Great Throughts Treasury

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

Robin Sharma

American Author, Holds Two Law Degrees, best known for his books, "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" and "The Greatness Guide"

"According to one study, the average four-year-old laughs 300 times a day, while the average adult laughs about 15 times a day."

"Harvard alumni found that every hour spent on exercise added three hours to the participants’ lives."

"If you are not fueling your dreams, you are fueling your limitations."

"Greatness comes from beginning something that does not end with you."

"Happiness and a life of deep fulfillment come when you commit yourself, from the very core of your soul, to spending your highest human talents on a purpose that makes a difference in others’ lives."

"Kindness, quite simply, is the rent we must pay for the space we occupy on this planet."

"No matter what happened to you in the past, your future is spotless. Realize that every dawn brings with it the corresponding opportunity to begin a completely new life."

"On his deathbed, Aldous Huxley reflected on his entire life’s learning and then summed it up in seven simple words: “Let us be kinder to one another.”"

"See your children as gifts."

"The golden thread of a highly successful and meaningful life is self-discipline. Discipline allows you to do all those things you know in your heart you should do but never feel like doing. Without self-discipline, you will not set clear goals, manage your time effectively, treat people well, persist through the tough times, care for your health, or think positive thoughts."

"Sleep less."

"The quality of your life ultimately is shaped by the quality of your choices and decisions."

"There are no real failures in life, only results. There are no true tragedies, only lessons. And there really are no problems, only opportunities waiting to be recognized as solutions by the person of wisdom."

"Your life is not a dress rehearsal. Lost opportunities rarely come again."

"The telephone is there for your convenience, not for the convenience of your callers."

"To create a great life, you must live more intentionally, deliberately, and passionately so that you live on your own terms rather than on someone else’s."

"The secret of happiness is simple: find out what you truly love to do and then direct all of your energy towards doing it."

"We have lost touch with our humanity. We have lost touch with our purpose. We have lost sight of the things that matter the most… How many lives will you touch… what legacy will you leave behind… How can I find greater meaning in my life?... My answer always begins the same way: Find your calling. I believe we all have special talents that are just waiting to be engaged in a worthy pursuit. We are all here for some unique purpose, some noble objective that will allow us to manifest our highest human potential, while we, at the same time, add value to the lives around us."

"A problem"

"Act as if failure is impossible and your success is assured. Wipe out thoughts of not achieving goals. Be brave."

"Aging only happens to people who lose their lust for getting better and disconnect from their natural base of curiosity."

"All lasting inner change requires time and effort. Persistence is the mother of personal change."

"A full cup cannot accept anything more. Similarly, a person who believes that he cannot learn anything else will stagnate quickly and not move to higher levels. A true sign of a secure, mature individual is someone who sees every opportunity as a chance to learn. Even the teachers have teachers."

"A book is the best friend of the wise. Some books are meant to be tasted, some chewed, some swallowed whole, and some spat out."

"A commitment to excellence without a devotion to ethics is a waste of time"

"A little bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives the roses."

"A man is as old he feels, the energy to keep improving keeps them young at heart and provides positive thinking mind body and soul."

"A burning sense of passion is the most potent fuel for your dreams."

"Always remember the key principle to the quality of life is the quality of communication. This means the way you communicate with others and more importantly the way you communicate with yourself. What you focus on is what you get. If you look for the positive this is what you get. This is the fundamental law of nature."

"An addiction to distraction is the death of creative production. Enough said."

"And as you begin to shed light on your personal weaknesses and take responsibility for them, you actually begin the process of shedding them. You become stronger. More powerful. More of who you were meant to be."

"As set forth by theologians, the idea of 'God' is an argument that assumes its own conclusions, and proves nothing."

"Appreciate firefighters, teachers and mothers"

"As you live your hours, so you create your years. As you live your days, so you craft your life."

"As you start your day, so you live your day. Rise early and enjoy the exceptional tranquility that the day's earliest hours bring before the crush of daily events clamor for your mind's attention."

"As you exercise your power to choose, guess what? Your power grows."

"As much as we would love to achieve great things quickly, it is not the way our world works. Genius is a process."

"As you strive to improve the lives of others, your own life will be elevated into its highest dimension."

"Associate only with positive, focused people who you can learn from and who will not drain your valuable energy with complaining and uninspiring attitudes. By developing relationships with those committed to constant improvement and the pursuit of the best that life has to offer, you will have plenty of company on your path to the top of whatever mountain you seek to climb."

"Be the change you want to see in your world."

"Be a Master of Your Craft. And practice + practice + practice."

"Awareness precedes choice and choice precedes results."

"Be the master of your will but the servant of your conscience."

"Be the first to greet others versus waiting to be greeted."

"Be the Mick Jagger of the mailroom, the Warren Buffet of bookkeeping and the Bono of stapler selling."

"Beautiful images soothe a ruffled soul."

"Be the most optimistic person you know."

"Become a student of life. Be ruthless with your time. Having the courage to say no to little things in life will give you the power to say yes to the big things."

"Become obsessed with the user experience such that every touchpoint of doing business with you leaves people speechless. No, breathless."

"Because the moment you stop doing the very things that got you to the top of the mountain is the very moment you begin the slid down to the valley."