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

Hans Hoffman

It is the greatest injustice done to Mondrian that people who are plastically blind see only decorative design instead of the plastic perfection which characterizes his work. The whole De Stijl group from which Mondrian's art was derived must be considered a protest against such blindness.

Words |

Hans Rosling

I meet so many that think population growth is a major problem in regard to climate change. But the number of children born per year in the world has stopped growing since 1990. The total number of children below 15 years of age in the world are now relatively stable around 2 billion.

Words |

Hans Hoffman

Basically I hate categorical labels. As a young artist I already was very clear about this ? that "objectification" is not the final aim of art. For there are greater things than the object. The greatest thing is the human mind.

Words |

Hannah Whitall Smith

God stirs up our comfortable nests, and pushes us over the edge of them, and we are forced to use our wings to save ourselves from fatal falling. Read your trials in this light, and see if your wings are being developed.

Justice |

Italian Proverbs

The applause of the people is a blast of air.

Art | Words | Art |

Italian Proverbs

The difficult thing is to get foot in the stirrup.

Books | Future | Wonder | Words |

Italian Proverbs

There is no helping him who will not be advised.

Enough | History | Justice | Time | Will |

Italian Proverbs

When a man has fallen into the mire, the more he flounders the more he fouls himself.

Dishonesty | Life | Life | Little | People | Reason | Self | Sense | Truth | Words | Think |

Italian Proverbs

When gold speaks every tongue is silent.

Evil | God | Hope | Justice | Will | World | God |

Italian Proverbs

There never was a shoe however handsome that did not become an ugly slipper.

Justice | System |

Italian Proverbs

The shadow of a lord is a cap for a fool.

Language | People | Words |

Italian Proverbs

Who wants to win a gander, you need to weigh Drake.

Theology | Words |

J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

Better mistrust undeserved than rash words.

Order | Words |

J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

As we read the school reports on our children, we realize a sense of relief, that can rise to delight, that, thank Heaven, nobody is reporting in this fashion on us.

Ambiguity | Better | Compassion | Enemy | Failure | Injustice | Injustice | Justice | Little | Means | People | Religion | Sense | Tradition | Understanding | Work | Failure |

J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

Many a man is praised for his reserve and so-called shyness when he is simply too proud to risk making a fool of himself.

Better | Diligence | Nothing | Purity | Right | Sloth | Thinking | Words | Wrong | Friends |

J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

In one thing you have not changed, dear friend,' said Aragorn: 'you still speak in riddles.' 'What? In riddles?' said Gandalf. 'No For I was talking aloud to myself. A habit of the old: they choose the wisest person present to speak to; the long explanations needed by the young are wearying.

Will | Words |

J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

I sit beside the fire and think of all that i have seen of meadow flowers and butterflies in summers that have been of yellow leaves and gossamer in autumns that there were with morning mist and silver sun and wind upon my hair. I sit beside the fire and think of how the world will be when winter comes without a spring that I shall ever see. For still there are so many things that I have never seen in every wood in every spring there is a different green. I sit beside the fire and think of people long ago and people that will see a world that i shall never know. But all the while I sit and think of times there were before I listen for returning feet and voices at the door.

Conversation | Guests | Power | Science | Words |