Great Throughts Treasury

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

Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, born Soong Mei-ling or May-ling

Chinese Politician and Painter, First Lady of the Republic of China, Wife of Gerneralissimo/President Chiang Kai-shek

"In the end, we are all the sum total of our actions. Character cannot be counterfeited, nor can it be put on and cast off as if it were a garment to meet the whim of the moment. Like the markings on wood which are ingrained in the very heart of the tree, character requires time and nurture for growth and development. Thus also, day by day, we write our own destiny; for inexorably we become what we do. This I believe, is the supreme logic and the law of life."

"We live in the present, we dream of the future, but we learn eternal truths from the past."

"Chinese I am convinced that we must train not only the head, but the heart and hand as well. "

"Cliques… are like dry rot in the administration… Every clique is a refuge for incompetence. It fosters corruption and disloyalty, it begets cowardice, and consequently is a burden upon and a drawback to the progress of the country. Its instincts and actions are those of the pack. "