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

Benjamin Franklin

How many observe Christ's birthday! How few his precepts! O! 'tis easier to keep holidays than commandments.

Character |

Henry Fielding

It is a secret, well known to all great men, that by conferring an obligation they; do not always procure a friend, but are certain of creating many enemies.

Character | Friend | Men | Obligation |

John Cunningham Geikie

He is well along the road to perfect manhood who does not allow the thousand little worries of life to embitter his temper, or disturb his equanimity. An undivided heart which worships God alone, and trust him as it should, is raised above anxiety for earthly wants.

Anxiety | Anxiety | Character | Equanimity | God | Heart | Life | Life | Little | Temper | Trust | Wants | God |

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Plunge boldly into the thick of life! each lives it, not to many is it known; and seize it where you will it is interesting.

Character | Life | Life | Will |

Harry Emerson Fosdick

We settle things by a majority vote, and the psychological effect of doing that is to create the impression that the majority is probably right. Of course, on any fine issue the majority is sure to be wrong. Think of taking a majority vote on the best music. Jazz would win over Chopin. Or on the best novel. Many cheap scribblers would win over Tolstoy. And any day a prizefight will get a bigger crowd, larger gate receipts and wider newspaper publicity than any new revelation of goodness, truth or beauty could hope to achieve in a century.

Beauty | Character | Day | Hope | Impression | Majority | Music | Revelation | Right | Truth | Will | Wrong | Beauty | Think |

Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington, born Margaret Power

One of the almost numberless advantages of goodness is, that it blinds its possessor to many of those faults in others which could not fail to be detected by the morally defective. A consciousness of unworthiness renders people extremely quick-sighted in discerning the vices of their neighbors; as person scan easily discover in others the symptoms of those diseases beneath which they themselves have suffered.

Character | Consciousness | People |

Henry Fielding

Custom may lead a man into many errors; but it justifies none.

Character | Custom | Man |

William Ewart Gladstone

No man ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes.

Character | Good | Man |

Jose ben Halafta, or Rabbi Yose ben Halafta, aka Rabbi Yossi

One pang of conscience is worth more than many lashes.

Character | Conscience | Worth |

Robert Hall

Let your words be few and digested, it is a shame for the tongue to cry the heart mercy, much more to cast itself upon the uncertain pardon of others’ ears.

Character | Heart | Mercy | Pardon | Shame | Words |

Julius Charles Hare (1795-1855) and his brother Augustus William Hare

Religion presents few difficulties to the humble; many to the proud; insuperable ones to the vain.

Character | Religion |

Heinrich Heine

He who fears to venture as far as his heart urges and his reason permits, is a coward; he who ventures further than he intended to go, is a slave.

Character | Heart | Reason |

Aaron Hill

Hide not thy tears; weep boldly, and be proud to give the flowing virtue manly way; it is nature’s mark to know an honest heart by.

Character | Heart | Nature | Tears | Virtue | Virtue |

Roswell Dwight Hitchcock

He only is great at heart who floods the world with a great affection. He only is great of mind who stirs the world with great thoughts. He only is great of will who does something to shape the world to a great career. And he is greatest who does the most of all these things and does them best.

Character | Heart | Mind | Will | World |

Avraham Grodzinski

There is a great amount of deception in honor giving. Many people who give honor are really takers.

Character | Giving | Honor | People |

Evey Hammond

Head knowledge is good, but heart knowledge is indispensable. The training of the hands and feet must be added to make a rounded education. We must all learn these days to become spiritual pioneers if we would save the world from chaos.

Character | Education | Good | Heart | Indispensable | Knowledge | Training | World | Learn |

Richard Hill

Life is but one continual course of instruction. The hand of the parent writes on the heart of the child the first faint characters which time deepens into strength so that nothing can efface them.

Character | Heart | Life | Life | Nothing | Strength | Time | Child | Parent |

John Henshaw, fully Bishop John Prentiss Kewley Henshaw

Remember that God will not be mocked; that it is the heart of the worshiper which He regards. We are never safe till we love Him with our whole heart whom we pretend to worship.

Character | God | Heart | Love | Safe | Will | Wisdom | Worship | God |

John Andrew Holmes

There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting up people.

Better | Character | Heart | People |