Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them.
The two powers which in my opinion constitute a wise man are those of bearing and forbearing.
Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire.
One that desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent.
It takes more than just a good looking body. You've got to have the heart and soul to go with it.
The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.
Unless we place our religion and our treasure in the same thing, religion will always be sacrificed.
Whoever does not regard what he has as most ample wealth, is unhappy, though he be master of the world.
In prosperity it is very easy to find a friend; but in adversity it is the most difficult of all things.
It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.
When our friends are present we ought to treat them well; and when they are absent, to speak of them well.
Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have increased a habit.
If thy brother wrongs thee, remember not so much his wrong-doing, but more than ever that he is thy brother.
If you seek truth you will not seek victory by dishonorable means, and if you find truth you will become invincible.
There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.
When something happens, the only thing in your power is your attitude toward it; you can either accept it or resent it.
When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.
Do not seek to bring things to pass in accordance with your wishes, but wish for them as they are, and you will find them.
You may be always victorious if you will never enter into any contest where the issue does not wholly depend upon yourself.
The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.
Imagine for yourself a character, a model personality, whose example you determine to follow, in private as well as in public.
The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things.
These are the signs of a wise man: to reprove nobody, to praise nobody, to blame nobody, nor even to speak of himself or his own merits.
Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.
Not every difficult and dangerous thing is suitable for training, but only that which is conducive to success in achieving the object of our effort.
Keep your attention focused entirely on what is truly your own concern, and be clear that what belongs to others is their business and none of yours.
If anyone is unhappy, remember that his unhappiness is his own fault... Nothing else is the cause of anxiety or loss of tranquility except our own opinion.
The wise realize that some things are within their control, and most things are not. They learn early on to distinguish between what they can and can't regulate.
It is our attitude toward events, not events themselves, which we can control. Nothing is by its own nature calamitous -- even death is terrible only if we fear it.
If you have assumed a character above your strength, you have both acted in this matter in an unbecoming way, and you have neglected that which you might have fulfilled.
We are not to give credit to the many, who say that none ought to be educated but the free; but rather to the philosophers, who say that the well-educated alone are free.
It’s time to stop being vague. If you wish to be an extraordinary person, if you wish to be wise, then you should explicitly identify the kind of person you aspire to become.
What is the first business of one who practices philosophy? To get rid of self-conceit. For it is impossible for anyone to begin to learn that which he thinks he already knows.
And have you not received faculties which will enable you to bear all that happens to you? Have you not received greatness of spirit? Have you not received courage? Have you not received endurance?
Forgiveness is better than revenge, for forgiveness is the sign of a gentle nature, but revenge is the sign of a savage nature. the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.
Never in any case say I have lost such a thing, but I have returned it. Is your child dead? It is a return. Is your wife dead? It is a return. Are you deprived of your estate? Is not this also a return?
Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig. I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.
No greater thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.
If virtue promises happiness, prosperity and peace, then progress in virtue is progress in each of these for to whatever point the perfection of anything brings us, progress is always an approach toward it.
To accuse others for one's own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's education is complete.
Against specious appearances we must set clear convictions, bright and ready for use. When death appears as an evil, we ought immediately to remember that evils are things to be avoided, but death is inevitable.
It is not a demonstration of kindness or friendship to the people we care about to join them in indulging in wrongheaded, negative feelings. We do a better service to ourselves and others by remaining detached and avoiding melodramatic reactions.
Opportunity beckons more surely when misfortune comes upon a person than it ever does when that person is riding the crest of a wave of success. It sharpens a person's wits, if that person will let it, enabling him or her to see more clearly and evaluate situations with a more knowledgeable judgment.