This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.
To love truth for truth's sake is the principal part of human perfection in this world, and the seed-plot of all other virtues.
Character | Love | Perfection | Truth | World |
Age imprints more wrinkles in the mind, than it does in the face, and souls are never, or very rarely seen, that in growing old do not smell sour and musty. Man moves all together, both towards his perfection and his decay.
It is an absolute perfection to know how to get the very most out of one's individuality.
Absolute | Character | Individuality | Perfection |
The perfection of virtue is from... long art and management, self-control.
Art | Character | Control | Perfection | Self | Self-control | Virtue | Virtue | Art |
Immortality is the greatness of our being; the scene for attaining the fullness and perfection of our existence.
Character | Existence | Greatness | Immortality | Perfection |
The humorous man recognizes that absolute purity, absolute justice, absolute logic and perfection are beyond human achievement and that men have been able to live happily for thousands of years in a state of genial frailty.
Absolute | Achievement | Justice | Logic | Man | Men | Perfection | Purity | Wisdom |
This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfection.
Imperfection | Man | Perfection | Wisdom |
Trifles make perfection; but perfection is no trifle.
Perfection | Trifles | Wisdom |
The purpose of Zen is the perfection of character.
Character | Perfection | Purpose | Purpose | Zen |
Life itself is the expression of evolution... Everything that exists is merely matter in motion. In the same way, perfection is always a temporary relative motion. Humanity is relative... We are at such a low expression of consciousness that we have not yet seriously studied ourselves... Development is circular... Everything is constantly moving at higher, faster, more refined, complex levels of being... We will be here as quantitative motion until we reach a state of motion that is qualitative, revolutionary. Then we will be somewhere else!
Consciousness | Evolution | Humanity | Life | Life | Perfection | Will | Wisdom |
We are what we are; we cannot be truly other than ourselves. We reach perfection not by copying, much less by aiming at originality, by constantly and steadily working out the life which is common to all, according to the character which God has given us.
Character | Copying | God | Life | Life | Originality | Perfection | Wisdom | God |
Man, though chained to earth, looks across time and space toward an unknown perfection which he may never reach but will forever seek.
Earth | Looks | Man | Perfection | Space | Time | Will | Wisdom |
Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life. It is only found in men of sound sense and understanding.
Discretion | Life | Life | Men | Perfection | Reason | Sense | Sound | Understanding | Wisdom |
Aristotle said that all creative people are dissatisfied because they are looking for happiness in perfection and seeking for things that do not exist. This is one of the hopes of the world. There is no progress where people are satisfied. Discontent is perhaps the most potent challenge to improvement.
Challenge | Discontent | Improvement | People | Perfection | Progress | Wisdom | World | Happiness |