lü described mao in his own words, "i shall never forget the time i spent with chairman mao. although a great leader, he struck me more like a kind older person. his virtues, like his strong will, courage and resourcefulness, tolerance, integrity and simplicity, have always inspired me" houmin also said that mao was a person who cared deeply about his staff. according to lu, mao was extremely thrifty having only a well-patched blanket and one pair of leather shoes, and he was able to convince the staff not to take advantage of their privileges.