Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Related Quotes

William Shakespeare

Stay, my lord, And let your reason with your choler question What 'tis you go about: to climb steep hills Requires slow pace at first: anger is like A full-hot horse, who being allow'd his way, Self-mettle tires him. Not a man in England Can advise me like you: be to yourself As you would to your friend.

Sound |

Elizabeth Gilbert

This was not my moment to be seeking romance and (as day follows night) to further complicate my already knotty life. This was my moment to look for the kind of healing and peace that can only come from solitude.

Faith | Love | Sound |

Elizabeth Browning, fully Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Think, in mounting higher, the angels would press on us, and aspire to drop some golden orb of perfect song Into our deep, dear silence.

Earth | Glory | God | Heaven | Sound | God |

Elizabeth Browning, fully Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The tyrant should take heed to what he doth, since every victim-carrion turns to use, and drives a chariot, like a god made wroth, against each piled injustice.

Duty | Life | Life | Love | Man | Service | Sound | World |

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Embrace truth as it is revealed to-day by human reason.

Body | Diet | Sound |

Elizabeth Payson Prentiss

But you will imagine that it is best that He should at once enable you to see clearly. If it is, you may be sure He will do it. He never makes mistakes. But He often deals far differently with His disciples. He lets them grope their way in the dark until they fully learn how blind they are, how helpless, how absolutely in need of Him. What His methods will be with you I cannot foretell. But you may be sure that He never works in an arbitrary way. He has a reason for everything He does. You may not understand why He leads you now in this way and now in that, but you may, nay, you must believe that perfection is stamped on His every act.

Future | Good | Majority | People |

Ellen Goodman

The millions of women who have had abortions do not regard them as a victory. For most they were failures — whether of contraception or relationships — accompanied by mixed feelings of regret and relief.

Language | Sound |

Emily Dickinson, fully Emily Elizabeth Dickinson

Much madness is divinest sense to a discerning eye; much sense the starkest madness. ’T is the majority in this, as all, prevails....Much madness is divinest sense to a discerning eye; much sense the starkest madness. ’T is the majority in this, as all, prevails. Assent, and you are sane; demur,—you ’re straightway dangerous, and handled with a chain.

Madness | Majority | Sense |

Emile Zola

'Tis better to plumb the depths of unity than forever scratch the surface of variety.

Gold | Sound | Time |

Emily Dickinson, fully Emily Elizabeth Dickinson

The soul should always stand ajar, that if the heaven inquire, he will not be obliged to wait, or shy of troubling her. Depart, before the host has slid the bolt upon the door, to seek for the accomplished guest, -- her visitor no more.

Majority | Soul |

Emma Goldman

Conceit, arrogance and egotism are the essentials of patriotism. Let me illustrate. Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate. Those who have had the fortune of being born on some particular spot consider themselves nobler, better, grander, more intelligent than those living beings inhabiting any other spot. It is, therefore, the duty of everyone living on that chosen spot to fight, kill and die in the attempt to impose his superiority upon all the others. The inhabitants of the other spots reason in like manner, of course, with the result that from early infancy the mind of the child is provided with blood-curdling stories about the Germans, the French, the Italians, Russians, etc. When the child has reached manhood he is thoroughly saturated with the belief that he is chosen by the Lord himself to defend his country against the attack or invasion of any foreigner. It is for that purpose that we are clamoring for a greater army and navy, more battleships and ammunition. An army and navy represent the people's toys.

Individual | Majority | Struggle |

English Proverbs

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

Mind | Sound |

Empedocles NULL

But for base men it is indeed possible to withhold belief from strong proofs ; but do thou learn as the pledges of our Muse bid thee, and lay open her word to the very core.

Faith | Means | Sound |

Emma Goldman

The majority cares little for ideals and integrity. What it craves is display.

Destiny | Majority |

Emma Goldman

The most absurd apology for authority and law is that they serve to diminish crime. Aside from the fact that the State is itself the greatest criminal, breaking every written and natural law, stealing in the form of taxes, killing in the form of war and capital punishment, it has come to an absolute standstill in coping with crime. It has failed utterly to destroy or even minimize the horrible scourge of its own creation.

Ideals | Little | Majority |

English Proverbs

An Englishman's home is his castle.

Sound |

Eric Allen Johnston

Movies are immortal art - the first new art since Greek drama.

Government | Problems | Sound | Government |

Ernest Bramah, born Ernest Brammah Smith

At this display the elder and less attractive of the maidens fled, uttering loud and continuous cries of apprehension in order to conceal the direction of her flight.

Duty | Impartiality | Sound | Winning |

Ernest Hemingway, fully Ernest Miller Hemingway

It was dark now as it becomes dark quickly after the sun sets in September. He lay against the worn wood of the bow and rested all that he could. The first stars were out. He did not know the name of Rigel but he saw it and knew soon they would all be out and he would have all his distant friends. 'The fish is my friend too,' he said aloud. 'I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him. I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars.

Good | Little | Man | Men | People | Sound | Talking | Time | Waiting |