This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.
"Long open panegyric drags at best, And praise is only praise when well address'd." - Phineas Fletcher
"God knows that a mother needs fortitude and courage and tolerance and flexibility and patience and firmness and nearly every other brave aspect of the human soul. But because I happen to be a parent of almost fiercely maternal nature, I praise casualness . It seems to me the rarest of virtues. It is useful enough when children are small. It is important to the point of necessity when they are adolescents." - Phyllis McGinley
"O what their joy and their glory must be, Those endless Sabbaths the blessed ones see! crowns for the valiant, for weary ones rest: God shall be all, and in all ever blest. Truly Jerusalem name we that shore, vision of peace that brings hope evermore; wish and fulfillment shall severed be ne'er, nor the thing prayed for come short of the prayer. There, where no trouble distraction can bring, we the sweet anthems of Zion shall sing, while for thy grace, Lord, their voices of praise thy blessed people eternally raise. Now, in the meantime, with hearts raised on high, we for that country must yearn and must sigh, seeking Jerusalem, dear native land, through the long exile on Babylon's strand. Low before him with our praises we fall, of whom, and in whom, and through whom are all; of whom, the Father; and in whom, the Son; through whom, the Spirit, with both ever one." - Pierre Abelard, aka Abailard or Abaelard or Habalaarz
"They merit more praise who know how to suffer misery than those who temper themselves in contentment." - Pietro Arentino
"Our soul is blessed with the impression of the glory of God whenever we praise Him." - Inayat Khan, aka Hazrat Inayat Khan, fully Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan
"Thus our judgments, if they do not borrow from reason and philosophy a fixity and steadiness of purpose in their acts, are easily swayed and influenced by the praise or blame of others, which make us distrust our own opinions." - Plutarch, named Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus after becoming Roman citizen NULL
"Failure is hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you're successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever. " - Po Bronson
"It is requisite to defend those who are unjustly accused of having acted injuriously, but to praise those who excel in a certain good." - Pythagoras, aka Pythagoras of Samos or Pythagoras the Samian NULL
"We give to necessity the praise of virtue." - Quintilian, fully Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, also Quintillian and Quinctilian NULL
"Admonish your friends privately, but praise them openly." - Publius Syrus
"Reprove your friends in secret, praise them openly." - Publius Syrus
"And these things that keep alive on departure know that you praise them; transient, they look to us, the most transient, to be their rescue. They want us to change them completely, in our invisible hearts, into -- O endlessly -- us! Whoever, finally, we may be." - Rainer Maria Rilke, full name René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke
"Do not fancy, as too many do, that thou canst praise God by singing hymns to Him in church once a week, and disobeying Him all the week long. He asks of thee works as well as words; and more, He asks of thee works first and words after." - Charles Kingsley
"Devotion does not mean only Chanting praise and singing glory of God, nor fasting and offerings made to God. Devotion is a specific attitude towards life and existence." - Pandurang Shastri Athavale, fully Pandurang Vaijnath Shastri Athavale
"Ye holy angels bright, Who wait at God's right hand, Or through the realms of light Fly at your Lord's command, Assist our song; For else the theme Too high doth seem For mortal tongue. Ye blessed souls at rest, Who ran this earthly race, And now, from sin released, Behold the Saviour's face, God's praises sound, As in his sight, With sweet delight, Ye do abound. Ye saints, who toil below, Adore your heavenly King. And onward as ye go Some joyful anthem sing; Take what he gives And praise him still, Through good or ill, Who ever lives! My soul, bear thou thy part, Triumph in God above: And with a well-tuned heart Sing thou the songs of love! Let all thy days Till life shall end, Whate'er he send, Be filled with praise." - Richard Baxter
"In heaven I yearn for knowledge, account all else inanity; on earth I confess an itch for the praise of fools, that's vanity." - Robert Browning
"Most of us, swimming against the tides of trouble the world knows nothing about, need only a bit of praise or encouragement - and we will make the goal." - Robert Collier
"So when at times the mob is swayed To carry praise or blame too far, We may choose something like a star To stay our minds on and be staid." - Robert Frost
"Some praise the Lord for Light, The living spark; I thank God for the Night The healing dark." - Robert Service, fully Robert William Service
"If you had a friend strong, simple, true, Who knew your faults and who understood; Who believed in the very best of you, And who cared for you as a father would; Who would stick by you to the very end, Who would smile however the world might frown: I'm sure you would try to please your friend, You never would think to throw him down. And supposing your friend was high and great, And he lived in a palace rich and tall, And sat like a King in shining state, And his praise was loud on the lips of all; Well then, when he turned to you alone, And he singled you out from all the crowd, And he called you up to his golden throne, Oh, wouldn't you just be jolly proud? If you had a friend like this, I say, So sweet and tender, so strong and true, You'd try to please him in every way, You'd live at your bravest -- now, wouldn't you? His worth would shine in the words you penned; You'd shout his praises . . . yet now it's odd! You tell me you haven't got such a friend; You haven't? I wonder . . . What of God?" - Robert Service, fully Robert William Service
"A Child My Choice - Let folly praise that fancy loves, I praise and love that Child Whose heart no thought, whose tongue no word, whose hand no deed defiled. I praise Him most, I love Him best, all praise and love is His; While Him I love, in Him I live, and cannot live amiss. Love's sweetest mark, laud's highest theme, man's most desired light, To love Him life, to leave Him death, to live in Him delight. He mine by gift, I His by debt, thus each to other due; First friend He was, best friend He is, all times will try Him true. Though young, yet wise; though small, yet strong; though man, yet God He is: As wise, He knows; as strong, He can; as God, He loves to bless. His knowledge rules, His strength defends, His love doth cherish all; His birth our joy, His life our light, His death our end of thrall. Alas! He weeps, He sighs, He pants, yet do His angels sing; Out of His tears, His sighs and throbs, doth bud a joyful spring. Almighty Babe, whose tender arms can force all foes to fly, Correct my faults, protect my life, direct me when I die!" - Robert Southwell, also Saint Robert Southwell
"My soul shall declare to Thee Thou art her former And shall Thee as her maker, O God, testify, At Thy word 'Be, O Soul' did she take on existence, And from naught didst Thou draw her as light from the eye. Of Thee she shall own and affirm, hand uplifted, ’Twas Thou that didst breathe her in me, and as due For that work she shall pour out her thanks and bear witness That to me she was given Thy bidding to do. She serves Thee as handmaid while yet in the body, And the day she returns to the land whence she came, In Thee will she dwell, for in Thee is her being, Doth she rise, doth she sit, Thou art with her the same. She was Thine when unborn ere the day of her breathing, With wisdom and knowledge by Thee she was fed, And to Thee for her ordinance looks, and subsistence, Indebted to Thee for her water and bread. Her gaze is to Thee, and in Thee is her hoping When like novice in child-birth she cries in affright. O take her torn heart as a sacrifice offered, And her ribs lacerated for fiery rite. To Thee let her pour out her tears as drink-off’ring, Let the breath of her sighing as incense-cloud be, At her gate and her doorway she watches with prayer, She is burning like flame with her passion for Thee. She must ever approach Thee as servant his master, Or as handmaiden looks to her mistress’s eye, She must spread out her palms in request and petition And turn herself humbly to Thee in her cry. For call Thee she must, nor endure to be silent, Like a bird in the net her one hope is in flight, In the depth of the night she must rise and keep vigil, For her work is Thy works to declare and recite. For Thee she must pine and of Thee make entreaty, Her hand must be clean and as stainless her thought. Her breach do Thou heal, be her hope and her helper, When she draws nigh redeem her, her sin count as naught. Behold her affliction, and hark to her weeping, In the sphere of the soul she with Thee is alone, Repay and restore her, attend to her anguish, When her sobs and her tears her backslidings bemoan. Bemock, O Almighty, the foes that bemock her, Avenge with due vengeance her insults and shame, In her stress be a rock of support ‘gainst her foeman, Nor yield up the child Thou to manhood didst frame. No enemy came, whose reproach could be borne with, No cruel one hunted her down in her track, ’Twas the friends of her household betrayed her—her passions— ’Twas her comrade who bloodily stabbed in the back. I ever am seeking my body’s best welfare, Yet it in return would my spirit undo. Ah, truly the fruit of the tree in its root is, The proverb "Like mother, like daughter" is true." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"Six years were decreed for a slave to wait When his freedom he sought at his master’s hand, But the years of my bondage lack term or date, It is hard, O my Master, to understand. Why, Sire, should a hand-maid’s son bear sway, And me with affliction and anguish task? There cometh no answer, howe’er I pray, In despite that each day for reply I ask. What word at the last wilt Thou say, my King? An Thou findest no ransom, O Lord, take me! Take me for Thy people as offering, I will serve Thee for ever and ne’er go free." - 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." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"FOR A MARRIAGE - Send to the prince’s daughter Her ruddy, fair-eyed king, Like a fruitful branch he blossoms, Transplanted to a spring. Thy Torah has his worship, He runs, to taste its charms, Before Thee like a warrior, Accoutred in his arms. I day by day am waiting Salvation’s promised day, Enquiring how and whence it Will come to be my stay. Restore the tortured People To the friend of her youth divine, And bring the two together To the house of joy and wine." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"Almighty God, on lofty throne In wisdom Thou didst build the world, Thy might the firmament unfurled And Thou wast King ere kings were known. Sole King, who hung the earth on naught, In great assemblies I will cry, For every soul must testify, The Lord of hosts rules all He wrought. His seat is hid in mystery, Myriads of holy ones in dread, His ministers in lowlihead, Surround His awful Majesty. His praises in set order sing, Although all praise He hath outsoared, Declare the Kingdom of the Lord, Proclaiming that the Lord is King. The depths of sky His mercy planned, The waters are His footstools. He Their measures gave to stream and sea And poured them in with royal hand. The sea unto His bounds submits, Our King and God, so great and high, His glory covers all the sky When that upon His throne He sits. Sole King, He spreads for curtain Space, The sun uprises from the east To draw from earth a dainty feast, A strong man glad to run a race. O glorious Sovereign whom I sing, Be gracious unto us and kind, For Thine own sake, if but I find Grace in Thine eyes, my Lord and King." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"To the glorious one, girdled by praise, Great in deeds and tremendous in ways, Who filleth with wonders our days, Blow ye at New Moon the trumpet. To the Lord whose decrees never fail, Who spreadeth the clouds like a veil, And maketh the dust hard as mail, Blow ye at New Moon the trumpet. To the Builder whose measures none knows, By whom the high heavens arose, And beauty like lightning that glows, Blow ye at New Moon the trumpet. To the Judge who His servants will spare, For the souls of His faithful will care, And will make their inheritance fair, Blow ye at New Moon the trumpet. To the Chief on whose breast Right is borne, Who is served by the seed to Him sworn, Who gathereth lilies from thorn, Blow ye at New Moon the trumpet. To the Washer who whiteneth sin, Whose cloud blotteth evil within, Whose forgiveness repentance can win, Blow ye at New Moon the trumpet. To the Alchemist turning his gold To the diamond’s perfection, clear, cold, Like the streams that Damascus enfold, Blow ye at New Moon the trumpet. To the Lord who His scattered will keep, To whom cries of the lowly that weep Are dearer than bullocks or sheep, Blow ye at New Moon the trumpet." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"The seeker of good shall acceptance find From the God whose glory is boundless, If he turn unto Him with repentant mind, And sackcloth on both of his shoulders bind By way of memorial. So come and return to our God on high Who fashioned the uttermost heavens, Let your songs of praise to His footstool fly And thank Him to-night in a choral cry By way of memorial. O King of the Kingdom that hails Thy name Since first to the void Thou spakest, Evoking the light that from darkness came, Accept this plea to expunge my shame As rite of memorial. Prepare, O Israel, to meet Thy God, Let every man seek to find ransom, Remove the evil at which ye nod, Cleanse ye and wash ye or dread His rod This day of memorial." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"God dwelleth high above man’s dwelling-place, Ye multitudes, come praise and honour Him, Huzzah before the King whose name is God, Sound joyous flourishes upon the trumpet. His creatures fear His glory more than man When awful deeds are wrought, for dread is He. The day shall be when at the sound of trumpet Thy people to the Mount of Olives flock, And they, according to Thy word, shall go With shouting and with tumult and perceive The thunders, lightnings, and the trumpet’s sound. Regard the people nestling in Thy shadow, And trustfully proclaiming that perchance Again the Lord of hosts will gracious be And marvels once again be wrought in thunder And lightning and thick cloud upon the Mount And pealing of the Shofar. Consecrate Yourselves again to-day unto His service, And should again your glad redemption dawn, Uplift yourselves sublime above all else, And mark the banner flown upon the mountains What time the horn resounds. O Lord, whose dread Sets all the world’s inhabitants a-tremble, Be herald of good tidings to the people, So staunch beneath the adversary’s yoke. Thus when the ram’s horn poureth forth its note And ye shall hear the Shofar’s long-drawn peal, Thanksgiving offer up to God and song, And tell His mighty deeds and chant His praise According to the measure of His greatness. O praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, So shall the Merciful show graciousness To you who cry, and as of old restore Your captives, yea the Lord of hosts o’er you Shall keep His watch, with trumpet-blasts for warning." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"Send forth Thy messenger, Thy interpreter, And let him do wonders with signs and happenings, To cleanse us this night from scandal and defamation! Great God, boundless and unsearchable, Thy righteousness is like mighty mountains, Thy judgments are like the great deep. Bare to Thee and spied out is the heart’s imagination and secret, Lo, shaped in iniquity, how shall man justify the evil of his work? Can the grains of his dust justify it that were accounted vanity even while he was still in being? How then after he has perished and every element passed back to its source, When he is driven like chaff before the wind and like smoke from the lattice? Who shall stand up for Thy people, and who set them free? If for decision Thou shouldst draw nigh them, and if for judgment Thou shouldst take them, Then judge them, I pray Thee, by Thy righteousness, And reprove them not according to Thy wrath. For what is the weak that he should contend with the mighty, And how can dry stubble stand in the flame? Lo, as the flower fadeth and the wind flitteth by like a shadow, So flesh from spirit is rent asunder; If then Thou wilt stir up chastisement, There is no way of deliverance shouldst Thou press hard; For the worker is sluggish, And the day short and the work abundant." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"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
"Ask of Me, beautiful mouth, What dost thou ask of Me? For thy suppliant cry Hath ascended on high Inclining My ear to thy plea. First with the lion we met, Next came the leopard’s leap, We were fain to take flight From our garden’s delight And into a hiding-place creep. Hardly these creatures had passed, Sated with Judah’s spoil, Than the wild ass we feared Out of midnight appeared To trample and dwell on our soil. Ishmael’s offspring command Back to his Arab land, As his mother of old To her mistress was told To return and submit to her hand. " - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"Root of our saviour, The scion of Jesse, Till when wilt thou linger, Invisible, buried? Bring forth a flower, For winter is over! Why should a slave rule The lineage of princes, A hairy barbarian Replace our young sovran? The years are a thousand Since, broken and scattered, We wander in exile, Like waterfowl lost in The depths of the desert. No man in white linen Reveals at our asking The end of our Exile. God sealed up the matter, And closed up the knowledge." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"Arise, O my rapture, at dawn I exclaim, Go seeking the face of my love, the King, I thirst at the thought of Him, burn as with flame, And chatter like swallow upon the wing. No gifts can I bring save of heart or of wit, My cause to my lips I can only trust. Desires my Redeemer a ritual fit, How should I suffice who am based on dust? When I with my self seek communion, I shrink, Were I mightier far, I should still be small, Soul and strength in adoring Thee faint and sink, Yet sing Thee I must till the end of all." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"O God, my Sun, up now and rise, I pray thee, And be as the moon to illumine my darkness: Wherefore wilt Thou play the passing wayfarer And vanish like the fleeing gazelle? When shall the bud come to blossom, And the tender grape yield its sweet savour? How long wilt Thou cast off the remnants of Joseph? I was as a lamb led to the slaughter, One man drawing me from the fold and another performing the sacrifice. The lion rose murderous against me, And the wild ass breaketh my bones. The wild boar tore me, breathing fury, Pushing westwards and northwards. Dread God, who hast stretched out the heavens, Who closest and none can open, Now at last reprove kings for my sake— For far be it from Thee to be forgetful!— Thou shalt bring forth my prisoners from the pit: For the sake of our hero-ancestor’s righteousness, And shalt cleave the crown of the woman of Uz And shave off the hair of Esau. Take the young brood and prosper them, But do not let go the mother. O restore the maiden in her beautiful freshness, And fill with moisture all that is withered. Renew the Temple and the altar And establish singing men for Thy praise; One to glow with a song of loves, And one to make melody for the chief musician. Thus wilt Thou cause the horn of the Messiah to shoot up, And I shall be wholly joyful." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"I look for you early, my rock and my refuge, offering you worship morning and night; before your vastness I come confused and afraid for you see the thoughts of my heart What could the heart and tongue compose, or spirit’s strength within me to suit you? But song soothes you and so I’ll give praise to your being as long as your breath-in-me moves." - Salomon ibn Gabirol, aka Solomon ben Judah or Avicebron
"Don't waste time trying to break a man's heart; be satisfied if you can just manage to chip it in a brand new place." - Helen Rowland
"`We be of one blood, thou and I,' Mowgli answered, `. . . my kill shall be thy kill if ever thou art hungry.'" - Rudyard Kipling
"No doubt but ye are the People - your throne is above the King's. / Whoso speaks in your presence must say acceptable things." - Rudyard Kipling
"When first under fire an' you're wishful to duck, Don't look nor take 'eed at the man that is struck, Be thankful you're livin', and trust to your luck And march to your front like a soldier. Front, front, front like a soldier... If your officer's dead and the sergeants look white, Remember it's ruin to run from a fight: So take open order, lie down, and sit tight, And wait for supports like a soldier. Wait, wait, wait like a soldier. When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains, And the women come out to cut up what remains, Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains An' go to your Gawd like a soldier. Go, go, go like a soldier, Go, go, go like a soldier, Go, go, go like a soldier, So-oldier of the Queen!" - Rudyard Kipling
"To praise the sun is to praise your own eyes." - Rumi, fully Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi NULL
"When one sense perceives the hidden, the invisible world becomes apparent to the whole." - Rumi, fully Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi NULL
"Your essence is gold hidden in dust. To reveal its splendor, you need to burn in the fire of Love." - Rumi, fully Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi NULL
"Do not praise yourself while going into battle; praise yourself coming out of battle. (Do not rejjoice till you are sure that your difficulties are at an end)" - Russian Proverbs
"If I am given a formula, and I am ignorant of its meaning, it cannot teach me anything, but if I already know it what does the formula teach me?" - Saint Augustine, aka Augustine of Hippo, St. Austin, Bishop of Hippo NULL
"Be conscious, O man, of the wondrous state in which the Lord God has placed you, for He created you and formed you to the image of His beloved Son according to the body, and to His likeness according to the spirit (cf. Gen. 1:26). And [yet] all the creatures under heaven, each according to its nature, serve, know, and obey their Creator better than you. And even the demons did not crucify Him, but you together with them have crucified Him and crucify Him even now by delighting in vices and sins." - Saint Francis of Assisi, born Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone NULL
"For it is in giving that we receive." - Saint Francis of Assisi, born Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone NULL