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

Robert Byrd, fully Robert Carlyle Byrd

Mission accomplished? The mission in Iraq, as laid out by President Bush and Vice President Cheney, has failed.

Mission | Vice |

Robert Southwell, also Saint Robert Southwell

LOVE'S SERVILE LOT - LOVE, mistress is of many minds, Yet few know whom they serve ; They reckon least how little Love Their service doth deserve. The will she robbeth from the wit, The sense from reason's lore ; She is delightful in the rind, Corrupted in the core. She shroudeth vice in virtue's veil, Pretending good in ill ; She offereth joy, affordeth grief, A kiss where she doth kill. A honey-shower rains from her lips, Sweet lights shine in her face ; She hath the blush of virgin mind, The mind of viper's race. She makes thee seek, yet fear to find To find, but not enjoy : In many frowns some gliding smiles She yields to more annoy. She woos thee to come near her fire, Yet doth she draw it from thee ; Far off she makes thy heart to fry, And yet to freeze within thee. She letteth fall some luring baits For fools to gather up ; Too sweet, too sour, to every taste She tempereth her cup. Soft souls she binds in tender twist, Small flies in spinner's web ; She sets afloat some luring streams, But makes them soon to ebb. Her watery eyes have burning force ; Her floods and flames conspire : Tears kindle sparks, sobs fuel are, And sighs do blow her fire. May never was the month of love, For May is full of flowers ; But rather April, wet by kind, For love is full of showers. Like tyrant, cruel wounds she gives, Like surgeon, salve she lends ; But salve and sore have equal force, For death is both their ends. With soothing words enthralled souls She chains in servile bands ; Her eye in silence hath a speech Which eye best understands. Her little sweet hath many sours, Short hap immortal harms ; Her loving looks are murd'ring darts, Her song bewitching charms. Like winter rose and summer ice, Her joys are still untimely ; Before her Hope, behind Remorse : Fair first, in fine unseemly. Moods, passions, fancy's jealous fits Attend upon her train : She yieldeth rest without repose, And heaven in hellish pain. Her house is Sloth, her door Deceit, And slippery Hope her stairs ; Unbashful Boldness bids her guests, And every vice repairs. Her diet is of such delights As please till they be past ; But then the poison kills the heart That did entice the taste. Her sleep in sin doth end in wrath, Remorse rings her awake ; Death calls her up, Shame drives her out, Despairs her upshot make. Plough not the seas, sow not the sands, Leave off your idle pain ; Seek other mistress for your minds, Love's service is in vain.

Blush | Boldness | Death | Diet | Fear | Force | Good | Heart | Heaven | Hope | Little | Looks | Love | Mind | Pain | Past | Remorse | Rest | Sense | Service | Shame | Silence | Sin | Will | Words | Vice |

Ronald Reagan, fully Ronald Wilson Reagan

Socialists ignore the side of man that is the spirit. They can provide you shelter, fill your belly with bacon and beans, treat you when you're ill, all the things guaranteed to a prisoner or a slave. They don't understand that we also dream.

Means | Right | Vice |

Ronald A. Heifetz

An authority should protect those whom he wants to silence.

Attention | Children | Rank | Study | Time | Vice |

Rudyard Kipling

True. True talk, said Kim solemnly. Fools speak of a cat when a woman is brought to bed, for instance. I have heard them.

Energy | Kill | Man | Work | Vice |

Rutherford B. Hayes, fully Rutherford Birchard Hayes

Partisanship should be kept out of the pulpit... The blindest of partisans are preachers. All politicians expect and find more candor, fairness, and truth in politicians than in partisan preachers. They are not replied to — no chance to reply to them.... The balance wheel of free institutions is free discussion. The pulpit allows no free discussion.

Calumny | Folly | Virtue | Virtue | Vice |

Saint Augustine, aka Augustine of Hippo, St. Austin, Bishop of Hippo NULL

He who is filled with love is filled with God himself.

Love | Vice |

Saint Augustine, aka Augustine of Hippo, St. Austin, Bishop of Hippo NULL

Wherever there are three persons, even though they are laymen, there is the church. Every man lives by his own faith, and God does not distinguish between classes. Since, in cases of necessity, you have the right to act as a priest, then you must also accept priestly discipline. It is God's will that all of us should be in the right spiritual state, at any time or place, to administer His sacraments.

Affliction | God | Gold | Good | Man | Men | Virtue | Virtue | God | Vice |

Saint Augustine, aka Augustine of Hippo, St. Austin, Bishop of Hippo NULL

We are certainly in a common class with the beasts; every action of animal life is concerned with seeking bodily pleasure and avoiding pain.

Vice |

Saint Augustine, aka Augustine of Hippo, St. Austin, Bishop of Hippo NULL

There is one case of death-bed repentance recorded, that of the penitent thief, that none should despair; and only one that none should presume.

Nature | Vice |

Saint John of Kronstadt, fully John Il’ich Serguiev, aka Holy Father John of the Kronstadt NULL

Oh, what great happiness and bliss, what exaltation it is to address oneself to the Eternal Father. Always, without fail, value this joy which has been accorded to you by God's infinite grace and do not forget it during your prayers; God, the angels and God's holy men listen to you.

Anger | Danger | Enough | Evil | God | Love | Man | Danger | God | Vice |

Samuel Butler

The great characters of fiction live as truly as the memories of dead men. For the life after death it is not necessary that a man or woman should have lived.

Virtue | Virtue | Vice |

Samuel Butler

The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment.

Absolute | Kill | Man | Virtue | Virtue | Vice |

Samuel Butler

It is the manner of gods and prophets to begin: "Thou shalt have none other God or Prophet but me." If I were to start as a God or a prophet I think I should take the line: "Thou shalt not believe in me. Thou shalt not have me for a God. Thou shalt worship any d_____d thing thou likest except me." This should be my first and great commandment, and my second should be like unto it.

Virtue | Virtue | Vice |

Samuel Johnson, aka Doctor Johnson

All fear is painful, and when it conduces not to safety, is painful without use. - Every consideration, therefore, by which groundless terrors may be removed, adds something to human happiness.

Envy | Heart | Happiness | Think | Vice |

Samuel Johnson, aka Doctor Johnson

The wretched have no compassion, they can do good only from strong principles of duty.

Vice |

Samuel Johnson, aka Doctor Johnson

Where there is emulation, there will be vanity; where there is vanity, there will be folly.

Mystery | Secrecy | Vice |

Sigmund Freud, born Sigismund Schlomo Freud

A person who feels pleasure in producing pain in someone else in a sexual relationship is also capable of enjoying as pleasure any pain which he may himself derive from sexual relations. A sadist is always at the same time a masochist.

Will | Vice |

Cyprian, aka Saint Cyprian of Carthage, fully Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus NULL

The world is going mad in mutual bloodshed. And murder, which is considered a crime when people commit it singly, is transformed into a virtue when they do it en masse. The offenders acquire impunity by increasing their ravaging.

Charity | Envy | Man | Peace | Rights | Truth | Vice |

Ignatius Loyola, aka Saint Ignatius of Loyola

O my God, teach me to be generous, teach me to serve you as I should, to give without counting the cost, to fight without fear of being wounded, to work without seeking rest, to labor without expecting any reward, but the knowledge that I am doing your most holy will.

Deeds | Love | Deeds | Vice |