* Wisdom Quotations (Quotes at Davar Web Site) 07/01/2005-11/21/2011 * ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * %DEV%:\PBASIC\CONVQUO %DEV%:\DAVAR\QUOTES\WISDOM Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. #[David] (1037-970 BC)
"[Psalms]", [KJV], Psalm 1:1 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding. #[Solomon] (???-931 BC)
"[Book of Proverbs]", [KJV], 9:10 Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues without right. #[Solomon] (???-931 BC)
"[Book of Proverbs]", [KJV], 16:8 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. #[Solomon] (???-931 BC)
"[Book of Proverbs]", [KJV], 16:19 In much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. #[Solomon] (???-931 BC)
"[Ecclesiastes]", [KJV], 1:18 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. #[Solomon] (???-931 BC)
"[Ecclesiastes]", [KJV], 5:2 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. #[Solomon] (???-931 BC)
"[Ecclesiastes]", [KJV], 7:4 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. #[Solomon] (???-931 BC)
"[Ecclesiastes]", [KJV], 7:5 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? #[Solomon] (???-931 BC)
"[Ecclesiastes]", [KJV], 7:13 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. #[Solomon] (???-931 BC)
"[Ecclesiastes]", [KJV], 11:1 Remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. #[Solomon] (???-931 BC)
"[Ecclesiastes]", [KJV], 11:10 There is wisdom in dimming your light. @For the soft and gentle will overcome the hard and powerful. #[Lao Tsu] (6-th century BC)
"[Tao Te Ching]" in translation of Tolbert McCarroll Those who know do not speak.
Those who speak do not know. #[Lao Tsu] (6-th century BC)
"[Tao Te Ching]" in translation of Tolbert McCarroll Close your eyes and you will see clearly.
Cease to listen and you will hear truth.
Be silent and your heart will sing.
Seek no contacts and you will find union.
Be still and you will move forward on the tide of the spirit.
Be gentle and you will need no strength.
Be patient and you will achieve all things.
Be humble and you will remain entire.
#[Tao]ist  [meditation] Ye suffer from yourselves. None else compels.
None other holds you that ye live and die,
And whirl upon the wheel, and hug and kiss.
It's spokes of agony, it's tire of tears, it's nave of nothingness. #[Buddha Gautama] (563-483 BC)
Buddha's very first sermon in translation of [Swami Vivekananda] (1863–1902) We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world. #[Buddha Gautama] (563-483 BC)
1. Choices, "[Dhammapada]"
Translated from [Pali] by Thomas Byrom However many holy words you read,
However many you speak,
What good will they do you
If you do not act upon them? #[Buddha Gautama] (563-483 BC)
1. Choices, "[Dhammapada]"
Translated from [Pali] by Thomas Byrom Whatever is material shape, past, future, present, subjective or objective, gross or subtle, mean or excellent, whether it is far or near — all material shape should be seen by perfect intuitive wisdom as it really is: "This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self." @Whatever is feeling, whatever is perception, whatever are habitual tendencies, whatever is consciousness, past, future, present, subjective or objective, gross or subtle, mean or excellent, whether it is far or near -- all should be seen by perfect intuitive wisdom as it really is: "This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self." #[Buddha Gautama] (563-483 BC) Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. To be happy, rest like a great tree in the midst of them all. #[Buddha Gautama] (563-483 BC) Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue. #[Buddha Gautama] (563-483 BC) On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him. #[Buddha Gautama] (563-483 BC) He who wherever he goes is attached to no person and to no place by ties of flesh; who accepts good and evil alike, neither welcoming the one nor shrinking from the other -- take it that such a one has attained Perfection. #"[Bhagavad-Gita]" (between 5-th and 2-nd century BC) No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river, and he's not the same man. #[Heraclitus] (535–475 BC) Wisdom begins in wonder. #[Socrates] (469–399 BC) The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. #[Socrates] (469–399 BC) The greatest wealth is to live content with little. #[Plato] (427-347 BC) Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety. #[Plato] (427-347 BC) Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. #[Plato] (427-347 BC) Thou wilt find rest from vain fancies if thou doest every act in life as though it were thy last. #[Aristotle] (384-322 BC) We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. #[Aristotle] (384-322 BC) The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain. #[Aristotle] (384-322 BC) Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope. #[Aristotle] (384-322 BC) The misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool. #[Epicurus] (341-270 BC) The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil. #[Cicero] (106-43 BC) Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,
neither cast ye your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet,
and turn again and rend you. #[Jesus] (2 BC - AD 30)
"[Gospel of Matthew]", [KJV], (7:6) Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you. #[Jesus] (2 BC - AD 30)
"[Gospel of Matthew]", [KJV], (7:7) Enter ye in at the strait gate:
for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,
that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat:
@Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it. #[Jesus] (2 BC - AD 30)
"[Gospel of Matthew]", [KJV], (7:13-14) Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
@Ye shall know them by their fruits. #[Jesus] (2 BC - AD 30)
"[Gospel of Matthew]", [KJV], (7:15-16) Ignorant people see life as either existence or non-existence, but wise men see it beyond both existence and non-existence to something that transcends them both; this is an observation of the Middle Way. #[Lucius Annaeus Seneca] (4 BC - AD 65) A physician is not angry at the intemperance of a mad patient, nor does he take it ill to be railed at by a man in fever. Just so should a wise man treat all mankind, as a physician does his patient, and look upon them only as sick and extravagant. #[Lucius Annaeus Seneca] (4 BC - AD 65) Wisdom allows nothing to be good that will not be so forever; no man to be happy but he that needs no other happiness than what he has within himself; no man to be great or powerful that is not master of himself. #[Lucius Annaeus Seneca] (4 BC - AD 65) Wisdom does not show itself so much in precept as in life - in firmness of mind and a mastery of appetite. It teaches us to do as well as to talk; and to make our words and actions all of a color. #[Lucius Annaeus Seneca] (4 BC - AD 65) Grant me to have little, and desire nothing. #[Apollonius of Tyana] (AD 15-100) It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. #[Epictetus] (AD 55–135) Externally keep yourself away from all relationships, and internally have no pantings in your heart; when your mind is like unto a straight-standing wall, you may enter into the Path. #[Bodhidharma] (AD 470-543) If you do not get it from yourself, where will you go for it? #"Zenrin-kushu" (published in 1688),
"Collection of Sayings from the Zen Forest" Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. #[Immanuel Kant] (1724-1804) One's first step in wisdom is to question everything -- and one's last is to come to terms with everything. #[Georg Lichtenberg] (1742-1799) It is characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things. #[Henry Thoreau] (1817-1862) Wisdom is nothing but a preparation of the soul, a capacity, a secret art of thinking, feeling and breathing thoughts of unity at every moment of life. #[Herman Hesse] (1877–1962) Religion is profounder than science, if only because religion accepts at the outset the eternity of human ignorance and the vanity of human power. #[Will Durant] (1885-1981)
"[The Story of Civilization]" 1(11), Our Oriental Heritage, 1935 God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference. #[Reinhold Niebuhr] (1892–1971)
"[Serenity Prayer]", 1934 Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. #[Lin Yutang] (1895-1976) You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. #[Naguib Mahfouz] (1911–2006) To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven; the same key opens the gates of hell. #[Richard Feynman] (1918–1988)
"The Value of Science", 1955
In a Buddhist temple there [Honolulu], the man in charge
explained a little bit about the Buddhist religion for tourists,
and then ended his talk by telling them he had something to say to them
that they would never forget — and I have never forgotten it.
It was a proverb of the Buddhist religion. The stupid neither forgive nor forget, the naive forgive and forget, the wise forgive but do not forget. #[Thomas Szasz] (Born 1920)
"The Second Sin", 1974 ================================================================================ At the dawning of that day all objects in manifestation stream forth from the Unmanifest, and when evening falls they are dissolved into It again. The same multitude of beings, which have lived on earth so often, all are dissolved as the night of the universe approaches, to issue forth anew when morning breaks. Thus is it ordained. #"[Bhagavad-Gita]"(c BC 400) One may know the world without going out of doors. One may see the Way of Heaven without looking through the windows. The further one goes, the less one knows. Therefore the sage knows without going about, Understands without seeing, And accomplishes without any action. Lao-Tzu (fl. B.C. 600) To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent. #[Buddha Gautama] (B.C. 568-488) --- #[Lao Tsu] (6-th century BC)
"[Tao Te Ching]" in translation of Tolbert McCarroll The True Person acts without striving and teaches without words. #[Lao Tsu] (6-th century BC)
"[Tao Te Ching]" in translation of Tolbert McCarroll The True Person leaves self behind and thus is found in front, is not guarded and thus is preserved, is self-free and thus is able to find fulfilment. Retire when the work is done. This is the way of heaven. Thirty spokes connect to the wheel’s hub; yet, it is the centre hole that makes it useful. Clay is shaped into a vessel; yet, it is the emptiness within that makes it useful. Doors and windows are cut for a room; yet it is the space where there is nothing that makes it useful.

Therefore, though advantage comes from what is; usefulness comes from what is not. The ancient followers of the Tao were subtle, mysterious, and penetrating. They were too deep to be fathomed. All we can do is describe their appearance. Hesitant, as if crossing a winter stream. Watchful, as if aware of neighbours on all sides. Respectful, like a visiting guest. Yielding, like ice beginning to melt. Simple, like an Uncarved Block. Open, like a valley. Obscure, like muddy water. The best leader is one whose existence is barely known by the people. Next comes one whom they love and praise. Next comes one they fear. Next comes one they defy. Yield and overcome; bend and be straight. Empty out and be full; wear out and be renewed. Have little and gain; have much and be confused. Do not look only at yourself, and you will see much. Do not justify yourself, and you will be distinguished. Do not brag, and you will have merit. Do not be prideful, and your work will endure. Knowing others is to be clever. Knowing yourself is to be enlightened. Overcoming others requires force. Overcoming yourself requires strength. That which is to be shrunk must first be stretched out. That which is to be weakened must first be strengthened. That which is to be cast down must first be raised up. That which is to be taken must first be given. A person of high virtue is not conscious of virtue and therefore possesses Virtue. A person of little virtue tries to be virtuous and therefore lacks Virtue. A person of high virtue does not make a fuss and is not seen. A person of little virtue always makes a fuss and is always seen. A truly good person functions without ulterior motive. A moralist acts out of private desires. A ritualist acts and, when no one responds, rolls up a sleeve and marches. When we lose the Tao, we turn to Virtue. When we lose Virtue, we turn to kindness. When we lose kindness, we turn to morality. When we lose morality, we turn to ritual. . Ritual is the mere husk of good faith and loyalty and the beginning of disorder. Knowledge of what is to come may be a flower of the Tao, but it is the beginning of folly. The most yielding of all things overcomes the hardest of all things. That which has no substance enters where there is no crevice. . Hence, I know the value of action without striving. . Few things under heaven bring more benefit than the lessons learned from silence and the actions taken without striving. Be content with what you have and you will not be disgraced. Know when to stop and you will be preserved from danger. Only in this way will you long endure. There is no greater offence than harbouring desires. There is no greater disaster than discontent. There is no greater misfortune than wanting more. . Hence, if you are content You will always have enough. Without going outside you can know the ways of the world. Without looking through the window you can see the way of heaven. The farther you go the less you know. . Therefore, the True Person arrives without travelling, perceives without looking, and acts without striving. All under heaven is won by letting things take their course. Nothing can be gained by interfering. Giving life without claiming authority, benefiting without demanding gratitude, guiding without control. This is called hidden Virtue. See the small and develop clear vision. Practise yielding and develop strength. Use the outer light to return to the inner light, and save yourself from harm. The more restrictions there are, the poorer are the people. The more pointed the people’s weapons, the more disorder there is in the country. The more ingenious and clever the people, the more strange the contrivances that appear. The more laws and edicts that are posted, the more thieves and robbers that arise. When the government is unseen the people are simple and happy. When the government is lively the people are cunning and discontented. --- Behind the Maya or Veil of change are things, to be reached not by sensation or intellect but only by the insight and intuition of the trained spirit, is the one universal reality, Brahman. Shankara #[Will Durant] (1885-1981)
"[The Story of Civilization]" 1(11), Our Oriental Heritage, 1935 The philosopher, though he may worship in every temple and bow to every god, will pass beyond these forgivable forms of popular faith; feeling the illusoriness of plurality, and the monistic unity of all things, he will adore, as the Supreme Being, Being itself indescribable, limitless, spaceless, timeless, causeless, changeless Being, the source and substance of all reality. Shankara Only the philosopher is free, only wisdom is liberty. --> to liberty Fool! give up thy thirst for wealth, banish all desires from thy heart. Let thy mind be satisfied with what is gained by thy Karma... Do not be proud of wealth, of friends, or of youth; time takes all away in a moment. Leaving quickly all this, which is full of illusion, enter into the place of Brahman... Life is tremulous, like a water-drop on a lotus-leaf... Time is playing, life is waning yet the breath of hope never ceases. The body is wrinkled, the hair grey, the mouth has become toothless, the stick in the hand shakes, yet man leaves not the anchor of hope... Preserve equanimity always... In thee, in me and in others there dwells Vishnu alone; it is useless to be angry with me, or impatient. See every self in Self, and give up all thought of difference.
([Shankara], Hammer of Folly, ca ???)
#[Will Durant] (1885-1981)
"[The Story of Civilization]" 1(11), Our Oriental Heritage, 1935