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

Confucius, aka Kong Qiu, Zhongni, K'ung Fu-tzu or Kong Fuzi NULL

A noble mind can see a question from all sides without bias. Small minds are biased and see a question only form one side.

Mind | Question |

Charles Henry Parkhurst

A man’s longest purposes will be his best purposes. It is true, life is short and uncertain; but it is better to live on the short arc of a large circle than to describe the whole circumference of a small circle.

Better | Life | Life | Man | Will |

Confucius, aka Kong Qiu, Zhongni, K'ung Fu-tzu or Kong Fuzi NULL

It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.

Better | Darkness | Light |

Chinese Proverbs

The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

Man |

Chinese Proverbs

While the boy is small you can see the man.

Man |

Chinese Proverbs

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away a small stone.

Man |

Confucius, aka Kong Qiu, Zhongni, K'ung Fu-tzu or Kong Fuzi NULL

The noble person calls attention to the good point in others; he does not call attention to their defects. The small person does just the reverse of this.

Attention | Defects | Good |

Confucius, aka Kong Qiu, Zhongni, K'ung Fu-tzu or Kong Fuzi NULL

The demands that a noble person makes are upon himself; those that a small person makes are upon others.

Confucius, aka Kong Qiu, Zhongni, K'ung Fu-tzu or Kong Fuzi NULL

The noble person can influence those who are above her; the small person can only influence those who are below her.

Influence |

David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor

Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.

Afraid |

Democritus NULL

If you do not desire much, little will seem much to you, for small wants give poverty the power of wealth.

Desire | Little | Poverty | Power | Wants | Wealth | Will |

David Friedman

The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations.

Children | Force | Nations |

Dennis Genpo Merzel, aka Genpo Merzel Roshi

We think of death are separate phenomena. We never think of life and death as the same; that would be illogical. Only one problem, one small problem: reality is not logical. Truth is not rational; only our minds are. We are so egotistical, so arrogant, that we want to make reality into a concept, reduce life to a logical idea. We spend all our time looking for some concept of Truth, but Truth is what is left when we drop all concepts. Then there is just scratching when it itches.

Death | Life | Life | Phenomena | Reality | Time | Truth | Think |

Edmund Burke

Taste and elegance, though they are reckoned only among the small and secondary morals, yet are of no mean importance in the regulation of life. A moral taste is not of force to turn vice into virtue; but it recommends virtue with something like the blandishments of pleasure.

Elegance | Force | Life | Life | Pleasure | Regulation | Taste | Virtue | Virtue | Vice |

François de La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, Francois A. F. Rochefoucauld-Liancourt

Almost everyone takes pleasure in returning small obligations; many are grateful for moderate ones; but there is scarcely anyone who has anything but ingratitude for great ones.

Ingratitude | Pleasure |

Edwin Way Teale

You can prove almost anything with the evidence of a small enough segment of time. How often, in any search for truth, the answer of the minute is positive, the answer of the hour qualified, the answers of the year contradictory!

Enough | Evidence | Search | Time | Truth |

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Life also occurs between the big moments. Much of what we need to learn is found in the small moments of life.

Life | Life | Need | Learn |

Francis Bacon

It will be found a work of no small difficulty to dispossess a vice from the heart, where long possession begins to plead prescription.

Difficulty | Heart | Will | Work | Vice |

Francis Bacon

The eye of the understanding is like the eye of the sense; for as you may see great objects through small crannies or holes, so you may see great axioms of nature through small and contemptible instances.

Axioms | Nature | Sense | Understanding |