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

H. G. Wells, fully Herbert George Wells

Better it is toward the right conduct of life, to consider what will be the end of a thing, than what is the beginning of it: for what promises fair at first may prove ill, and what seems at first a disadvantage, may prove very advantageous.

Beginning | Better | Conduct | Life | Life | Right | Will | Wisdom |

Young “Savage” Seminarians NULL

You tell us that baptism is absolutely necessary to go to heaven. If there were a man so good that he had never offended God, and if he died without baptism, would he go to hell, never having given any offense to God? If he goes to hell, then God must not love all good people, since He throws one into the fire. You teach us that God existed before the creation of heaven and earth. If He did, where did He live, since there was neither heaven nor earth? You say that the angels were created n the beginning of the world, and that those who disobeyed were cast into hell. How can that be so, since you say the angels sinned before earth’s creation, and hell is in the depths of the earth? You declare that those who go to hell do not come out of it, and yet you relate stories of the damned who have appeared in the world - how is that to be understood. Ah, how I would like to kill devils, since they do so much harm! But if they are made like men and some are even among men, do they still feel the fire of hell? Why is it that they do not repent for having offended God? If they did repent, would not God be merciful to them? If Our Lord has suffered for all sinners, why do not they receive pardon from him? You say that the virgin, mother of Jesus Christ, is not God, and that she has never offended God. You also say that her Son has redeemed all men, and atoned for all; but if she has done nothing wrong, her son could not redeem her nor atone for her.

Angels | Beginning | Earth | God | Good | Harm | Heaven | Hell | Kill | Lord | Love | Man | Men | Mother | Nothing | Offense | Pardon | People | Receive | Teach | Wisdom | World | Wrong | God |

John Dalberg-Acton, Lord Acton, fully John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton

The true guide of our conduct is no outward authority, but the voice of God, who comes down to dwell in our souls, who knows all our thoughts.

Authority | Conduct | God |

Behavior Research Project NULL

People in our culture have a morbid tendency to avoid blame, because they do not wish to take the trouble to change their conduct in any way: blame-avoidance and blame-transference are therefore endemic amongst us. These are substitutes for repentance and renewal.

Blame | Change | Conduct | Culture | People | Repentance | Trouble |

Alice Allen, fully Alice Olive Allen Brant

Is Heaven not, after all, the Now and Here, the common things of life are all so dear.

Heaven | Life | Life |

William Blake

Gratitude is heaven itself.

Gratitude | Heaven |

William Winter

As much of heaven is visible as we have eyes to see.

Heaven | Wisdom |

Book of Li, aka Book of Rites or Record of Rites or Classic Rites NULL

One should not (seek to) please others in an improper way, not be lavish of his words... To cultivate one’s person and fulfill one’s word is called good conduct. When the conduct is (thus) ordered, and the words are accordant with the (right) course, we have the substance of the rules of propriety... The course (of duty), virtue, benevolence, and righteousness cannot be fully carried out without the rules of propriety... nor can the clearing up of quarrels and discriminating in disputes be accomplished.

Benevolence | Conduct | Duty | Good | Right | Righteousness | Virtue | Virtue | Words |

Edgar Sheffield Brightman

The Kingdom of Heaven cometh not by observation. It comes by the appreciation of the signs of the presence and power of God in our inner experience.

Appreciation | Experience | God | Heaven | Observation | Power | Appreciation | God |

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

If justice prevails, good faith is found in treaties, truth in transaction, order in government, the earth is at peace, and heaven itself sheds overus its beneficent light and radiates down to us its blessed influence.

Earth | Faith | Good | Government | Heaven | Influence | Justice | Light | Order | Peace | Truth | Blessed |

Phillips Brooks

Great is the conduct of a man who lets rewards take care of themselves - come if they will or fail to come - but goes on his way, true to the truth simply because it is true, strongly loyal to the right for its pure righteousness.

Care | Conduct | Man | Right | Righteousness | Truth | Will |

Mahatma Gandhi, fully Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, aka Bapu

I believe in the absolute oneness of God and therefore of humanity. What though we have many bodies? We have but one soul... I know god is neither in heaven nor down below, but in everyone.

Absolute | God | Heaven | Humanity | Oneness | Soul | God |

Mahatma Gandhi, fully Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, aka Bapu

The golden rule of conduct is mutual toleration, seeing that we will never all think alike and that we shall always see Truth in fragments and from different angles of vision.

Conduct | Golden Rule | Rule | Toleration | Truth | Vision | Will | Golden Rule | Think |

William Godwin

No man is obliged to conform to any rule of conduct farther than the rule is consistent with justice.

Conduct | Justice | Man | Rule |