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

Albert E Cliffe

Peace of mind is the greatest asset we can have for happy, healthy living. This is an inner victory which only comes from knowing God intimately. Then the material things of life do not both us any longer - we live in a spiritual world, and spiritual values are the only real values in life.

God | Happy | Knowing | Life | Life | Mind | Peace | World | God |

Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari

As always, victory finds a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan.

Defeat |

Mahatma Gandhi, fully Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, aka Bapu

In the dictionary of the seeker of truth there is no such thing as being “not successful.” He is or should be an irrepressible optimist because of his immovable faith in the ultimate victory of Truth, which is God.

Faith | God | Truth |

Gary Hart, born Gary Warren Hartpence

It is often much more difficult to learn from victory than from defeat. In defeat, questions are asked abut what went wrong, so that those mistakes will not be made in the future. But victory seldom creates the need to inquire as to its sources.

Defeat | Future | Need | Will | Wrong | Learn |

Emmet John Hughes

He must summon his people to be with him – yet stand above, not squat beside them. He must question his own wisdom and judgment – but not too severely. He must hear the opinions and heed the powers of others – but not too abjectly. He must appease the doubts of his critic and assuage the hurts of the adversary – sometimes. He must ignore their views and achieve their defeat – sometimes… He must respect action – without becoming intoxicated with his own. He must have a sense of purpose inspiring him to magnify the trivial event to serve his distant aim – and to grasp the thorniest crisis as if it were the merest nettle. He must be pragmatic, calculating, and earthbound – and still know when to spurn the arithmetic of expediency for the act of brave imagination, the sublime gamble with no hope other than the boldness of his vision

Action | Boldness | Critic | Defeat | Hope | Imagination | Judgment | People | Purpose | Purpose | Question | Respect | Sense | Vision | Wisdom | Respect | Crisis |

Martin Luther King, Jr.

One day we shall win freedom, but not for ourselves. We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory.

Conscience | Day | Freedom | Heart | Will |

Edwin Lewis

What did Resurrection mean but victory over death and therefore victory over sin and therefore evidence of a new power at work in the world and therefore the opening of the gates of a new life?

Death | Evidence | Life | Life | Power | Sin | Work | World |

Edward Luttwak, fully Edward Nicolae Luttwak

In frontless war where there are no clear lines on the map to show victory and defeat, the only true measure of progress must be political and nonquantifiable: the impact on the enemy’s will to continue the fight.

Defeat | Enemy | Progress | War | Will |

Og Mandino

Today, and every day, deliver more than you are getting paid to do. The victory of success will be half won when you learn the secret of putting out more than is expected in all that you do.

Day | Success | Will | Learn |

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, fully Sir or Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

In all conflict with evil, the method to be used is love and not force. When we use evil methods to defeat evil, it is evil that wins.

Defeat | Evil | Force | Love | Method |

George William Russell

We may fight against what is wrong, but if we allow ourselves to hate, that is to insure our spiritual defeat and our likeness to what we hate.

Defeat | Hate | Wrong |

John A. Schindler

Important rules to watch in living. Keep life simple. Avoid watching for the knock in your motor. Learn to like work. Have a good hobby. Learn to be satisfied. Like people, say cheerful pleasant things. Turn the defeat of adversity into victory. Met your problems with decision. Make the present moment a success. Always be planning something. Say “nuts” to irritations.

Adversity | Decision | Defeat | Good | Important | Life | Life | People | Present | Problems | Success | Work | Learn |

Sydney Smith

Justice - Truth is its handmaid, freedom is its child, peace its companion, safety walks in its steps, victory follows in its train; it is the brightest emanation from the gospel; it is the attribute of God.

Freedom | God | Justice | Peace | Truth |

Achmad Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo

Revolution is only true revolution if it is a continuous struggle – not just an external struggle against an enemy, but an inner struggle, fighting and subduing all negative aspects which hinder or do damage to the course of the revolution. In this light, revolution is… a mighty symphony of victory over the enemy and over oneself.

Enemy | Fighting | Light | Revolution | Struggle |

Michel Butor

Every word written is a victory against death.

Death |

Sheila Peltz Weinberg

The eternal message of the Exodus is not to glory in the defeat of the oppressors or wait until they become the losers and we the victors… The main message is that whichever way you turn in a relationship of exploitation or objectification, you lose.

Defeat | Eternal | Glory | Relationship |

Aaron Freeman

Weapons didn't defeat slavery. Nor did war, nor politics, nor even the Emancipation Proclamation. Slavery fell because it offended the human spirit, broke the human heart, and thus could not stand.

Defeat | Heart | Politics | Slavery | Spirit | War | Weapons |