Great Throughts Treasury

"An Arab folk tale relates that Pestilence once met a caravan upon the desert way to Baghdad. "Why," asked the Arab chief, "must you hasten to Baghdad?" "To take five thousand lives." Pestilence replied. Upon the way back to the City of the Caliphs, Pestilence and the caravan met again. "You deceived me," the chief said angrily. "instead of five thousand lives you took fifty thousand." "Nay," said Pestilence. "Five thousand and not one more. It was Fear who killed the rest.""

"Do not trust your memory; it is a net full of holes; the most beautiful prizes slip through it."