《贞观政要·卷六·论谦让》
如果帝王身居至尊之位，就炫耀自己的聪明，凭借才能欺凌别人，掩饰过错，拒绝诤谏，那么上下之间的情感就会被隔断，君臣之间的原则就会被抛弃，自古以来国家灭亡，没有不是由此而造成的。 
若其位居尊极，炫耀聪明，以才陵人，饰非拒谏，则上下情隔，君臣道乖。自古灭亡，莫不由此也。 
If an emperor, occupying the most respected position, shows off his intelligence, makes use of his talent to bully others, conceals his mistakes, and refuses criticism, then the sentiment between the higher and lower classes will be separated, the principle between the emperor and his officials will be abandoned, and since ancient times, the fall of the country, without exception, is caused by this.