“Life seldom goes as one wishes—

of ten things, eight or nine will disappoint;

yet of those, only one or two can be shared with others.”

不如意事常八九，可与人言无二三。

~ From “Xingshi Hengyan” (《醒世恒言·卷三十二》), a Ming Dynasty vernacular story collection compiled by Feng Menglong (冯梦龙, 1574–1646)