Perhaps the most valuable lesson Prof. Chien has to offer his students is that having self-respect is vastly more important than being merely a scholar.
以中國人的觀點治史，也是錢穆受學生歡迎的重要因素。例如他講歷代政治時說：「我們應該為歷史事件歸納出恰當的名稱，來為我們的政治傳統劃分演進的階段，這才是尊重客觀、實事求是的科學精神。若只知道應用西方成說、附會、演繹，絕不是學者應取的態度。」