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

Robertson Davies

If people need a book to tell them that in marriage kindness and forbearance are necessary, and that the sexual act is happier when it is undertaken to give pleasure as well as to receive it, these books are what they want. Possibly people so lacking in understanding of themselves and others do not mind being addressed in the coarse, grainy prose of the marriage counselor.

Books | Forbearance | Kindness | Marriage | Mind | Need | People | Pleasure | Receive | Understanding |

Robert Service, fully Robert William Service

Our breath is brief, and being so Let's make our heaven here below, And lavish kindness as we go.

Heaven | Kindness |

Robert Burns, aka Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, Robden of Solway Firth, the Bard of Ayrshire and in Scotland as simply The Bard

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne? For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

Acquaintance | Kindness |

Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron

I have made Thee my refuge, my terror and trembling, And when straitly besieged I have made Thee my tower, When to left and to right I have sought for a helper, I could look for dear life to no aid but Thy power. More than all earthly treasure I have made Thee my portion, Through all cares the delight and desire of my days, In the flood of Thy love I have rapture eternal And prayer is but an occasion for praise.

Grief | Heart | Joy | Kindness | Light | Praise | Service | Spirit | Thought | Will | Thought |

Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron

DUOLOGUE - God: "Daughter of Zion, tried in Sorrow’s furnace, E’en as I swore thy fathers, be at rest. I swore it for My sake, and now thy crying Hath mounted to My habitation blest, And I have heard, for gracious is My breast." Israel: "Obeisance low I made, for I am feeble, Thy kindliness responds to all who yearn. Come back, dear Lord, whose name is linked with pardon, No other saviour Israel can discern, Unto his myriad families return!" God: "Where’er thy origin, whosoe’er thy master, A man shall come—nay, I—thy cause to plead, Whoever holds the bill of thy divorcement. Like wall or tower of fire I guard thy seed, Then wherefore weep or heart affrighted heed?" p. 29 Israel: "Why do I weep? Because Thou keepest silence, Though violence rages and, all uncontrolled, The mob destroys, and we as slaves to strangers, Master and man together, have been sold, And no Redeemer do our eyes behold." God: "Who art thou thus to shrink from man in terror And be dismayed because of mankind’s scorn? My angel I will send, as wrote the prophet, And gather Israel winnowed and new-born: This miracle shall be to-morrow morn." Israel: "To gather me my chieftains Thou didst promise, The day comes not and miracle is none, Nor see I Temple built nor any herald Of Peace arrive to be my Holy One— Ah, wherefore lingers Jesse’s promised son?" God: "Behold, I keep the oath I swore to gather My captives—kings shall bring their gifts to thee; Created for a witness to the nations, My holy ones shall testify to Me— Yea, Jesse’s son Mine eyes already see."

Art | Force | Heart | Hope | Kindness | Mercy | Pain | People | Sorrow | Tears | Vision | Weapons | Art |

Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron

My breast I am smiting, My own sins indicting. How then canst Thou draw me To strife and thus awe me, And bring Me to judgment? My branch hangeth ailing, My eyelid is failing, My aims to derision Are turned by the vision Of Thee bringing judgment. The creditor calleth, The dread decree falleth, The awful day breaking God’s creatures sets quaking In fear of His judgment. Through Thy attributes preaching, Almighty, and teaching, O weigh aberration In the scale of salvation, Nor bring us to judgment. In Thy merciful fashion Award us compassion, That man who but dust is May handle with justice The haters of judgment. Like a vapour evanished, Man is melted and banished, His birth is coëval With a harvest of evil, ’Tis Thou must bring judgment. We await—O behold us— Thy love to enfold us. Did Thy warning not hasten Our impulse to chasten? For the Lord loveth judgment.

Art | Beauty | Compassion | Cunning | Death | Deeds | Destroy | God | Joy | Kindness | Light | Little | Lord | Lying | Meditation | Men | Nations | Peace | Prayer | Prison | Rebuke | Salvation | Sin | Tears | Thought | Truth | Will | Deeds | Art | Beauty | God | Thought |

Shlomo Wolbe, aka Wilhelm Wolbe

One who possesses patience continues bestowing goodness after being insulted or witnessing sin, exactly as before. He does not withhold his kindness from the one who insulted him or has sinned. This requires the ability to think precisely, to make fine distinction between subtleties. Only such a deep thinker will realize that true patience demands that he continue bestowing goodness and kindness without any change even when a response to the insult or sin is called for. A measured response should come, but never amid the abandonment of the goodness and kindness that is the very physical and spiritual sustenance of the other individual.

Heaven | Individual | Kindness | Life | Life | Light | Man | Patience | Peace | Reflection | Will | Wise |

Sappho NULL

I can reveal to you that I wished to die - For with much weeping she left me Saying: "Sappho - what suffering is ours! For it is against my will that I leave you." In answer, I said: "Go, happily remembering me For you know what we shared and pursued - If not, I wish you to see again our [former joys]... The many braids of rose and violet you [wreathed] Around yourself at my side And the many garlands of flowers With which you adorned your soft neck: With royal oils from [fresh flowers] You anointed [ yourself ] And on soft beds fulfilled your longing [For me]

Awakening | Blame | Chance | Compassion | Earth | Enough | Fortune | Fun | Giving | Good | Immortality | Journey | Joy | Kindness | Learning | Man | Mind | Miracles | Need | Pity | Pleasure | Poverty | Pride | Self | Slander | Space | Suffering | Time | Vision | Wealth | Will | World | Slander | Happiness |

Shlomo Wolbe, aka Wilhelm Wolbe

Patience in the home, with one’s family, requires a separate and unique treatment. The closer the relationship is, the more patience that relationship demands. We come into contact with our friends from time to time, and even when we do, we rarely will quarrel or become angry. In contrast, we come into contact with our neighbors all the time and thus struggle through many instances requiring patience. Indeed, it is more difficult to be a good neighbor than a good friend. However, it is most difficult to maintain our patience when it comes to our family, with whom we spend our days and nights, through all types of situations. It is fair to say that the middah which sustains a proper household is patience.

Change | Distinction | Insult | Kindness | Patience | Sin | Will | Insult | Think |

Rumi, fully Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi NULL

Body is not veiled from soul, neither soul from body, yet no man hath ever seen a soul.

Kindness |

Rumi, fully Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi NULL

The Prophets accept all agony and trust it for the water has never feared the fire.

Anger | Grace | Kindness | Light | Love | Mercy | Wise | Woman |

Rumi, fully Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi NULL

Through love scraps of copper are turned to gold.

Destiny | Kindness | Order |

Rumi, fully Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi NULL

When you are with everyone but me, you're with no one. When you are with no one but me, you're with everyone. Instead of being so bound up with everyone, be everyone. When you become that many, you're nothing. Empty.

Compassion | Kindness | Practice |

Rumi, fully Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi NULL

It is Love and the Lover that live eternally - Don't lend your heart to anything else; all else is borrowed.

Kindness | Order |

S. Truett Cathy

Every child I know who overcame long odds and grew into a responsible adult can point to an adult who stepped into his or her life as a friend, mentor, and guide. Don’t be too concerned that your children don’t listen to you. But be very concerned that they see everything you do. Be so consistent in your discipline that you’re boring. Stop arguing in front of your children. You may think children have outgrown the desire to be rocked to sleep at night. They haven’t. Children will never believe in the covenant of marriage unless they see you living it with their own eyes. How do you know if a child needs encouragement? If he or she is breathing.

Business | Care | Cost | Important | Kindness | Little | World | Business |

Sa'di (or Saadi), pen name of Abū-Muḥammad Muṣliḥ al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī, born Muslih-uddin NULL

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

Gentleness | Kindness | Will | Words |

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

A woman who intentionally destroys a fetus is guilty of murder. And we do not even talk about the fine distinction as to its being completely formed or unformed.

Courtesy | Good | Kindness | Man |

Saint Isaac of Nineveh, also Isaac the Syrian, Isaac of Qatar and Isaac Syrus NULL

A merciful man is the physician of his own soul. Like a violent wind he drives the darkness of the passions out of his inner self.

Disease | Experience | Kindness | Little | Man | Need | Soul | Understanding | Words |

Saint John of Kronstadt, fully John Il’ich Serguiev, aka Holy Father John of the Kronstadt NULL

A Priest, like an angel of the Almighty Lord, ought to be above all passions and spiritual disturbances, above all worldly or vain attachments and fears, occasioned by demons; he ought to be entirely in God, to love and fear Him alone. The fear of man means that he does not yet entirely cleave to God.

Good | Heart | Kindness | Love | Malice | Man | Will |