, but by the actual conditions on the ground. If the people were poor, the fact could not be denied. If the economy was stagnant, the truth could not be hidden by speeches. Thus he proclaimed: seek truth from facts—for only by facing reality could China rise again. His words became the foundation of reform, opening the door to an era of growth and transformation.

The ancients also knew this law. Confucius taught that the rectification of names was the beginning of wisdom—that one must call things as they are, and not as one wishes them to be. In Greece, Aristotle insisted that knowledge begins with the observation of nature, with what can be seen and known. Across cultures, the sages have warned: the man who builds upon illusion builds upon sand, but the man who builds upon facts builds upon rock. Deng’s phrase is a modern echo of this timeless truth.

History gives us countless lessons of those who ignored facts and paid dearly. Napoleon invaded Russia, imagining a swift victory, but the brutal winter and vastness of the land crushed his army. The fact of nature humbled the pride of empire. In contrast, Abraham Lincoln, faced with the secession of states, never let ideology blind him to the hard realities of war, economy, and human will. He made decisions rooted in truth, however painful, and thus preserved the Union. The contrast is eternal: to deny facts is ruin, to face them is strength.

But these words do not apply only to rulers and nations. They are for every life. How often do we deceive ourselves with illusions? How often do we ignore the facts of our health, our relationships, our limitations, and our gifts? We prefer the comfort of denial, but denial cannot carry us far. The student who refuses to see his laziness, the worker who ignores her talents, the parent who turns from hard truths—all are weakened by self-deception. To seek truth from facts is to strip away illusion and live in honesty, however uncomfortable.

The journey is not easy. Facts can be harsh; they can wound pride and shatter dreams. But they are also liberating. To see clearly is the beginning of change. To face weakness is the first step to strength. To admit failure is the gateway to wisdom. Deng’s words call us not to despair before the truth, but to embrace it as the only compass that can guide us to where we must go. Facts are not our enemies; they are the teachers that point us toward reality.

Therefore, take this lesson: do not flee from truth, but seek it in the solid ground of evidence and experience. Test your beliefs against reality. When you err, let the fact correct you. When you succeed, let the fact confirm you. In your work, in your family, in your nation, walk with the humility to see what is, not what you wish to see. For as Deng Xiaoping declared, “Seek truth from facts”—and in that seeking lies the power to build, to reform, to endure, and to triumph.