Great Throughts Treasury

"When thou seest thine enemy in trouble, curl not thy whiskers in contempt; for in every bone there is marrow, and within every jacket there is a man."

"You eat to live, you do not live to eat."

"Accept for thyself what thou wouldst accept for others."

"An enemy to whom you show kindness becomes your friend, excepting lust, the indulgence of which increases its enmity."

"Do good even to the wicked; it is as well to shut a dog's mouth with a crumb."

"Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy."

"A little and a little, collected together, becomes a great deal; the heap in the barn consists of single grains, and drop and drop make the inundation."

"A friend whom you have been gaining during your whole life, you ought not to be displeased with in a moment. A stone is many years becoming a ruby; take care that you do not destroy it in an instant against another stone."

"A learned man who is ruled by his passions is like a blind man holding a torch: he guides others but not himself."

"A dog will never forget the crumb thou gavest him, though thou mayest afterwards throw a hundred stones at his head."

"A man is insensible to the relish of prosperity till he has tasted adversity."

"A peace-mingling falsehood is preferable to a mischief-stirring truth."

"Kings need the company of the intelligent far more than the intelligent need the society of kings."

"He who is a slave to his stomach seldom worships God."

"Obedience is not truly performed by the body, if the heart is dissatisfied."

"Most of the birds of the Old World can be found here, as Oman is on a strategic route for migrating birds."

"I shall drink with joy the cup of sorrow because my Beloved is the cup-bearer."

"I never complained of the vicissitudes of fortune ... except once when my feet were bare, and I had not the means of obtaining shoes. I came to the state of Kufah in a state of dejection, and there saw a man who had no feet."

"If thou covetest riches, ask not but for contentment, which is an immense treasure."

"Little children do not lie until they are taught to do so."

"O wise man, wash your hands of that friend who associates with your enemies."

"If you have no sympathy for human pain,"

"Oman overall has great animal and plant biodiversity because it has mountains, desert, coastal areas and rich coral reefs."

"People are crying up the rich and variegated plumage of the peacock, and he is himself blushing at the sight of his ugly feet."

"Purpose without power is weakness; power without purpose is fatuity."

"Oppose kindness to perverseness. The heavy sword will not cut soft silk; by using sweet words and gentleness you may lead an elephant with a hair."

"Roam abroad in the world, and take thy fill of its enjoyments before the day shall come when thou must quit it for good."

"That which is not allotted the hand cannot reach; what is allotted you will find wherever you may be."

"The beloved of the Almighty are the rich who have the humility of the poor, and the poor who have the magnanimity of the rich."

"The greedy man is not content with a whole world set before him."

"Reveal not every secret you have to a friend, for how can you tell but that friend may hereafter become an enemy. And bring not all mischief you are able to upon an enemy, for he may one day become your friend."

"Virtue pardons the wicked, as the sandal-tree perfumes the axe which strikes it."

"Whatever is produced in haste goes hastily to waste."

"When the belly is empty, the body becomes spirit; and when it is full, the spirit becomes body."

"Whenever you argue with another wiser than yourself in order that others may admire your wisdom, they will discover your ignorance."

"Whoever acquires knowledge but does not practice it is as one who ploughs but does not sow."

"Whoever has no patience has not wisdom."

"The name of human you cannot retain."

"The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together."

"To give pleasure to a single heart by a single kind act is better than a thousand head-bowings in prayer."

"Whoever interrupts the conversation of others to make a display of his fund of knowledge, makes notorious his own stock of ignorance."

"Words without action are void of substance."

"Whoever has his foe at his mercy, and does not kill him, is his own enemy."