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

Kahlil Gibran

Truth is like the stars; it does not appear except from behind obscurity of the night. Truth is like all beautiful things in the world; it does not disclose its desirability except to those who first feel the influence of falsehood. Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us to be content in our everyday life and share with the people the same happiness.

Falsehood | Influence | Kindness | Life | Life | Obscurity | Obscurity | People | Truth | World |

Kahlil Gibran

I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.

Kindness | Silence | Toleration |

Kahlil Gibran

The kindness of the people is but an empty shell containing no gem or precious pearl. With two hearts do people live; a small one of deep softness, the other of steel. And kindness is too often a shield, and generosity too often a sword.

Generosity | Kindness | People |

Kahlil Gibran

Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.

Despair | Kindness | Resolution | Strength | Tenderness | Weakness |

Maltbie Babcock, fully Maltbie Davenport Babcock

How good it would be if we could learn to be rigorous in judgment of ourselves, and gentle in our judgment of our neighbors! In remedying defects, kindness works best with others, sternness with ourselves. It is easy to make allowances for our faults, but dangerous; hard to make allowances for others’ faults, but wise.

Defects | Good | Judgment | Kindness | Wise | Learn |

Mother Teresa, born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu NULL

I prefer you to make mistakes in kindness than work miracles in unkindness.

Kindness | Miracles | Unkindness | Work |

Parke Godwin

The soul that perpetually overflows with kindness and sympathy will always be cheerful.

Kindness | Soul | Sympathy | Will |

Parke Godwin

The true source of cheerfulness is benevolence. The pursuits of mankind are commonly frigid and contemptible, and the mistake comes, at last, to be detected. But virtue is a charm that never fades. The soul that perceptually overflows with kindness and sympathy will always be cheerful.

Benevolence | Cheerfulness | Kindness | Mankind | Mistake | Soul | Sympathy | Virtue | Virtue | Will |

Norman Vincent Peale

There seemed to be nothing she could add to the material things we already had. And so she offered something of far greater value: a gift of the heart, an act of kindness carried out in our name.

Heart | Kindness | Nothing |

Ralph Nader

It’s about whether we’re going to be able to look forward to our descendants and hand this world over to them in much better shape, so they will look back on us with kindness and with praise – rather than cursing us for our apathy, or our narcissism, or our refusal to stand up tall for justice and freedom in the world.

Apathy | Better | Freedom | Justice | Kindness | Praise | Will | World |

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Defect in manners is usually the defect of fine perceptions. Men are too coarsely made for the delicacy of beautiful carriage and customs. It is not quite sufficient to good breeding, a union of kindness and independence.

Good | Kindness | Manners | Men |

Richard Brooks

He who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.

Courtesy | Kindness | Love |

Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron

What is the noblest pedigree? Loving kindness to men.

Kindness | Men | Pedigree |

Saint Basil, aka Basil of Caesarea, Saint Basil the Great NULL

He who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.

Courtesy | Kindness | Love |

Sophocles NULL

One who knows how to show and to accept kindness will be a friend better than any possession.

Better | Friend | Kindness | Will |

Talmud or The Talmud NULL

Loving kindness is greater than laws; and the charities of life are more than all ceremonies.

Kindness | Life | Life |

Talmud or The Talmud NULL

Deeds of kindness are equal in weight to all the commandments.

Deeds | Kindness |

Talmud or The Talmud NULL

Loving kindness survives death.

Death | Kindness |