Wisdom
Proverbs 12:18 on Wisdom
“Sharp words cut like a sword, but words of wisdom heal.” Proverbs 12:18
Sun Tzu on War and Wisdom
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Sun Tzu Chinese general & military strategist (~400 BC)
Robert Frost on Life
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” Robert Frost US poet (1874 – 1963)
Josh Billings on Silence
“Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute.” Josh Billings US Humorist (1818 – 1885)
John Kenneth Galbraith on Thinking
“The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.” John Kenneth Galbraith US (Canadian-born) administrator & economist (1908 – 2006)
Albert Einstein on Mistakes
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein
Louis L’Amour on Contentment
“Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content.” Louis L’Amour US novelist of westerns (1908 – 1988)
Socrates on Wisdom
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” Socrates
Demosthenes on Business and Success
“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” Demosthenes
Benjamin Franklin on Wisdom
“The doors of wisdom are never shut.” Benjamin Franklin
Mark Twain on Genius
“Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered – either by themselves or by others.” Mark Twain US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 – 1910)
Tom Stoppard on Age
“I think age is a very high price to pay for maturity.” Tom Stoppard British dramatist & screenwriter (1937 – )
Mark Twain on Courage
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” Mark Twain US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 – 1910)
Aesop on Kindness
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop
Anonymous Quote
“Write a wise saying and your name will live forever.” Anonymous
George Santayana on History
“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana
Frank Zappa on the Mind
“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.” Frank Zappa
Confucius on Change
“Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.” Confucius
Mark Twain’s Cynical Quote
“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” Mark Twain US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 – 1910)
Socrates on Wisdom
“If a man would move the world, he must first move himself.” Socrates
Carl Sandburg on Time
“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” Carl Sandburg
Ausonius on Forgiveness
“Forgive many things in others; nothing in yourself.” Ausonius
Charles Caleb Colton on Hate
“We hate some persons because we do not know them; and we will not know them because we hate them.” Charles Caleb Colton (1780 – 1832)
George Harrison on Direction
“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” George Harrison, “Any Road”, Brainwashed, 2002 English singer & songwriter (1943 – 2001)
Antoine de Saint-Exupery on Life
“Life has meaning only if one barters it day by day for something other than itself.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Marquis de Vauvenargues on Education
“The things we know best are the things we haven’t been taught.” Marquis de Vauvenargues
John Ruskin Wisdom Quote
“What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.” John Ruskin English critic, essayist, & reformer (1819 – 1900)
La Fontaine on Judging
“Beware so long as you live, of judging people by appearances.” La Fontaine
John Calvin Coolidge on Honor
“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” John Calvin Coolidge
Quentin Crisp Wisdom Quote
“Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster.” Quentin Crisp
William James on Life
“The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” William James US Pragmatist philosopher & psychologist (1842 – 1910)
John F. Kennedy on Power
“The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty, and all forms of human life.” John F. Kennedy
Lucius Annaeus Seneca on Wisdom
“No man was ever wise by chance.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Thomas Szasz on Life
“The proverb warns that ‘You should not bite the hand that feeds you.’ But maybe you should, if it prevents you from feeding yourself.” Thomas Szasz
Pappilon on Character
“A temptation resisted is a true measure of character.” Pappilon
George Bernard Shaw on Shame
“The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is.” George Bernard Shaw, “Man and Superman” (1903), act I Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 – 1950)
Sam Levenson on Wisdom
“You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.” Sam Levenson (1911 – 1980)
The Bible on Anger
“The start of an argument is like a water leak – so stop it before real trouble breaks out.” The Bible, Proverbs 17:14
Yoda Wisdom Quote
“Do or do not… there is no try.” Jedi Master Yoda – Star Wars (created by George Lucas)
Louis Pasteur on Education
“Fortune favors the prepared mind.” Louis Pasteur
Thomas A. Edison on Opportunity
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Thomas A. Edison US inventor (1847 – 1931)
Mark Twain Wisdom Quote
“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” Mark Twain US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 – 1910)
Francis Bacon on Certainties
“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.” Sir Francis Bacon English author, courtier, & philosopher (1561 – 1626)
Stanislaw J. Lec on Patience
“You must first have a lot of patience to learn to have patience.” Stanislaw J. Lec, “Unkempt Thoughts” Polish writer (1909 – 1966)
Maya Angelou on Change
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.” Maya Angelou
Otto von Bismarck Cynical Quote
“When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he hasn’t the slightest intention of putting it into practice.” Otto von Bismarck German Prussian politician (1815 – 1898)
Socrates on Nature
“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” Socrates
Aldous Huxley on Improvement
“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” Aldous Huxley
Doctor Who on Maturity
“There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t be childish sometimes.” Doctor Who
Serbian Proverb on Humility
“Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.” Serbian proverb