三十岁是曾国藩一生最重要的分水岭。三十岁之前,曾国藩有四大毛病。第一是学习不好。曾国藩的老家在湖南湘乡县,这里闭塞落伍,几百年间连个秀才都没出过。到了曾国藩父亲曾麟书,连考17次秀才都失败了。这位功名无望的父亲把希望都寄托在儿子身上。笨老子教笨儿子,何其艰难。曾国藩本人14岁起参加县试,连考7次都名落孙山。二十三岁时终于中了秀才,还是全县倒数第二名。虽然后来又考中举人、进士,但曾颇有自知之明,他说“余性鲁钝,他人目下二三行,余或疾读不能终一行。他人顷刻立办者,余或沉 Thirty years old is the most important watershed of Zeng Guofan’s life. Before the age of 30, Tseng Kuo-fan had four major problems. The first is poor learning. Zeng Guofan’s hometown in Xiangxiang County, Hunan, where obstruction out of date, even a few hundred years have never been seen before. To Zeng Guofan father Lin book, even the exam of 17 times the scholar failed. The hopeless father pin his hopes on his son. Stupid I teach stupid son, how difficult. Tseng Kuo-fan himself at the age of 14 to participate in the county test, even the exams are seven times off the name of Sun Mountain. Twenty-three years old was finally in the scholar, or countdown penultimate. Although later in the examination of the lords, scholars, but quite well known, he said ”I was dull, his head under the two or three lines, I can not read the final line or others.