《梁书·列传·卷五十六》
我正想进军嵩、华，攻占冀、趟，消灭敌人，扫除污秽，统一天下；陛下身着礼服渡过长江，向东岳报告天下安定，大功告成，使大梁与轩辕黄帝同样昌盛，我与伊尹、吕望立下同样的功勋，把功绩留给后代子孙，在史册上留下名声，逭实在是我生平的志向。
方欲挂旆嵩、华，悬旌冀、赵，刘夷荡涤，一匡宇内；陛下朝服济江，告成东岳，使大梁与轩黄等盛，臣与伊、吕比功，垂裕后昆，流名竹帛，此实生平之志也。
I plan to advance on Song and Hua, seize Ji and Tang, eliminate the enemy, sweep away filth, and unify the world; Your Majesty will cross the Yangtze in ceremonial robes, report to the Eastern Peak that the world is at peace, and that great achievements have been accomplished, causing Daliang to flourish like Xuanyuan Huangdi, and me to achieve the same meritorious service as Yiyin and Jiang Ziya, leaving achievements for future generations and a reputation in the history books; this is indeed the ambition of my life.