Grown men can learn from very little children—for the hearts of little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show them many things that older people miss.

David Brinkley

(1920-2003) broadcast journalist

People have the illusion that all over the world, all the time, all kinds of fantastic things are happening; when in fact, over most of the world, most of the time, nothing is happening.

Buddha

(563 BC-483 BC) founder of Buddhism

Surely if living creatures saw the results of all their evil deeds, they would turn away from them in disgust. But selfhood blinds them, and they cling to their obnoxious desires. …

Thus they continue to move in the coil and can find no escape from the hell of their own making. And how empty are their pleasures, how vain are their endeavors!—hollow like the plantain-tree, and without contents like the bubble.

George Burns

(1896-1996) actor, comedian

I’d rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate.

Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can’t wait to finish your breakfast. You can’t wait to do your exercises. You can’t wait to put on your clothes. You can’t wait to get out. And you can’t wait to come home, because the soup is hot.

Leo Buscaglia

(1924-1998) self-help guru

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which has the potential to turn a life around.

Julius Caesar

(101 BC-44 BC) Roman military and political leader

Men willingly believe what they wish to be true.

Miguel De Cervantes

(1547-1616) writer best known for his novel Don Quixote

It requires a long time to know anyone.

You are a king by your own fireside, as much as any monarch is in his throne.

Nicolas Chamfort

(1741-1794) writer

The most wasted of all days is one where you did not once laugh.

Cherokee Proverbs

Don’t allow yesterday to spend up too much of today.

Chinese Proverbs

A pure heart has few desires.

Listening well is as powerful as talking well, and is also as essential to true conversation.

Cheat your conscience, and a whole life’s happiness is destroyed.

Close to a blacksmith, learn to hammer out nails; close to a carpenter, learn how to use a saw.

The melon seller does not announce, “Bitter melons.”

Solve one problem, and you keep a hundred others away.

Some study shows the need for more.

It is easier to visit friends than to live with them.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.

In a group of many words, there is bound to be a mistake.

When economy goes south, people get political.

The people sitting in the free theatre seats are the first ones to boo.

To know another is not to know that person’s face, but to know that person’s heart.

He who has never been cheated cannot be a good businessman.

Of all female qualities, a warm heart is the most valuable.

All things change, and we change with them.

Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.

Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength.

Married couples tell each other a thousand things without speech.

Frank A. Clark

Modern man is frantically trying to earn enough to buy things he’s too busy to enjoy.

Calvin Coolidge

(1872-1933) US President

We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.

Confucius

(551 BC-479 BC) philosopher

Rather than caring about whether or not you are known, strive to be worth knowing.

I used to listen to what others said, and expect them to act accordingly. But nowadays, I listen to what they say, and then observe what they do.

Tzu Hsia said to Confucius, “What do you think of Yen Hui?”

Confucius said, “Yen Hui has compassion—more than I do.”

“And Tzu Kung?”

“Tzu Kung is a better speaker than I am.”

“And Tzu Lu?”

“Tzu Lu is incredibly brave—much more than I am.”

“And Tzu Chang?”

“Tzu Chang he can keep dignity better than I can.”

Tzu Hsia then remarked, “So how come all four of them study under you?”

Confucius said, “Sit down and let me tell you. Yen Hui is compassionate, but is also inflexible about it. Tzu Kung is a great speaker, but he does not know when to stop talking. Tzu Lu is very brave, but he lacks prudence. Tzu Chang is very dignified, but unpleasant in social interaction.

“Even if I could, I would not exahnge their virtues for my own. And that is why they are intent on learning from me.”

Congo

He who does not like chattering woman will remain a bachelor.

If you are too modest, you will go hungry.

The teeth are smiling, but is the heart?

Cowboy Proverbs

Never ask a barber if he thinks yuh need a haircut.

After weeks of beans and taters, even a change to taters and beans is good.

Frank H. Crane

(1912-) author

You often get a better hold upon a problem by going away from it for a time and dismissing it from your mind altogether.

Croatian Proverbs

It is easy for someone to talk about fasting when he has a full belly.

Cuban Proverbs

Every head is a world.

Brief encounters can result in long relationships.

When money talks, everyone else is silent.

How can you trust anyone who doesn’t know how to blush?

Life is short; but it barely takes a second to smile.

Danish Proverbs

Many a man labors for the day he will never live to see.

Many a man is a good friend but a bad neighbor.

Better to ask twice than to lose your way once.

Dominican Proverbs

A rainbow would be considered even more beautiful if it weren’t free.

Dutch Proverbs / Holland / Netherlands

He who is outside his door already has a major part of his journey behind him.

Thomas Alva Edison

(1847-1931) inventor

I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.

Albert Einstein

(1879-1955) physicist

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Kaibara Ekken

(1630-1714) Neo-Confucian philosopher

We should not blindly regard all we has heard as true, reject what others say merely because they disagree, or be stubborn and refuse to admit mistakes.

TS Eliot

(1888�1965) poet, playwright, and literary critic

Humankind cannot stand very much reality.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

(1803-1882) philosopher, lecturer, essayist and poet

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.

To the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, nature is medicinal and restores their tone. The tradesman, the attorney comes out of the din and craft of the street, and sees the sky and wood, and is a man again. In their eternal calm, he finds himself.

To be great is to be misunderstood.

Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be attained through understanding.

English Proverbs

Half the world does not know how the other half lives.

He that is warm thinks all are so.

A change is as good as a rest.

Epictetus

(55-135) Stoic philosopher

No man is free who is not master of himself.

Marie Ebner von Eschenbach

(1830-1916) writer

We are so vain that we even care for the opinion of those we don’t care for.

Estonian Proverbs

The work will teach you how to do it.

Euripides

(480 BC�406 BC) playwright

The same man cannot be well skilled in everything. Each has his own special excellence.

French Proverbs

One-half of the world laughs at the other half.

No dish pleases all palates alike.

Life is half spent before one knows what life is.

A hundred years of idleness are not worth one hour well employed.

Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.

Remember that everyone you ever meet is sure to fear something, to love something, and to have lost something.

Sonya Friedman

psychologist

Don’t count on others to hand your life to you.

No matter what you do in life, someone important to you isn’t going to like it.

Some people are not capable of giving you what you’re trying to get from them.

Gabonese Proverbs

Bad friends will prevent you from having good friends.

Emile Henry Gauvreau

(1891-1956)

I was part of that strange race of people aptly described as spending their lives doing things they detest to make money they don’t want to buy things they don’t need to impress people they dislike.

Georgian Proverbs

Whomever I love is the most beautiful.

German Proverbs

To change and to change for the better are two different things.

Who is healthy and free is rich.

Ghanaian Proverbs

The tongue kills a man and the tongue saves a man.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

(1749-1832) novelist, poet, theologist, philosopher, and scientist

If you want to get pleasure out of life, you must attach value to the world.

I respect the man who knows distinctly what he wants.

Vincent Van Gogh

(1853-1890) artist

I am seeking, I am striving, I am in with all my heart.

Greek Proverbs

Many pupils have gained more wealth than their masters.

One minute of patience can result in ten years of peace.

Francesco Guicciardini

(1483�1540) historian, statesman

…Keep your eye fixed not so much on what they [people] ought in reason to do, as on what they are likely to do based on their disposition and habits.

Even though many people prove to be ungrateful, do not let that stop you from benefiting others—for not only is beneficence in itself a noble and almost divine quality, it may also happen that while you practice it, you will encounter someone so grateful that he will make up for all the others’ ingratitude.

Hebrew / Jewish / Israeli Proverbs

Don’t trust someone who tells you all of his troubles and keeps you from all of his joys.

There is no book that contains absolutely nothing bad, and there is no book that contains absolutely nothing good.

A good son-in-law is like the acquisition of a new son; a bad one is like the loss of your daughter.

Han Fei Tzu

(280 BC-233 BC) philosopher and political theorist

He who trusts others can be manipulated by others.

By looking at a person’s features, clothing, and speech, even Confucius would not be able to say what sort of a person he is. But by testing him in a position and seeing what he he does, even someone with so-so judgment would be able to know if he is wise or not.

Hannibal

(247 BC-183 BC) Carthaginian general

We will either find a way, or make one.

Many things which nature makes difficult become easy to the man who uses his brains.

Lorraine Hansberry

(1930-1965) playwright

Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.

Napoleon Hill

(1883-1970) success / self help author

It is a well known fact that one comes, finally, to BELIEVE whatever one repeats to one’s self, whether the statement be true or false.

Hillel

… And in a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.

Hindustani / Hindu Proverbs

Diet cures more than the surgical knife.

No one can be a totally fair judge in his own case.

">Hopi Proverbs

Don’t be afraid to weep—it will free your mind from sad thoughts.

You must live your life from start to finish; no one can do it for you.

Hsun Tzu

(310 BC-219 BC) Confucian philosopher

The starting point of wisdom must be to consider the desires necessary, but to guide them. …

Kin Hubbard

(1868-1930) journalist, cartoonist, and political commentator

The only way to entertain some folks is to listen to them.

Henrik Ibsen

(1828-1906) playwright, theatre director, poet

Rob the average man of his life-illusion and you rob him also of his happiness.

Icelandic Proverbs

A sitting crow starves.

Iranian / Persian Proverbs

It takes ten pounds of common sense to carry one pound of learning.

The way a house is decorated will tell much about its owner.

Don’t just take love—experience it.

Only a heart can find the way to another heart.

The elephant dreams of one thing, and the elephant driver dreams of another.

I used to complain because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.

A quality statement often gets no answer.

A greedy man is always poor.

Iraqi Proverbs

All authors should prepare to encounter criticism.

Sometimes you must sacrifice your beard in order to save your head.

Irish Proverbs

A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures in the doctor’s book.

No time for your health today, no health for your time tomorrow.

Bricks and mortar make a house, but the laughter of children make a home.

Isibhasiya

The greatest and supreme science among sciences is the study that frees man from all kinds of miseries.

Italian Proverbs

All the brains are not in one head.

The person who enjoys good health is rich, even if he doesn’t know it.

Beware of the person with nothing to lose.

As soon as a new law is made, a way around it is devised.

The remedy is often worse than the disease.

Yes and no rule the world.

To the person who watches, everything reveals itself.

Preventing someone from falling is better than helping him get up.

William James

(1842-1910) psychologist

The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated

Everybody should do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice.

We must make automatic and habitual, as early as possible, as many useful actions as we can

If you want a quality, act as if you already had it. Try the “as if” technique.

Japanese Proverbs

A few kind words can warm three winter months.

Time spent laughing is time spent with the kami [gods].

Character can be built on daily routine.

It’s better to lie a little than to be unhappy.

Man cannot reach perfection in a hundred years; he can fall in a day with time to spare.

The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour.

Jesus

(4 BC-30 AD) founder of Christianity

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

So let your light so shine before people, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Samuel Johnson

(1709-1784) writer

We have less reason to be surprised or offended when we find others differ from us in opinion, because we very often differ from ourselves.

Every man has something to do which he neglects; every man has faults to conquer which he delays to combat.

The best teachers of humanity are the lives of great men.

Chief Joseph

(1840-1904) Nez Perce Native American leader

I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our hearts more.

Carl Jung

(1875-1961) psychiatrist

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

Kashmir Proverbs

The healthy person experiences a healthy world.

Helen Keller

(1880-1968) writer and social reformer

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and [just] because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

(1929-1968) social activist

People who have a stake in their society protect that society—but when they don’t have it, they unconsciously want to destroy it.

Tom Kite

(1949-) golf pro

Discipline and concentration are a matter of being interested.

Korean Proverbs

Put something off for one day, and ten days will pass.

La Fontaine

(1621-1695) poet

We must laugh before we are happy, for fear we die before we laugh at all.

Francois duc de La Rochefoucauld

(1613-1680) soldier and writer

We rarely ever perceive others as sensible, except for those who agree with us.

A man often believes himself leader when he is led; as his mind endeavors to reach one goal, his heart insensibly drags him towards another.

Tom Landry

(1924-2000) One of the winningest pro football coaches of all time

Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.

Lao Tzu

(570 BC-490 BC) philosopher

Take [preventive] action before things happen. Establish order before disorder has begun.

The tree that fills the arms grows from a small sprout. The tower of nine levels starts with a heap of dirt. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Christian D. Larson

(1874-1954) New Thought philosopher

The average person is full of artificial desires, desires that have been suggested by what other people possess or require.

Happiness, however, is not the result of any one single cause. It is the result of many ideal states of being grouped together into one harmonious whole. …

Johann Kaspar Lavater

(1741-1801) theologian, mystic, and poet

He who has not forgiven an enemy has not yet tasted one of the most sublime enjoyments of life.

Lebanese Proverbs

If anyone is not willing to accept your point of view, try to see his point of view.

Libyan Proverbs

Each trip gives you its own uniqueness.

If everyone thought the same way, no goods would ever be sold.

Macedonian Proverbs

If my neighbor is happy, my own work will go easier, too.

Nelson Mandela

(1918-) South African leader and civil rights advocate

To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Orison Swett Marden

(1850-1924) writer

The trouble with us is that we expect too much from the great happenings, the unusual things, and we overlook the common flowers on the path of life, from which we might abstract sweets, comforts, delights.

Real happiness is so simple that most people do not recognize it. It is derived from the simplest, the quietest, the most unpretentious things in the world.

If we get the good that belongs to us here and now, we must extract the sweetness of each passing minute while it is ours. That is the real art of living in the today.

Play is as necessary to the perfect development of a child as sunshine is to the perfect development of a plant.

Olin Miller

You probably wouldn’t worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do.

Mongolian Proverbs

It is easier to catch an escaped horse than to take back an escaped word.

Michel de Montaigne

(1533-1592) essayist

The most universal quality is diversity.

Nepalese Proverbs

Opportunities come, but do not linger.

New Zealander Proverbs (incl. Maori)

Take time to enjoy life’s roses.

Friedrich Nietzsche

(1844-1900) philosopher and scholar

In every real man, there is a child that wants to play.

The best weapon against an enemy is another enemy.

Nigerian Proverbs

Being happy in one’s home is better than being a chief.

You know who you love, but you can’t know who loves you.

Okinawan Proverbs

Even if you hide yourself from the world, don’t lose sight of your real nature.

Omaha Proverbs

It is easy to show braveness from a safe distance.

Blaise Pascal

(1623-1662) scientist, mathematician, writer, philosopher, and theologian

The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know. We feel it in a thousand things.

It is the heart that experiences God, and not the reason.

We are all something, but none of us are everything

Kind words do not cost much; yet they accomplish much.

Perfect Liberty Kyodan Precepts

At every moment, man stands at the crossroads of good and evil.

Philippine / Filipino / Tagalog Proverbs

If you like what you are doing, nothing is too far and no job is too hard.

The child who is given everything he asks for usually won’t succeed in life.

Portuguese (Portugal) Proverbs

Not much can be done when everyone is giving orders.

Puerto Rican Proverbs

What might not happen in a year might happen in an instant.

John D. Rockefeller

(1839-1937) industrialist, philanthropist

The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee…and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun.

Roma / Rom / Gypsy Proverbs

The journey is just as important as the destination.

We are all wanders of this earth; our hearts are full of wonder and our souls are full of dreams.

Romanian Proverbs

Without other people’s companionship, even paradise would be an unlikable place.

Chooses a wife to please yourself, not others.

The eyes have one language everywhere.

Rumi

(1207-1273) Sufi poet

The satiated man and the hungry man do not see the same thing when they look at a loaf of bread.

Your mission isn’t to look for love, but simply to search and locate the barriers within you that have formed against it.

John Ruskin

(1819-1900) artist and writer

When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.

Tell me what you like and I’ll tell you what you are.

Russian Proverbs

A person never gets tired working for himself.

You can get used to anything—even hell.

Rwandan Proverbs

In the birds’ court, a cockroach never wins his case.

Work is good, as long as you don’t forget to live.

I Samuel

...Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Samurai Proverbs

Control your emotion or it will control you.

Sauk Proverbs

You cannot purchase friendship—you have to do your part to make it.

Scottish / Scotch

Please yourself and you’ll please somebody.

Be happy while you’re living, for you’re a long time dead.

Serbian & Montenegrin Proverbs

Complain to someone who can help you.

William Shakespeare

(1564-1616) playwright, poet

This above all: to thine own self be true...

Sioux Proverbs

When a man moves from nature, his heart becomes hard.

True peace between nations will only happen when there is true peace within people’s souls.

Emmitt Smith

(1969-) record setting NFL running back

Winning is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream.

Spanish Proverbs

Every season brings its joy.

Talking about bulls is not the same thing as being in the bullring.

Sylvester Stallone

(1946-) actor, filmmaker and screenwriter

If you’re gonna be a failure, at least be one at something you enjoy

Swedish Proverbs

Shared joy is double joy.

Publilius Syrus

(1st century BC) writer

We are interested in others when they are interested in us.

Taiwanese Proverbs

A husband and wife often fight intensely at one moment and then kiss intensely at the next moment.

A beautiful person might not have a beautiful life.

Some prefer liquor, others prefer tofu, and some even like rotten salmon.

Greed will cause pain.

Talmud

If your business does not prosper in one town, try another.

Cold water, morning and evening, is better than all the cosmetics.

There is a great difference between him who is ashamed before his own self, and him who is only ashamed before others.

Tanzanian Proverbs

Little by little, a little becomes a lot.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

‘Tis better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all.

Terence

(195 BC�159 BC) playwright, humorist

It is possible for someone to be changed so much by love that he will hardly be recognized as being the same person.

Mother Teresa

(1910-1997) humanitarian

The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.

Thai Proverbs

The sweetness of food doesn’t last long, but the sweetness of good words do.

Henry David Thoreau

(1817-1862) writer, philosopher, and naturalist

To the sick the doctors wisely recommend a change of air and scenery.

Tibetan Proverbs

Who can say for sure that one will live to see tomorrow?

Paul Tournier

(1898-1986) doctor who developed a psychiatric method he termed “medicine of the person”

Most illnesses do not, as is generally thought, come like a bolt out of the blue. The ground is prepared for years through faulty diet, intemperance, overwork, and moral conflicts, slowly eroding the subject’s vitality.

Tunisian Proverbs

Everyone lives—the person with one coat, the person with two, and even the person with none.

Turkish Proverbs

One eats while another watches—that is how revolutions are begun.

Death is a black camel that lies down at every door. Sooner or later you must ride the camel.

If you search for a faultless woman, you will remain a bachelor.

Mark Twain

(1835-1910) writer

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.

Uighur Proverbs

If the boss is full, no one will care if the slave is hungry.

Ugandan Proverbs

The laughter of a child is the light of a house.

Uttaradhyayana Sutra

One should acquire valuable knowledge, and avoid what is worthless.

Victory over one’s self is greater than conquering thousands and thousands of enemies on the battlefield. A true conqueror is he who conquers his own self.

Vietnamese Proverbs

The buffalo that arrives late will have to drink muddy water and eat dry grass.

When you eat, it’s vegetables; when you’re sick, it’s medicine.

It’s better to have lots of children than to have lots of material goods.

Voltaire

(1694-1778) writer and philosopher

Every man is guilty of all the good he didn’t do.

I know of no great men except those who have rendered great service to the human race.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.

William Arthur Ward

(1812-1882) writer and theologian

When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.

Oprah Winfrey

(1954-) businesswomen, TV talk show host

Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.

If you live in the past and allow the past to define who you are, then you never grow.

What I have learned in my life and work is that the more I am able to be myself, the more it enables other people to be themselves.

John Wooden

(1910-) college basketball coach

When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. When you improve conditioning a little each day, eventually you have a big improvement in conditioning. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don’t look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens—and when it happens, it lasts.

Toshio Yasaka

Whenever a man says he is great, he is thinking of the past, and this is not good. A man should continue to express himself. The true Self exists moment by moment, and the challenge of PL is ever leading us forward to a more artistic life.

Yiddish Proverbs

Health comes before making a livelihood.

If one soldier understood the thoughts of another, there would be no wars.

Cold strengthens you more than hunger.

A penny saved is a penny earned, but sometimes a penny is better spent than saved.

When brains are needed, brawn won’t help.

Unknown

A friend is a person with whom you dare to be yourself

Friendships multiply joys and divide griefs.

A friend that you buy with presents will be bought from you.

For one rich man that is content there are a hundred who are not.

It is good pride to desire to be the best of men.

Sickness is felt, but health not at all.

Sickness will spoil the happiness of an emperor, as well as mine.

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.

Man had perished long ago, had it not been for public spirited persons.

We too often love things and use people, when we should be using things and loving people.

Choose a job that you like, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

This, or any moment, may be your last.

Folktales

The Traveler

An elaborately dressed man was traveling to a party. On his way, a farmer handed him some peanuts and said, “Here’s some food for your journey.”

The man replied, “I’m about to eat rare gourmet food—I have no use for peanuts!” And with that, threw the peanuts in the mud and left.

Half a mile later, however, he encountered a river that was more torrid than usual, and concluded that he could not make it across. He had to turn back and head for home.

On his way back, it grew late in the evening, and the man’s belly yearned for food. Remembering the peanuts he had causally tossed away earlier, he had no choice but to laboriously pick them out of the mud one by one for his dinner.

→

Bring Me Four People

One day, Emperor Akbar said to Birbal, “Bring me four people: a modest one, a shameless one, a cowardly one, and a brave one.”

The next day, Birbal brought one woman before Akbar

Akbar saw this and remarked, “This is only one person—I asked you to bring four.”

“Well,” Birbal replied, “this woman has all four of the qualities you mentioned. When she stays at her in-laws, she is modest. When she is drunk, she is shameless. When she is alone at night, she is cowardly. And when she is determined to have her way, she is brave.”

→

Sales Pitch

A real estate agent was trying to sell a summerhouse to a man. The agent said, “This home is really something special. Look at how close it is to the river. It is almost as if you are right on the river. If you want the best, this is the home to buy.”

“Well,” said the man, “what’s so good about being near the river?”

“What’s so good!” the agent exclaimed. “I don’t even know where to begin. You will have a magnificent view of the river. Your whole family can bathe and swim in it. You can wash your laundry in it. You can fish in it. And you can row in it!”

The man countered, “But what if the river starts flowing too high, and washes away the house?”

“What are you talking about!” the agent quickly answered. “I mean, just look at how far this house is from the river!”

→

The Father

A young widower had a son that he loved more than anything in the world. One day while the father was away, some plunderers burned down most of his village and kidnapped the little boy.

When the father came back, he mistook one of the burnt corpses as his son. Completely devastated, he had the body cremated, and put the ashes in a bag that he always carried around.

Days later, his son escaped from the plunderers, ran back home, and knocked on the door of the house that his father rebuilt. His father asked who it was. When the boy answered, “It’s me, your son—please let me in,” the father, who was still holding the bag of ashes, assumed it was some other boy playing a cruel joke. “Go away,” he shouted back.

The boy continued to knock and plead to the father, but the father continued to tell him to leave. Finally, the boy left and never came back again.

And just like that example, if a person is intently holding to an idea as the absolute and unmodifiable truth, he won’t be able to open the door and accept the actual truth when it comes firsthand knocking on his door.

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Daughter and Daughter-in-Law

Two ladies were talking to each other. One said, “How is your daughter Rebecca?”

The other replied, “Fantastic. She has a really fabulous husband. He doesn’t make her clean and cook. She sleeps until noon, and her maid serves her all day. She goes shopping, eats at fine restaurants, and wears nothing but the most exquisite clothing.”

Her friend then asked, “And how is your son Jonathan doing?”

“Oh,” she replied, “he’s married to one of those fancy women who take advantage of men. She doesn’t do anything all day—that good-for-nothing. She sleeps until noon. She has a maid do everything for her. She never cooks or cleans. And she spends all of my son’s money on her shopping and eating at fine restaurants!”

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The Donkey Seller

Nasrudin brought his donkey to sell at the bazaar.

The donkey, however, would not cooperate, and bit every single person who tried to inspect it.

A nearby seller noticed all of this, and said, “Do you really expect to sell a donkey that behaves like that?”

“No,” Nasrudin replied, “not really. I just brought him here so other people would experience what I have to put up with every day!“

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Man Searches for Joy

One day, Nasrudin began talking to a man from another town. The man lamented, “I am rich, but I am also sad and miserable. I have taken my money and gone traveling in search of joy-but alas, I have yet to find it.”

As the man continued speaking, Nasrudin grabbed the man’s bag and ran off with it. The man chased him, and Nasrudin soon ran out of the man’s sight. He hid behind a tree, and put the bag in the open road for the man to see.

When the man caught up, he located the bag, and his facial expression immediately turned from distress to joy. As the man danced in celebration of finding his bag, Nasrudin thought to himself, “That’s one way to bring joy to a sad man.”

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Mojud�s Biography

A man named Mojud worked as a government official, then as a fisherman�s assistant, then as a farmhand, then as a wealthy merchant, and then later gave away most of his money, moved to the big city and worked at a store. While there, he performed many feats of mysticism, and word spread about his powers.

The people there all regarded him highly, and he soon attracted a devoted following of disciples. One day some notable people in the city asked him, �Tell us your background. Where are you from? Who did you study under?�

Mojud replied, �I�m not entirely certain.�

So the people asked, �Well, how did you begin your career?�

�I began as a government official,� he replied.

�So after that you decided to quit and devote yourself to mystical things?� they inquired further.

�No, not really,� Mojud said. �After that, I became a fisherman�s helper, and then I walked out on that and became a farmer�s helper, and then I left that and became a merchant and made lots of money, and then I gave it up and came here to work in a store, and this is where I am right now.�

�That does not really explain how you have all these powers,� they replied. �That can�t be it!�

�It surely is,� Mojud replied.

Unsatisfied with his dull life story, the town biographers instead wrote a glamorous and exciting life story about him in order to conform to what the readers wanted, instead of what actually happened. And thus, that is the way that his life was recorded.

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Salt

A man invited a friend over for dinner one night—but while his friend ate, he did not seem to be enjoying the food.

The friend noticed this and offered him some salt, and the man sprinkled a little on the food, ate it, and thought, “This salt really makes the food taste good. And if just a little salt makes it that much better, then surely a lot of salt will only improve it more.”

The man then began eating just salt by itself as his friend watched in bewilderment. Not long afterward, the man’s facial expression turned to one of disgust.

The man in this story is comparable to people who think that since moderate eating and drinking has benefits, extreme deprivation must be even more beneficial. They end up starving and depriving themselves, and soon find out that they have veered from the right Way.

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What Color is my Beard?

One day, a barber was trimming the mayor’s beard at the village palace.

After he finished up, he remarked, “Your beard is starting to turn gray.”

The mayor, enraged to hear this, ordered that the barber be put in jail for one year.

He then turned to a court attendant and asked, “Do you see any gray in my beard?”

“Almost none at all,” the man replied.

“What do you mean ‘almost’!“ the mayor yelled. “Guards, take this man to jail-and keep him there for two years!“

He then turned to another attendant and asked the same question.

“Sir, your beard is exquisite, and is completely black,” the man replied.

“You liar!“ the mayor shouted. “Guards-give this man ten lashes on the back, and put him in jail for three years.”

Finally, he turned to Nasrudin and said, “Mulla, what color is my beard?”

“You Excellency,” Nasrudin replied, “I am color blind, and cannot answer that question.”

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The Red and Blue Coat

Yerodin and Lumumba were very close friends and neighbors whose homes were separated by a narrow path between their yards.

One day, a local trickster decided that he would test their longtime friendship. The trickster put on an elaborate two-color coat that was split down the middle: red on the right, and blue on the left. He walked on the path between the two houses while Yerodin and Lumumba were farming. The trickster made a loud whistle while he was in the middle of the path, and both friends momentarily looked up and noticed him.

Then a few minutes after he had passed by, Yerodin said to Lumumba, “Did you like the red coat that man was wearing?”

“Red coat?” Lumumba replied. “No, you’re mistaken. I saw him too when he walked between us, and his coat was blue.”

“Listen,” retorted Yerodin, “I saw the coat clearly and I am sure that it was red.”

“No, no, no; you’re wrong,” replied Lumumba. “I’m absolutely sure that it was blue.”

Yerodin began getting annoyed, and saidd, “Hey, I know what I saw, and that coat was not blue. It was definitely red. I’m sure about this!”

“You’re not very observant,” Lumumba quickly replied, “and stubborn as well. Only a fool would not recognize that the coat was blue.”

“Oh, so you think that I’m stupid, huh?” shouted Yerodin. “Well, you’re the stupid one, because the coat was red!”

They began to shout and argue more intensely, and their shouts turned into fighting. As they battled, they suddenly heard a man laughing. They looked up, and saw the trickster wearing the two-color coat with both colors facing them.

They stopped fighting and yelled out the trickster, “You despicable man! We’ve been the best of friends for years, and now look what you’ve started between us!”

“Don’t blame me,” the trickster replied, “I’m not the one who made you two fight each other.”

“What are you taking about?” Yerodin and Lumumba skeptically asked.

The trickster continued, “Both of you were speaking the apparent truth in your argument. But the reason you ended up fighting is because you only considered my coat from your own point of view!”

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Across the River

Nasrudin was standing near a river. A man on the other side shouted to him, “Hey! How can I get across the river?”

“You are across!“ Nasrudin shouted back.

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Selling a Turban

Nasrudin went to the mayor’s palace one day wearing a fancy turban.

“Wow!“ said the mayor, “What a magnificent turban! I’ve never seen anything like it. How much will you sell it for?”

“A thousand dollars,” Nasrudin calmly replied.

A local merchant turned to the mayor and remarked, “That price definitely exceeds the market value of comparable items.”

“Your price sounds very expensive,” the mayor remarked to Nasrudin.

“Well,” he replied, “the price is based on how much I bought it for—and I paid a lot for it because I knew that there is only one mayor in the entire universe with taste exquisite enough to buy such a turban.”

Upon hearing this compliment, the mayor immediately demanded that Nasrudin be paid full price for the turban.

Nasrudin then walked over to the merchant and said, “You might know the market values of turbans, but I know the market value of complimenting the mayor.”

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Napoleon Hides

Napoleon was fleeing from his pursuing enemies. Passing through a Jewish village, he ran into the house of a Jewish tailor and said, “Please—you must hide me! If they discover me, they will surely behead me!”

The tailor did not know who the man was, but he felt compassionate, and told Napoleon to hide under the bed.

Not much later, some fierce looking men came in and said, “Is anyone hiding here?

“No,” the tailor replied. “Why would anyone be foolish enough as to hide here?”

Satisfied with the answer, the men were about to leave. One of them, however, turned back and said, “Well, if Napoleon Bonaparte was this bed, this is what we would have done to him,” and upon saying so, stuck his spear in the bed several times—but lucky for Napoleon, they missed him each time.

After the men leaved, Napoleon, nervous and drenched in sweat, came out from under the bed and said, “I am Napoleon Bonaparte, world emperor. In order to reward you for saving me, I will fulfill any three wishes you make.”

The tailor said, “Can you get my roof fixed?”

“What!” Napoleon replied. “I am a freaking emperor! Is that all you’are going to ask me?! Fine. I will grant it. Now what’s the second wish?”

The tailor though and said, “Another tailor has opened a store near mine. Can you make him move to another town?”

“You fool!” Napoleon exclaimed. “Is that all you want? Fine. I’ll do it. OK now, you only have one more wish—so make it good.”

“OK,” the tailor said. “I just would like to know how you felt when your enemy was putting the spear through the bed.”

“That is it, I’ve had enough!” Napoleon replied. “How can you ask an exalted emperor like me such a question? For your transgression, I will have you executed tomorrow.”

Greatly distressed, the tailor prayed that night, and was then taken to the execution place in the morning.

A firing squad pointed the guns at him, and an officer said, “Fire on the count of three.”

He began his count, and just as he was about to reach three, Napoleon appeared and said, “Don’t shoot.”

Then he said to the tailor, “You wanted to know how I felt under that bed. Now you know.”

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Why Weren’t You

There once was a rabbi named Zusya who was very old and seemed to be in his final days on earth. His students gathered by his side and asked him all sorts of questions. Finally, one asked him, “Rabbi Zusya, what do you fear most about dying?”

“I fear what they will ask me when I go to heaven,” he replied.

“And what will they ask you?” the students inquired.

“They won’t ask me, ‘Zusya, why weren’t you like Moses?’ Or ‘Zusya, why weren’t you like Abraham?’ Or ‘Zusya, why weren’t you like Noah?’ They will ask me, ‘Zusya, why weren’t you Zusya?’” *

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Nasrudin’s Hurried Prayer

Nasrudin was in a rush one day, and quickly went to the Mosque for an evening prayer session. The religious leader saw his rushed prayer, and angrily said to him, “This is not right-you offering such hurried prayers. Start over again.”

So Nasrudin complied, and when he finished, the religious leader said, “Now, don’t you think that God appreciated this second round of prayers more than the hurried ones you did.”

“Not really,” Nasrudin replied. “Although the first ones were hurried, they were done for God. But the ones that you made me do were done for you.”

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The New Water

One day, the mysterious prophet-saint Khidr told the world, �In a few days, all water throughout the earth from natural sources will disappear, and be replaced with new water that will make people crazy when they drink it. However, any water that is specially stored will not undergo this transformation.�

Only a man named Hasan paid attention to this, and he gathered water and stored it in anticipation of the change.

Three days later, just as Khidr said, the water from natural sources stopped running, and was replaced by a new variety of water.

Everybody drank the new water except for Hasan, who had saved and specially stored the original water. And soon Hasan noticed that all the people began acting differently, and that they had no knowledge Khidr�s prophecy or of the day that the waters were changed.

When Hasan began interacting with the people, they thought that he was crazy, and they ostracized him.

Hasan continued to drink his stored water for a few more weeks, but he could not take the loneliness anymore, and he decided to drink the new water and become like everyone else.

From then on, the people regarded Hasan as a former madman who had his sanity renewed.

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The Disciples Answer the Rabbi

A Rabbi asked his five disciples, “What is the best thing to pursue having in life.

One replied, “A good eye.”

Another said, “A good friend.”

Another said, “A good neighbor.”

Another said, “Good foresight.”

The last said, “A good heart.”

The Rabbi then remarked, “A good heart is what I consider best, because it includes all the rest of your answers.”

Then another day the Rabbi asked them, “What is the thing that a person should avoid most in life.”

They responded in the same order.

One replied, “A bad eye.”

Another said, “A bad friend.”

Another said, “A bad neighbor.”

Another said, “Bad foresight.”

The last said, “A bad heart.”

The Rabbi then remarked, “The last answer is what I feel is best, because it includes all the rest in it.”

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Did You Enjoy the Stew?

Nasrudin was invited to the royal palace for dinner one night. During the meal, the King asked Nasrudin if he enjoyed the stew.

“Yes,” replied Nasrudin, “it was fantastic.”

“Really?” said the King. “I thought it was pretty bad.”

“Yes,” said Nasrudin, “you’re right—it was quite awful.”

“Wait a minute,” remarked the King. “You just said it was fantastic a few seconds ago.”

“That’s correct,” explained Nasrudin, “but I live in and serve the town of the King, not the stew.”

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Nour the Fire-Maker, and the Five Tribes

In ancient times, a man named Nour discovered how to make fire. He traveled to various places and shared his discovery to five tribes of people. They all had different reactions to him�some embraced his discovery, and others regarded him with aversion and fear. Eventually, Nour was killed by a group of people that were terrified of him and his fire.

A few centuries later, each of the five tribes had a unique viewpoint towards Nour and fire making, and these subjects accounted for a major part of each tribe�s cultural and religious practices.

The first tribe had a priest class that kept fire-making a closely guarded secret that gave them leverage over the other citizens.

The second tribe did not care about fire making, but they worshipped the tools used to make fire.

The third tribe was entirely unconcerned about fire making, and instead worshipped Nour.

The fourth tribe had legendary tales about Nour and fire making ingrained in their cultural folklore�and some people believed the legends, while other rejected them.

The fifth tribe used fire throughout their community for various useful purposes.

One day, a master and his disciples were traveling in the lands where these tribes lived. After observing the tribes, the disciples said to each other, �It is very surprising to see how all these tribes differ so greatly in the way they regard fire making and Nour. Let us visit the tribes, and tell them the truth about fire making. After when we tell them, their lifestyles will surely change dramatically.�

So the traveling master and disciples went to the first tribe�the one where fire was a closely guarded secret used among the priest class. After receiving a warm welcome by the tribe, they attended one of their fire making religious ceremonies headed by the priests. When the ceremony finished, one of the traveling disciples said, �I can duplicate the fire making that you people regard as divine and restricted only to the priests. If I do this, will you admit that you have been wrong for all these years?�

When the priests heard this, they immediately shouted out, �These travelers are heretics�seize them and take them away at once.�

The people immediately did as they said, and the travelers moved on to the second tribe�the one that worshipped fire-making tools.

One of the traveling disciples announced to the tribe, �I come here to inform you that you are worshipping these tools, yet you are unaware that their use is simply to make fire.�

The people heard this and responded, �We are hospitable people and welcome you to our land, but we must inform you that you are a stranger to our customs, and you do not understand what we are doing. Your statements are mistaken, and you are not acting in accordance with our religion. Hence, we will not listen to you.�

So the travelers went to the third tribe�the one that worshipped Nour. They observed the tribe�s various Nour statues and ceremonies. Later, they approached the tribe�s leaders and said, �The Nour that you worship is actually just a person like the rest of you. He discovered a fire making skill that you can learn and use.�

The tribe leaders replied, �Even if that is true, such knowledge is reserved only for a select few like us, not for the entire community to know.�

�But why not spread this knowledge to all?� the traveler replied.

Upon hearing this, the tribe leaders replied, �We have had enough from you! You are sacrilegious and unfamiliar with our culture!�

So the travelers left, and went to the fourth tribe�the one where fire making and Nour were legendary folklore that some people believed and others didn�t.

One of the travelers announced to the tribe, �The fire making stories and legends you speak of are indeed true, and I can show you how to make fire.�

This announcement caused much division among the tribe. Among them, some people desired to learn how to make fire from the travelers, but were only concerned with using it to take advantage of others. They also did not learn to make fire properly because they were still fixated on their inaccurate legends about fire making.

Another group of people said, �These travelers are duping us and trying to take advantage of us; and we will have nothing to do with them.�

And another group of people said, �Whether these travelers speak the truth or not, we do not want to hear from them. We prefer to retain our current legends as they are, which forms the foundation of our culture and community.�

So the travelers left and went to the fifth tribe, where they used fire, and observed the people�s ways.

The travelers then said to their master, �What are we to make of all of this? We tried to teach the four other tribes to make fire the way this tribe does, but our efforts have gone in vain.�

The master replied, �Most people don�t really want to be taught�so you have to know the proper way to teach them. Although they have the capacity for learning, this is not enough.

�You have to teach them that there is something to learn. They imagine they are ready to learn, but they are really concerned with learning what they imagine is to be learned, and not what they first need to learn.

�Understand this, and then you will find the proper way to teach.�

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Ten Dollars

One day, a merchant set out on a short trip in order to collect a debt of ten dollars from a man living several miles away. After paying a boatman five dollars to take him across a river, the merchant was uable ot find the man, and he had to pay another five dollars to make his way back home. And thus, he spent ten dollars and a few hours to collect a ten-dollar debt—and he ultimately ended up empty-handed.

This is analogous to people who obsessively pursue a petty gain, and end up neglecting much more imprtant matters and periling themselves in many ways.

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