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

Horace Bushnell

The moment you can make a very simple discovery, viz., that obligation to God is your privilege, and is not imposed as a burden, your experience will teach you many things - that duty is liberty, that repentance is a release from sorrow, that sacrifice is gain, that humility is dignity, that the truth from that which you hide is a healing element that bathes your disordered life, and that even the penalties and terrors of God are the artillery only to protection to His realm.

Dignity | Discovery | Duty | Experience | God | Humility | Liberty | Life | Life | Obligation | Repentance | Sacrifice | Sorrow | Teach | Truth | Will | Wisdom | God |

John Caird

Religion is not a perpetual moping over good books. Religion is not even prayer, praise, holy ordinances, these are necessary to religion - no man can be religious without them. But religion is mainly and chiefly the glorifying of god amid the duties and trials of the world; the guiding of our course amid adverse winds and currents of temptation by the sunlight of duty and the compass of Divine truth, the bearing up manfully, wisely, courageously, for the honor of Christ, our great Leader in the conflict of life.

Books | Duty | God | Good | Honor | Life | Life | Man | Praise | Prayer | Religion | Temptation | Trials | Truth | Wisdom | World | God | Leader | Temptation |

G. K. Chesterton, fully Gilbert Keith Chesterton

The dignity of the artist lies in his duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world. In this long vigil he often has to vary his methods of stimulation; but in this long vigil he is also himself striving against a continual tendency to sleep.

Dignity | Duty | Sense | Wisdom | Wonder | World |

William Ellery Channing

He who is false to the present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and you will see the effect when the weaving of a lifetime is unraveled.

Duty | Present | Will | Wisdom |

Tyron Edwards

Hell is truth seen too late - duty neglected in its season.

Duty | Hell | Truth | Wisdom |

Tyron Edwards

Change of opinion is often only the progress of sound thought and growing knowledge; and though sometimes regarded as an inconsistency, it is but the noble inconsistency natural to a mind ever ready for growth and expansion of thought, and that never fears to follow where truth and duty may lead the way.

Change | Duty | Growth | Inconsistency | Knowledge | Mind | Opinion | Progress | Sound | Thought | Truth | Wisdom | Thought |

Albert Einstein

Taking an active part in the solution of the problems of peace is a moral duty which no conscientious man can shirk.

Duty | Man | Peace | Problems | Wisdom |

Albert Flanders, Albert I, born Albert Leopold Clément Marie Meinrad

Sometimes only a change of viewpoint is needed to convert a tiresome duty into an interesting opportunity.

Change | Duty | Opportunity | Wisdom |

Martha Gellhorn, fully Martha Ellis Gellhorn

I hold the relay race theory of history: progress in human affairs depends upon accepting, generation after generation, the individual duty to oppose the evils of the time.

Duty | History | Individual | Progress | Race | Time | Wisdom |

Richard Fuller

Life is passing; youth goes, strength decays. But duty performed, work done for God - this abides forever, this alone is imperishable.

Duty | God | Life | Life | Strength | Wisdom | Work | Youth | Youth | God |

Henry Giles

Not until right is founded upon reverence will it be secure; not until duty is based upon love will it be complete; not until liberty is based on eternal principles will it be full, equal, lofty, and universal.

Duty | Eternal | Liberty | Love | Principles | Reverence | Right | Will | Wisdom |

George Washington Goethals

Knowledge of our duties is the most essential part of the philosophy of life. If you escape duty you avoid action. The world demands results.

Action | Duty | Knowledge | Life | Life | Philosophy | Wisdom | World |

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a.k.a. Charlotte Anna (nee Perkins), Charlotte Perkins Stetson

The first duty of a human being is to assume the right functional relationship to society - more briefly, to find your real job, and do it.

Duty | Relationship | Right | Society | Wisdom | Society |

William Ewart Gladstone

It is the duty of government to make it difficult for people to do wrong, easy to do right.

Duty | Government | People | Right | Wisdom | Wrong | Government |

Gail Hamilton, Pseud. of Mary A. Dodge

There is generally no such thing as duty to the people who do it. They simply take life as it comes, meeting, not shirking its demands, whether pleasant or unpleasant; and that is pretty much all there is of it.

Duty | Life | Life | People | Wisdom |

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Self knowledge is best learned, not by contemplation, but action. Strive to do your duty and you will soon discover of what stuff you are made.

Action | Contemplation | Duty | Knowledge | Self | Will | Wisdom |