Positive Quotes and Proverbs

African Proverbs

Honor a child, and he will honor you.

A man who pays respect to the great paves his own way for greatness.

Arabic Proverbs

A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to our steps as we walk the tightrope of life.

Arapaho Proverbs

May our thoughts reach the sky where there is holiness.

Argentine Proverbs

A man who develops himself is twice born.

Armenian Proverbs

There is no reason for war that reasonable men can’t settle.

Australian Proverbs

The clash of ideas brings forth the spark of truth.

Avesta

Collection of Zoroastrian scriptures

Doing good to others is not a duty—it is a joy, for it increases your own health and happiness.

Azerbaijani Proverbs

Laughter is the remedy for 1001 illnesses.

Buddha

(563 BC-483 BC) founder of Buddhism

...To satisfy the necessities of life is not evil. To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom, and keep our mind strong and clear.

The wise man will use the light he has to receive more light. He will constantly advance in the knowledge of truth.

Bulgarian Proverbs

A gentle word opens an iron gate.

George Burns

(1896-1996) actor, comedian

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.

Joseph Campbell

(1904-1987) writer on mythology

People say that what we are all seeking is meaning for life. I think that what we’re really seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonance within our innermost being and reality, so that we can actually feel the rapture of being alive.

Miguel De Cervantes

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

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.

When a man and a woman have an overwhelming passion for each other, it seems to me, in spite of such obstacles dividing them as parents or husband, that they belong to each other in the name of Nature, and are lovers by Divine right, in spite of human convention or the laws.

Chinese Proverbs

A pure heart has few desires.

Why so anxiously and busily manage so many evil matters? Drop them all and become a good man.

Embrace every chance of laying up merit, and your daily wants will be regularly supplied.

Show compassion to others’ misfortunes, and rejoice in their excellences.

When you converse, let it be with the wise; when you give food, let it be to the hungry.

Doing good gives the greatest happiness; study gives the greatest good.

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

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

To be totally at leisure for one day is to be immortal for one day.

A wise man adapts himself to circumstances as water shapes itself according to the vessel that contains it.

The smallest desire to do good is—though not seen by man—certainly known to Heaven.

A hundred foot bamboo can progress yet another step.

Better the cottage where one is merry than the palace where one weeps.

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

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

Learning is a weightless treasure you can always carry easily.

Confucius

The superior man does not confine himself to praising men with his words; and so the people prove loyal to him. Thus, when he asks about men who are suffering from cold, he clothes them; or men who are suffering from want, he feeds them; and when he praises a man’s good qualities, he confers rank on him.

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

If you hear tao in the morning, you can die content in the evening.

Emile Coue

But if our unconscious is the source of many of our ills, it can also bring about the cure of our physical and mental ailments. It can not only repair the ill it has done, but cure real illnesses, so strong is its action upon our organism.

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.

Cuban Proverbs

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

Benjamin Disraeli

(1804-1881) British statesman, writer

Nurture your mind with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes.

Dutch Proverbs / Holland / Netherlands

Skill and assurance form an invincible combination.

Thomas Alva Edison

(1847-1931) inventor

I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun.

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

Kaibara Ekken

(1630-1714) Neo-Confucian philosopher

Self-discipline is the main object, and through it, one becomes a man.

… [Let us] continue learning and be true men as long as we can breathe.

Sincerity is the mind of the kami [gods]… if one has a mind of sincerity, the kami will surely respond. (Divine Injunctions)

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

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. The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough. (“Nature”)

My mind to me is a kingdom.

A change is as good as a rest.

An artist lives everywhere.

Desiderus Erasmus

(1469-1536) Priest and reformer

It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is.

Finnish Proverbs

Being in love is like feeling the sun from both sides.

Benjamin Franklin

(1706-1790) American statesman, writer, printer, and scientist

Games lubricate the body and the mind.

French Proverbs

The happiness of the human race in this world does not consist in our being devoid of passions, but in our learning to command them.

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

Vive la difference.

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

German Proverbs

Who does right is born of God.

Who is healthy and free is rich.

Jon Gery

You just can't make everyone happy. It is a law. But if you try, and go a little bit out of your way, you could make someone smile. It is a law.

Jerry Gillies

Speaker and author of books such as Moneylove (1978) and Psychological Immortality (1981)

You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.

Gnomologia

A Man may be happy here and hereafter, without much Fame or Wealth. (290)

A Man may have a just Esteem of himself, without being proud. (297)

Any thing for a quiet Life. (805)

Bitter Pills may have wholesome Effects. (985)

Do all you can to be good, and you’ll be so. (1301)

Friendships multiply Joys, and divide Griefs. (1622)

Good Actions are the best Sacrifice we can offer to God. (1697)

Good deeds remain; all things else perish. (1710)

He benefits himself, that doth Good to others. (1813)

He hath no mean Portion of Virtue, that loveth it in another. (1894)

He that walketh with the Virtuous, is one of them. (2340)

He who imparts Wisdom to another, purifies and exalts his own Mind. (2389)

If you be not Content, put your hand in your pocket, and please your self (2739)

Man had perish’d long ago, had it not been for publick spirited Persons. (3331)

The true Gentleman is God’s Servant, the World’s Master, and his own Man. (4805)

The Way to live much, is to begin to live well betimes. (4821)

There is some Virtue or other to be excercis’d, whatever happens. (4938)

Greek Proverbs

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

Charles F. Haanel

(1866-1949) writer and businessman

…[Be] still, and inhibit all thought as far as possible. … Relax, let go, let the muscles take their normal condition; this will remove all pressure from the nerves, and eliminate that tension which so frequently produces physical exhaustion.

Physical relaxation is a voluntary exercise of the will and the exercise will be found to be of great value, as it enables the blood to circulate freely to and from the brain and body. ...

Make this exercise as thorough and complete as possible, mentally determine that you will relax every muscle and nerve, until you feel quiet and restful and at peace with yourself and the world. The Solar Plexus will then be ready to function and you will be surprised at the result.

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.

William Hazlitt

(1778-1830) writer and humanist

The definition of genius is that it acts unconsciously; and those who have produced immortal works, have done so without knowing how or why. The greatest power operates unseen. (The Plain Speaker, 1826)

Heraclitus

(500s BC-400s BC) philosopher

Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.

Moshimasa Hikita

The truly upright is that which flows out of your genuine innermost self as a result of the sincerity shown by the kami [gods]; on all occasions, you must exert this sincerity to the utmost, even in the most minor of your activities. (Records of the Divine Wind)

Hillel

… And in a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” (Pirke Avot 2:6)

The Holy State

He is a good time-server that improves the present for God’s glory and his own salvation.

Hsun Tzu

(310 BC-219 BC) Confucian philosopher

Discipline your will, and you will have greater nobility than wealth and eminence. Consider tao to be your riches, and you will not need to be discomposed standing before kings and dukes. Thoroughly examine yourself internally, and you will disregard external things.

When it comes to his abilities, the chun tzu is magnanimous, generous, tolerant, and straightforward—thus opening the way to instruct others. When it comes to his in-capabilities, he is respectful, reverent, moderate, and modest—and thus he is awe-inspired, and undertakes to serve others.

Elbert Hubbard

The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. (The Note Book, 1927)

I Ching

Good people enjoy life. (5)

The superior person acquaints himself with many sayings of the ancients and deeds of the past, in order to strengthen his character.

Iranian / Persian Proverbs

Don’t just take love—experience it.

Every man is king of his own beard.

Irish Proverbs

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

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

Italian Proverbs

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

William James

(1842-1910) psychologist

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

Japanese Proverbs

Clear sky, cultivate; rainy, read.

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.

A single arrow is easily broken, but ten in a bundle aren’t.

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

Jesus

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)

So let your light so shine before people, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

…The Kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:21)

Don’t be surprised that I said unto you all, “You must be ‘born again.’” (John 3:7)

Samuel Johnson

(1709-1784) writer

Labor, if it were not necessary for existence, would be indispensable for the happiness of man.

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

William George Jordan

The greatest things in life are the commonplace. Their very profuseness, their wide distribution, their unfailing constancy have in a way cheapened them in our eyes as some people unconsciously grow to think too little of a friend they see too often. Familiarity throws an obscuring veil of illusion over them that hides from us their wonder and their revelation. The more we know them the less we know of them.

Chief Joseph

(1840-1904) Nez Perce Native American leader

The earth and myself are of one mind.

Joseph Joubert

(1754-1824) philosopher

In order to be happy, think of the ills you have been spared.

Helen Keller

(1880-1968) writer and social reformer

Many people have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.

Corita Kent

(1918-1986) artist

Love the moment and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.

Hazrat Inayat Khan

(1882-1927) Sufi teacher and musician

The more a man explores himself, the more power he finds within.

Tzu Kung

There was no one Confucius could not learn from, yet there was no one who was his only teacher.” 19:22

Kurdish Proverbs

A good companion shortens the longest road.

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

Intrepidity is an extraordinary strength of soul that raises it above the troubles, disorders, and emotions that the sight of great perils can arouse in it. By this strength, heroes maintain a calm aspect and preserve their reason and liberty in the most surprising and terrible predicaments.

We should earnestly desire but few things if we clearly knew what we desired.

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

T’ien endures and Earth is lasting. Why can T’ien and Earth endure and be lasting? Because they do not live selfishly. That is why they endure.

Thus, the Master goes back and is in front, detaches/outside and is preserved/within.

Not self-fixated, her Self is fulfilled. 7

Latin Proverbs

While we live, let us live.

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.

Act well at the moment, and you have performed a good action to all eternity.

Lebanese Proverbs

When you return from a trip, bring back something for your family—even if it is only a stone.

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

Lower your voice and strengthen your argument.

Aart van der Leeuw

(1876-1931) writer

The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved; it is a reality to be experienced.

Libyan Proverbs

Each trip gives you its own uniqueness.

Macedonian Proverbs

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

Madonna

(1958-) singer, actress, businesswoman

I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.

Malawi Proverbs

While the sun is shining, bask in it!

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.

Maltese Proverbs

Enjoy yourself, for there is nothing in the world we can call our own.

Orison Swett Marden

(1850-1924) writer

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.

The passion for conquest, for power, the love of achievement, is one of the most dominant and persistent characteristics of human nature.

We have an instinctive feeling that we have been set in motion by a Higher Power; that there is an invisible spring within us—the imperious must—which impels us to weave the pattern given us in the Mount of Transfiguration of our highest moment, to make our life-vision real. A divine impulse constantly urges us to reach our highest ideal. There is something back of our supreme ambition deeper than a mere personal gratification. There is a vital connection between it and the great plan of creation, the progress, the final goal, of the race. …

These promptings of humanity and the yearning of every normal man and woman for a fuller, completer life the craving for expansion, for growth; the desire to objectify our life-visions, to give birth to the children of our brain, to exercise our inventiveness, our ingenuity, to express our artistic temperament, our talents, whatever they maybe; the inherent, instinctive longing to become that which we were intended to be; to weave the life-pattern given us at birth—these are the impelling motives for a creative career.

One man expresses himself, or delivers his message to humanity, through his inventive ability to give his fellow men that which will emancipate them from drudgery; another delivers his message through his artistic ability; another through science; another through oratory, through business, or his pen, and so on through all the modes of human expression, each delivers himself according to his talent. In every case the highest motive is beyond the question of mere living-getting.

The great artist does not paint simply for a living, but because he must to express that divine thing in him that is struggling for expression. He has an unconquerable desire to put upon canvas the picture that haunts his brain. We all long to bring out the ideal, whatever it may be, that lives within us. We want to see it; we want the world to see it.

Not long ago a young man whom I had not seen for several years called on me, and I was amazed at the tremendous change in him. When I had last seen him he was pessimistic, discouraged, almost despairing; he had soured on life, lost confidence in human nature and in himself. During the interval he had completely changed. The sullen, bitter expression that used to characterize his face was replaced by one of joy and gladness. He was radiant, cheerful, hopeful and happy.

The young man had married an optimistic wife, who had the happy faculty of laughing him out of his “blues” or melancholy, changing the tenor of his thoughts, cheering him up, and making him put a higher estimate on himself. His removal from an unhappy environment, together with his wife’s helpful, “new thought” influence and his own determination to make good, had all worked together to bring about a revolution in his mental make-up. The love-principle and the use of the right thought-force had verily made a new man of him.

Mencius

When anyone told Tzu Lu of his faults, he rejoiced.

When Yu heard good words, he bowed.

Shun was even greater in this. He regarded virtue as the common property of himself and others, delighting to make the virtue of others his own. While he was a farmer, a potter, a fisherman, and then Emperor, he was continually learning from others.

Taking an example from others to practice virtue—this is helping them in the same practice. Thus, there is no attribute in the chun tzu greater than his helping people practice virtue.

The Great Person never loses his child’s heart.

Friendship should be maintained without any presumption on the ground of a person’s age, station, or relatives. Friendship with someone is friendship with his qualities, and does not admit other assumptions.

There was Meng Hsien Tzu, chief of a hundred chariots. He had five friends: Yueh-Cheng Ch’iu, Mu Chung, and three others whose names I have forgotten. With those five men, Men Hsien Tzu maintained a friendship, treating them as if he did not possess high rank, and them likewise acting as if he did not have that high rank. If his rank had been taken into consideration, they would not have [truly] been friends.

The prince of Lu wanted to commit the administration of his government to Yo Chang Tzu.

Mencius said, “When I heard of it, I was so glad that I could not sleep.”

Kung Sun Ch’au said, “Is Yo Chang magnanimous/vigor/valiant/strong-character?”

“No.”

“Is he thoughtful?”

“No.”

“Is he knowledgeable?”

“No.”

“What then made you so glad that you could not sleep?”

“He is a person who loves what is good.”

“Is the love of what is good sufficient?”

“The love of what is good is more than a sufficient qualification for the government of the Empire—and how much more for Lu State! If someone loves what is good, all within the four seas will consider hundreds of miles but a small distance to come and lay what is good before him. But if he does not love what is good, people will say ‘He seems conceited,’ and the language/air and looks/manner of his conceit will keep people off hundreds of miles. And when good people remain hundreds of miles away, calumniators, flatterers, and sycophants will make their appearance. When a minister lives among calumniators, flatterers, and sycophants, though he may wish the State to be well governed, is it possible for it to be so?”

When the ancients of obtained [office], they were beneficent to the people. When they did not obtain [office], they [still] cultivated their personal character, and became illustrious in the world. When poor [and out of office], they attended to their own virtue in solitude. If advanced to dignity [of position], they united with the entire Empire in the practice of virtue.

When Shun was living amid the deep retired mountains, dwelling with the trees and rocks, and wandering among the deer and swine, the difference between him and the savages of those remote hills appeared very small. But when he heard a single good word, or saw a single good action, he was like the swollen/bursting torrent of the Yang Tzu or Yellow River, which flows out in flood and cannot be restrained.

To nourish/keep/resolute the mind/heart, there is nothing better than restricting desires [to the essentials]. A person with restricted desires will have some but few things he may not be able to keep his heart/mind, whereas a person with unrestricted desires will have some but few things he may be able to keep his heart/mind.

Thomas Merton

(1915-1968) Catholic monk and writer

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.

We must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves.

Tokuchika Miki

God gives man 100% grace and blessing when he sheds his ego. You, not God, begin the process. Shed your ego and you receive grace. Make room for fulfillment, and you will be fulfilled.

It is very well to say that everything that happens to us is destiny; but man also has free will. He uses this free will and wisdom to figure out things. Then adding form and creativity to his decisions, he performs a work of art. Only in this way can a human being feel happy and fulfilled.

Your natural self-expression cannot be selfish if you have a clear understanding of your relative position with your fellowman, society, God, and the Divine Universal Plan. Life is Art. Man’s life is a struggle to overcome his limitations. Art is not an escape. It is a constructive and positive step forward.

When we say that “Life is Art,” we mean that each individual should express his unique personality given by God, but always in relationship to the Divine Plan, and always in reference to the Great Peace. This is true makoto. This is makoto unlimited for world peace. At that point where individual, home, group, race, nation, all express rightly their unique character, there lies the way to world understanding.

It is necessary to use emotion to develop a finer emotion—that is, to use it as material for your highest expression. Govern your emotion. Do not let your emotion govern you. Make your emotion into an art.

John Stuart Mill

(1806-1873) philosopher and economist

Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end. Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way.

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Henry Miller

(1891-1980) writer of such books as Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn

The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.

Sun Myung Moon

(1920-) religious leader

You should speak with your mind—your inmost self. If it is sympathetic with others, you can become one with God and automatically know the truth of the Universe.

Muhammad

Good thoughts are a part of worship.

The person who gives life to learning does not die.

New Zealander Proverbs (incl. Maori)

Take time to enjoy life’s roses.

Friedrich Nietzsche

(1844-1900) philosopher and scholar

At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.

Nigerian Proverbs

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

Okinawan Proverbs

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

Respect old people, and be gentle with children.

Omaha Proverbs

Ask questions from your heart, and you will receive answers from your heart.

Blaise Pascal

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

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

St. Paul

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness… (II Timothy 4:7-8)

Perfect Liberty Kyodan Precepts

Life is art.

Man’s life is a succession of self-expressions.

3. Man is a manifestation of God.

Perfect Liberty Kyodan Youth Creed

1. I live for the joy of an artistic life.

2. I pray for the happiness of others.

3. I live with true effort and sincerity.

4. I maintain the highest dignity and honour.

Philippine / Filipino / Tagalog Proverbs

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

Alertness and courage are life’s shield.

Even if the truth is buried for centuries, it will eventually come out and thrive.

A good character is real beauty that never fades.

Mark Philippoussis

(1976-) tennis star

I have nothing to prove to anyone. I only play for myself.

Carl Rogers

(1902-1987) psychologist known for promoting a client/patient focused approach

The curious paradox is that when I accept myself as I am, then I can change.

Roma / Rom / Gypsy Proverbs

The journey is just as important as the destination.

We are all wanderers 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 blessing of having many children has never broken a man’s roof.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

(1712-1778) Influential philosopher and political theorist

True happiness is indescribable, it is only to be felt.

John Ruskin

(1819-1900) artist and writer

When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.

Russian Proverbs

Everyone has his own Czar in his head.

Carl Sagan

(1934-1996) astronomer

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

A.J. Sanderson

Doctor

The greatest barrier in the way of the healing process, especially if the malady be one that is accompanied by severe pain, is the mental depression that is associated with it and often becomes a factor of the disease. It stands in the way of recovery sometimes more than do the physical causes, and obliterates from the consciousness of the individual the wonderful healing power of nature, so essential to recovery.

In the maintenance of health and the cure of disease cheerfulness is a most important factor. Its power to do good like a medicine is not an artificial stimulation of the tissues, to be followed by reaction and greater waste, as is the case with many drugs; but the effect of cheerfulness is an actual life-giving influence through a normal channel, the results of which reach every part of the system.

Sanskrit Proverbs

The greatest hero is the person who controls his desires.

Arthur Schopenhauer

(1788-1860)

The deep grief we feel at the loss of a friend arises from the feeling that in every individual there is something which no words can express, something which is peculiarly his own and therefore irreparable.

Charles M. Schwab

(1862-1939) steel executive

Then there are those who start out, sometimes with bare feet and holes in their trousers, bravely resolving never to let circumstances crush them, never to harbor bitterness over defeat, but to save their energies for the next encounter.

These are the men hard knocks don’t hurt. They toughen them; they help them get ready for the next encounter. To these men, it’s only a question of sufficient hardship, and sacrifice, and battle, to make them proof against any onslaught. These are the soldiers, the victors.

Did you ever find a successful soldier who hadn’t seen a fight?

The best place to succeed is where you are with what you have.

Walter Scott

[When some one, in Sir Walter Scott’s hearing, made a remark as to the value of literary talents and accomplishments, as if they were above all things to be esteemed and honoured, he observed:] God help us! what a poor world this would be if that were the true doctrine! I have read books enough, and observed and conversed with enough of eminent and splendidly-cultured minds, too, in my time; but I assure you, I have heard higher sentiments from the lips of poor UNEDUCATED men and women, when exerting the spirit of severe yet gentle heroism under difficulties and afflictions, or speaking their simple thoughts as to circumstances in the lot of friends and neighbours, than I ever yet met with out of the Bible. We shall never learn to feel and respect our real calling and destiny, unless we have taught ourselves to consider everything as moonshine, compared with the education of the heart.

Scottish / Scotch Proverbs

Please yourself and you’ll please somebody.

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

Seneca Proverbs

Before leaving your host, give him a little present—it will serve as a little courtesy, and will not offend.

Seneca

playwright, philosopher, and statesmen

I will govern my life, and my thoughts, as if the whole world were to see the one, and to read the other; for what does it signify to make anything a secret to my neighbor, when to God (who is the searcher of our hearts) all our privacies are open?

Sextus

Pythagorean Philosopher

God dwells in the intellect of the wise man.

By honoring a wise man, you will honor yourself.

To live, indeed, is not in our power, but to live rightly is.

The wise man follows God, and God follows the soul of the wise man.

Lord Shaftesbury

For my own part… I have really so much need of some considerable Presence or Company to raise my Thoughts on any occasion, that when alone, I must endeavour by Strength of Fancy to supply this want; and in default of a Muse, must inquire out some Great Man of a more than ordinary Genius, whose imagin’d Presence may inspire me with more than what I feel at ordinary hours. (V1, p. 10) *

Thank heaven I can do good and find heaven in it. I know nothing else that is heavenly. And if this disposition fits me not for heaven, I desire never to be fitted for it, nor come into the place. I ask no reward from heaven for that which is reward itself. Let my being be continued or discontinued, as in the main is best. The author of it best knows, and I trust Him with it. (Rand, Life, Letters and Philosophical Regimen, 347.)

William Shakespeare

(1564-1616) playwright

This above all: to thine own self be true... (Hamlet)

Shinto Teachings

If we keep un-perverted the human heart—which is like unto heaven and received from the earth—that is God. (Revelation to Mikado Seiwa)

Sincerity is the single virtue that binds the divine and man in one. (Jingishoju)

If you pray to a deity with sincerity, you will surely feel the divine presence.

A single sincere prayer moves Heaven. You will surely realize the divine presenc through sincere prayer.

Even in one single leaf on a tree, or in one blade of grass, the awesome Deity presents itself.

Shooter

All birds, even those of the same species, are not alike, and it is the same with animals and humans. The reason Wakan Tanka does not make two birds, or animals, or human beings exactly the same is because each is placed here by Wakan Tanka to be an independent individual and to rely upon itself.

Shu Ching

It was the lesson of our great ancestor: The people should be cherished, and not looked down upon. The people are the root of a country: The root firm, the country is tranquil. 3:3:2

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.

Samuel Smiles

(1812-1904) writer and philosopher.

In fine, human character is molded by a thousand subtle influences; by example and precept; by life and literature; by friends and neighbors; by the world we live in as well as by the spirits of our forefathers, whose legacy of good words and deeds we inherit. But great, unquestionably, though these influences are acknowledged to be, it is nevertheless equally clear that men must necessarily be the active agents of their own well-being and well-doing; and that, however much the wise and the good may owe to others, they themselves must in the very nature of things be their own best helpers.

When Dr. Abbot, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, drew the character of his deceased friend Thomas Sackville, he did not dwell upon his merits as a statesman, or his genius as a poet, but upon his virtues as a man in relation to the ordinary duties of life. “How many rare things were in him!” said he. “Who more loving unto his wife? Who more kind unto his children?—Who more fast unto his friend?—Who more moderate unto his enemy?—Who more true to his word?” Indeed, we can always better understand and appreciate a man’s real character by the manner in which he conducts himself towards those who are the most nearly related to him, and by his transaction of the seemingly commonplace details of daily duty, than by his public exhibition of himself as an author, an orator, or a statesman.

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.

It is beautiful to do nothing and then rest afterwards.

Give the grateful man more than he asks for.

Sutrakritanga Sutra

By purity of heart, one reaches Nirvana.

But those who exert themselves at the proper time, feel no remorse afterwards.

Swedish Proverbs

Those who want to sing will always find a song.

Shared joy is double joy.

Syrian Proverbs

A small house is enough room for a thousand friends.

Publilius Syrus

(1st century BC) writer

The happy man is not he who seems so to others, but he who seems so to himself.

Tanakh

… He did it with all his heart, and prospered. (II Chronicles 31:21)

Terence

writer of comedies

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

Thai Proverbs

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

Henry David Thoreau

(1817-1862) writer, philosopher, and naturalist

We are constantly invited to be who we are.

Knowledge does not come to us in details, but in flashes of light from heaven

Tunisian Proverbs

When somebody comes to you and shows you respect, serve him your dinner and make his bed.

Turkish Proverbs

If the time does not suit you, suit yourself to the time.

Baghdad is not remote for a lover.

There is not a single season without fruit.

Mark Twain

(1835-1910) writer

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

Ugandan Proverbs

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

Uttaradhyayana Sutra

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.

Fight the fight within—why fight external foes? He who conquers himself through himself obtains supreme joy.

Vietnamese Proverbs

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

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

William Arthur Ward

(1812-1882) writer and theologian

Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.

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

Booker T. Washington

(1856-1915) leader, reformer, educator

Any man’s life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day.

Oprah Winfrey

(1954-) businesswomen, TV talk show host

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

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.

Yang Chu

The ancients knew that all creatures enter life in a moment, and must depart in death at one moment. Therefore they followed their hearts and did not deny themselves these natural/spontaneous inclinations/desires. During life, they were not seeking/tempted-by fame/reputation, but were only led-by/following/roaming their own nature/instincts. They went smoothly on their path unvaried from their inclinations/desires. They did not seek for posthumous fame/reputation. They were out of the reach of external disapproval, and were not concerned with glory, fame, rank, or position during their lifespan.

Rev. Koreaki Yano

[When asked whether he believed Heaven to be a location or a state of consciousness:] Who but God knows about these things? The thing we know is that we are living now. We know there are things to be done and that we are here to build a better world. This is a big enough assignment. Life is given by God so that we may create a better life for all.

Toshio Yasaka

Author of The Principles of Perfect Liberty: A System for an Artistic Life

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.

Perfect Liberty is a movement based on a system of individual self-expressions through an artistic life. Its beginning is the discovery of Self. Its assignment is the effacement of ego. Its challenge is to live the Precepts and Principles. Its ultimate aim is the Great Peace, a time when man will have learned to live harmoniously with himself, his fellowman, and God.

…The universe is One-whole-integrity. The nature of this integrity is God [kami]. The function of this integrated whole is God-in-action [kamuwaza].

Self is the subjective function, and is not able to place itself in the position of object. Self is the most exalted existence in the universe. Even the work of Kami is under its recognition. Because Self recognizes Kami, Kami exists. Self is Kami manifested. The only identity of Self exists in the process of expression. One should, therefore, identify oneself in all expressions. Expressions are possible only with the function of the related existences. So, once again, Self independent of the surrounding existences has no meaning. The idea of exclusiveness merely disturbs the effect of Self-expression in such a way as to cause a person to be obsessed with “I” and place his identity in an exaggerated position.

Yen Yuan

(1635-1704) Confucian philosopher

Confucius’s disciples talked and discussed, but they also practiced what they learned. They would read the books on ceremony, and then practice the ceremonies; or they would read the books on music, and then practice the music. … For them, it would have been impossible to conceive that learning was merely a matter of reading and discussion.

Yiddish Proverbs

Health comes before making a livelihood.

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

Edward Young

(1683-1765) poet, dramatist, and literary critic

Who does the best his circumstance allows

Does well, acts nobly; angels could no more. (Night Thoughts)

* I had looked for happiness in fast living, but it was not there. I tried to find it in money, but it was not there either. But when I placed myself in tune with what I believe to be the fundamental truths of life, when I began to develop my limited ability, to rid my mind of all kinds of tangled thoughts, and fill it with zeal and courage and love, when I gave myself a chance by treating myself decently and sensibly, I began to feel the stimulating, warm glow of happiness.

Lin Yutang

(1895-1976) writer

If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.

This I conceive to be the chemical function of humor: to change the character of our thought.

Anonymous / Unknown

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

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

The gods delight to see a man struggling to succeed.

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