Great Throughts Treasury

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

Abundance

"He sat amid his bags, and, with a look Which hell might be ashamed of, drove the poor Away unalmsed; and midst abundance died-- Sorest of evils!--died of utter want. " - Robert Pollok

"Strayed in mid-youth, rouse up, nor sleep, for lo! The days of youth like clouds of smoke will pass. Ere evening falls, thou shalt be withered grass, Though morning saw thee like a lily blow. Why waste on ancestors a heated breath, Or note which progeny was Abraham’s? Whether his food be herbs or Bashan rams, Man, wretched wight, is on his way to death." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron

"Thou art Light celestial, and the eyes of the pure shall behold Thee But the clouds of sin shall veil Thee from the eyes of the sinners. Thou art Light, hidden in this world but to be revealed in the visible world on high. "On the mount of the Lord shall it be seen." Light Eternal art Thou, and the eye of the intellect longeth and yearneth for Thee. "Yet only a part shall it see, the whole it shall not behold."" - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron

"More than one of the strong nations may shortly have to choose between a selfish secular civilization, whose God is science, and an unselfish civilization whose Cod is Christ." - Roswell Dwight Hitchcock

"What is human sin but the abuse of human appetites, of human passions, of human faculties, in themselves all innocent?" - Roswell Dwight Hitchcock

"Go back, go back to sleep. Yes, you are allowed. You who have no Love in your heart, you can go back to sleep. The power of Love is exclusive to us, you can go back to sleep. I have been burnt by the fire of Love. You who have no such yearning in your heart, go back to sleep. The path of Love, has seventy-two folds and countless facets. Your love and religion is all about deceit, control and hypocrisy, go back to sleep. I have torn to pieces my robe of speech, and have let go of the desire to converse. You who are not naked yet, you can go back to sleep." - Rumi, fully Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi NULL

"Not the power to remember, but its’ very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence." - Saint Basil, aka Basil of Caesarea, Saint Basil the Great NULL

"O You who are mad about Your creature! true God and true Man, You have left Yourself wholly to us, as food, so that we will not fall through weariness during our pilgrimage in this life, but will be fortified by You, celestial nourishment." - Saint Catherine of Siena NULL

"Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward & learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude." - John Chrysostom, fully Saint John Chrysostom

"One must be firm and unchanging with regard to the end but gentle and humble as to the means." - Saint Vincent de Paul

"Trust: Just as you would not want to do business with someone you can't trust, this law simply stated is: When you can completely trust the process of the universe and life, you will be supplied abundantly and you will be able to make your life work just the way you want it. And the trust you give and have must be 100% or it is zero. It cannot be given under one condition and not under another. There are many things we trust with our lives and have no concern about. Such as: the sun will come up every day; the law of gravity works all the time; the pilot who pilots the plane we fly on, is competent; our garbage is picked up on certain days. If we could not trust the things we take for granted will occur without any effort on our part, the fear for our well-being would be so great we would not be able to enjoy our lives. Can you imagine what the world would be like, if we could not trust the food we buy, the water we drink or that the people we depend on would not manipulate or harm us? But the only way we can expect others to trust us is, we need to be trustworthy ourselves, and especially to ourselves. Unfortunately, many people don't trust themselves and the judgments and decisions they make. Therefore, they experience disharmony with their lives and their world." - Sidney Madwed

"Without relationships, no matter how much wealth, fame, power, prestige and seeming success by the standards and opinions of the world one has, happiness will constantly eluded him." - Sidney Madwed

"Faith is the wing of prayer, and without it my prayer will return to my bosom. Faith is the unshaken stance of the soul and is unmoved by any adversity." - John Climacus, fully Saint John Climacus, aka John of the Ladder, John Scholasticus and John Sinaites

"Charity is that with which no man is lost, and without which no man is saved." - Robert Bellarmine, fully Saint Robert Bellarmine

"And now, first and foremost, you can never afford to forget for a moment what is the object of our forest policy. That object is not to preserve forests because they beautiful, though that is good in itself; nor because they are refuges for the wild creatures of the wilderness, though that, too, is good in itself; but the primary object of our forest policy, as of the land policy of the United States, is the making of prosperous homes. It is part of the traditional policy of home making in our country. Every other consideration comes as secondary. You yourselves have got to keep this practical object before your minds: to remember that a forest which contributes nothing to the wealth, progress, or safety of the country is of no interest to the Government, and should be of little interest to the forester. Your attention must be directed to the preservation of forests, not as an end in itself, but as the means of preserving and increasing the prosperity of the nation." - Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

"Our Revolution commenced on more favorable ground. It presented us an album on which we were free to write what we pleased. We had no occasion to search into musty records, to hunt up royal parchments, or to investigate the laws and institutions of a semi-barbarous ancestry. We appealed to those of nature, and found them engraved on our hearts. Yet we did not avail ourselves of all the advantages of our position. We had never been permitted to exercise self-government. When forced to assume it, we were novices in its science. Its principles and forms had entered little into our former education. We established however some, although not all its important principles. The constitutions of most of our States assert, that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves, in all cases to which they think themselves competent, (as in electing their functionaries executive and legislative, and deciding by a jury of themselves, in all judiciary cases in which any fact is involved,) or they may act by representatives, freely and equally chosen; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed; that they are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property, and freedom of the press." - Thomas Jefferson

"Yet the hour of emancipation is advancing ... this enterprise is for the young; for those who can follow it up, and bear it through to its consummation. It shall have all my prayers, and these are the only weapons of an old man." - Thomas Jefferson

"Each of those churches show certain books, which they call revelation, or the word of God. The Jews say, that their word of God was given by God to Moses, face to face; the Christians say, that their word of God came by divine inspiration: and the Turks say, that their word of God (the Koran) was brought by an angel from Heaven. Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all." - Thomas Paine

"The most fearful phenomenon of these mid-century years is not the atom bomb; atomic energy does have its constructive possibilities... The most fearful event of these times is the colossal expansion of the government of the United States and the constant increase of executive power within the government." - Wheeler McMillen

"Let not the reader imagine, however, that the principal interest of this Tale is drawn from so gloomy a topic as famine. The author trusts that the workings of those passions and feelings which usually agitate human life, and constitute the character of those who act in it, will be found to constitute its chief attraction." - William Carleton

"Labor is not fighting for a larger slice of the national pie--labor is fighting for a larger pie." - Walter Reuther, fully Walter Philip Reuther

"Most people get interested in stocks when everyone else is. The time to get interested is when no one else is. You can’t buy what is popular and do well." - Warren Buffett, fully Warren Edward Buffett, aka Oracle of Omaha

"Fill yourself and those around you with a new freedom in your minds, the freedom to create real magic." - Wayne Dyer, fully Wayne Walter Dyer

"Whatever you focus your thoughts on expands." - Wayne Dyer, fully Wayne Walter Dyer

"When your higher self is present, it always promotes peace. If you have a question about whether it is your ego or your higher self speaking, the answer becomes obvious when you ask yourself, Will this bring peace or turmoil to my life? Peace is not found in being right or being hurt or being angry." - Wayne Dyer, fully Wayne Walter Dyer

"You never need to defend yourself or your desires to anyone, as those inner feelings are Spirit speaking to you. Those thoughts are sacred, so don't ever let anyone trample on them." - Wayne Dyer, fully Wayne Walter Dyer

"Living without expectations is hard but, when you can do it, good. Living without hope is harder, and that is bad. You have got to have hope, and you must'nt shirk it. Love, after all, hopeth all things. But maybe you must learn, and it is hard learning, not to hope out loud, especially for other people. You must not let your hope turn into expectation." - Wendell Berry

"The care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy and, after all, our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it, and to foster its renewal, is our only legitimate hope." - Wendell Berry

"Because you know what you want, there is a tendency for you to try to get on the right track and head in the right direction. You get into action." - W. Clement Stone, fully William Clement Stone

"[The duty to do good to others] rests upon the fact that there are other beings in the world whose condition we can make better in respect of virtue, or of intelligence, or of pleasure." - W. D. Ross, fully Sir William David Ross

"But mathematicians, disputing on the other side, have said that the number called six is perfect for the reason that this number has divisions which agree by their proportions with the number six. Thus a sixth is one; a third is two; a half is three; two-thirds, which they call dimoeros, four; five-sixths, which they call pentemoeros, five; the perfect number, six. When it grows to the double, a twelfth added above six makes ephectos; when eight is reached, because a third is added, there is a second third, which is called epitritos; when half is added and there are nine, there is half as much again, and it is called hemiolios; when two parts are added and a decad is made, we have the second two-thirds, which they call epidimoeros; in the number eleven, because five are added, we have five-sixths, which they call epipemptos; twelve, because it is produced from two simple numbers, they call diplasios." - Vitruvius, fully Marcus Vitruvius Pollio NULL

"Truth is exceedingly close, comforting and strong. Now isn't that a delightful thought to think about. Since Truth is close and strong, why are you weak? See Truth says something to you. It says, I want you to know that when you tremble, I don't tremble. If you were to bring yourself back to where you should be internally, you would be right with Truth. It would be your comfort. You need nothing else on earth." - Vernon Howard, fully Vernon Linwood Howard

"As by your high imperial majesty I had in charge at my depart for France, as procurator to your excellence, to marry Princess Margaret for your grace, so, in the famous ancient city Tours, in presence of the Kings of France and Sicil, the Dukes of Orleans, Calabar, Bretagne, and Alencon, seven earls, twelve barons, and twenty reverend bishops, I have performed my mask and was espoused. Henry VI, Act I, Scene 1" - William Shakespeare

"But though I loved you well, I wooed you not; and yet, good faith, I wished myself a man, or that we women had men's privilege of speaking first. Troilus and Cressida, Act iii, Scene 2" - William Shakespeare

"Remember, we do not mount the pulpit to say fine things, or eloquent things, we have there to proclaim the good tidings of salvation to fallen men; to point out the way of eternal life; to exhort, to cheer and support the suffering sinner; these are the glorious topics upon which we have to enlarge -- and will these permit the tricks of oratory, or the studied beauties of eloquence? Shall truths and counsels like these be couched in terms which the poor and ignorant cannot comprehend? Let all eloquent preachers beware lest they fill any man's ear with sounding words, when they should be feeding his soul with the bread of everlasting life! -- Let them fear lest instead of honouring God, they honour themselves! If any man ascend the pulpit with the intention of uttering A Fine Thing, he is committing a deadly sin." - William Gouge

"Among these, the five organs of cognition are concerned with specific and non-specific objects. Speech is concerned with sound; the rest are concerned with all five objects." - Ishvarakrishna, aka Iśvarakṛṣṇa NULL

"For myself, I do not need to look in terms of survival after death. I feel myself to be a part of the known properties of the earth's family, and that is enough. One day, the breath I have been privileged to use will become again a part of the earth's family being. . . . If there is another place to catch up with the "breath," I hope it will be as challenging as it has been here; but if it does not exist, it is enough that I have lived." - Eileen Garrett

"She had a good opinion of advice, like all who give and eke receive it gratis, for which small thanks are still the market price, even when the article at highest rate is." - William Shakespeare

"Such as the love is, such is the wisdom, consequently such is the man." - Emanuel Swedenborg, born Emanujel Swedberg

"Spiritual treatment is really knowing the Truth about a given condition. There appears to be something wrong – someone is sick, or there is in-harmony, or perhaps lack – but instead of accepting this, you remind yourself of the Truth. This reminding oneself of the Truth is a very powerful treatment, because in this way we do not try to wrestle with the evil, but we know that it is not there. The truth about life is that all is perfect, utter, unchanging harmony, because God is the only Presence and the only Power. As a student of metaphysics you know this, and often merely reminding yourself of it brings a quick and beautiful demonstration. Of course there are, however, so-called chronic cases in which the student, despite all he can do, seems to make no progress. I have known some obstinate and long-standing difficulties to be overcome by the following method: Give one final and definite treatment for the difficulty in question by reminding yourself of the Spiritual Truth concerning it, and then do not treat about the problem again but treat the treatment whenever you feel inclined to. Do this by claiming that that treatment was a Divine activity and must be successful. Claim that God worked through you when you gave the treatment and that God's work must succeed. Insist that your treatment, being a Divine activity, cannot be hindered by seeming difficulties or material conditions. Give thanks for its perfect success and mean what you say. This is "treating the treatment," and you may do this as often as you like. It has none of the disadvantages that are apt to arise from treating the problem itself too often." - Emmet Fox

"There is a paradigm shift that is afoot because so many people around the world are understanding the vibrational aspect of living." - Ester and Jerry Hicks

"When my mother would tell me that she wanted me to have something because she as a child had never had it, I wanted, or I partly wanted, to give it back. All my life I continued to feel that bliss for me would have to imply my mother's deprivation or sacrifice. I don't think it would have occurred to her what a double emotion I felt, and indeed I know that it was being unfair to her, for what she said was simply the truth." - Eudora Welty

"Intellectual darkness is essential to industrial slavery." - Eugene V. Debs, fully Eugene Victor Debs

"Tonight I will speak to you about our beloved republic and the inspired agents whom God raised up to establish the foundation upon which our liberty rests. . . . I speak to you as members of the “household of faith,” the Lord’s true church, and remind you of your solemn charge to uphold, sustain, and defend the kingdom of God. The destiny of America was divinely decreed. The events that established our great nation were foreknown to God and revealed to prophets of old. As in an enacted drama, the players who came on the scene were rehearsed and selected for their parts. Their talent, abilities, capacities, and weaknesses were known before they were born." - Ezra Taft Benson

"Grows like a seed in the dark out of the leaf-mold of the mind: out of all that has been seen or thought or read, that has long ago been forgotten, descending into the deeps." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien