Great Throughts Treasury

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

Related Quotes

Rig Veda, or The Rigveda

One should always ensure a pure environment while making food. One should never prepare food with dirty hands. This could lead to a number of ailments and make the body weak.

Suffering | Truth |

Viktor Frankl, fully Viktor Emil Frankl

Each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.

Behavior | Freedom | Life | Life | Martyrs | Mind | Suffering | Witness | Words |

Viktor Frankl, fully Viktor Emil Frankl

The meaning of our existence is not invented by ourselves, but rather detected.

Balance | Day | Life | Life | Past | Friends | Happiness |

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

Adoration of God has to be through one name and one form; but, that should not limit your loyalty to that particular province only.

Suffering |

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

People learn details about China, Russia and America; they know about the volcanoes of the Pacific or the islands of the Arctic regions; but they do not know an iota about the features of their own inner realms.

God | God |

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

Anybody taking the above resolutions will naturally make efforts to fulfill them.

Joy | Speech |

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

Forbearance, compassion and incorruptible virtue are the three pillars of a happy life. Only such a life can be called civilized; the rest is barbarian existence.

Disease | Lord | Suffering |

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

Befriend him, death, and pity him, may he from here arise. Unharmed, with sound limbs, hearing perfectly, through old age carrying a hundred years, let him get enjoyment by himself (unaided).

Wonder |

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

Learn a lesson from the birds. They feed those who cannot fly far. The bird relieves the itch of the buffalo by scratching it with its beak; they help and serve each other with no thought of reward.

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

Maintaining cordial relationship with friends help us in improving upon our own capabilities.

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

Death is not the merciless that he is made out to be; he is the friend and companion, the teacher, the kindly kinsman, who takes you into his fold and clothes you with the halo of remembrance.

Cultivation | Grace | Learning | Mind | Work |

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

Man is, they say, a monkey that has lost its tail; well, he must lose many more attributes of the monkey before he is entitled to call himself Man. He must dedicate his thought, word and deed to God and surrender to His Will. Then only is this animal entitled to become a Man in whom the Divine is enshrined.

Earth | Fear | Love | Men |

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

One, whose mind is stable, pure and chaste is strong mentally as well as morally. Therefore, one should only befriend such people who are kind-hearted, polite and virtuous.

Wishes |

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

There is a conscience in Man, a whispering right advice, restraining unjust hands which man has almost succeeded in silencing; but, it is the voice of God; it can never be made dumb. Make the children cognizant of it.

Excellence | Excellence |

Atharva Veda, or Atharvaveda

The person, who causes the downfall of a noble woman... who causes loss to his friend...who despite of his superiority is ignorant; is called a fallen man.

Good |

Ursula Le Guin, fully Ursula Kroeber Le Guin

It is very hard for evil to take hold of the unconsenting soul.

Hate | Love | Suffering | Will | Learn |

Ursula Le Guin, fully Ursula Kroeber Le Guin

Socrates said, “The misuse of language induces evil in the soul.” He wasn’t talking about grammar. To misuse language is to use it the way politicians and advertisers do, for profit, without taking responsibility for what the words mean. Language used as a means to get power or make money goes wrong: it lies. Language used as an end in itself, to sing a poem or tell a story, goes right, goes towards the truth.

Consciousness | Father | Freedom | Justify | Nothing | Solitude | Child |

Ursula Le Guin, fully Ursula Kroeber Le Guin

Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it.

Luxury | Man | Mind | Reward | Virtue | Virtue | Will |

Ursula Le Guin, fully Ursula Kroeber Le Guin

If you see a whole thing - it seems that it's always beautiful. Planets, lives... But up close a world's all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life's a hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern.

Chance | Pleasure | Suffering | Will |

Václav Havel

All respected domestic and international organizations agree that your demands are justified. Therefore I wish you strength, endurance, courage and fortunate decisions.

Suffering |