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

Italian Proverbs

You don't go to heaven in a carriage.

Day | Existence | Golden Rule | Rule | Scripture | Story | Study | World | Golden Rule |

Itay Talgam

The joy is about enabling other people's stories to be heard at the same time.

Disdain | Global | Nations | Respect | Will | World | Respect |

J. B. S. Haldane, fully John Burdon Sanderson Haldane

In ultimate analysis, the universe can be nothing less than the progressive manifestation of God.

Burial | Earth | Will | World |

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

A sister they had, Galadriel, most beautiful of all the house of Finw‰; her hair was lit with gold as though it had caught in a mesh the radiance of Laurelin.

Absolute | Life | Life | Past | Waste |

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

At least for a while the road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.

Change | Children | Controversy | Labor | Public | Work | Worry | Child | Learn |

Italian Proverbs

Wise men learn by other men's mistakes, fools by their own.

Absolute | Atheism | Better | Cause | Critic | Discussion | Evil | Extreme | God | People | Problems | Religion | Science | Theology | Will | Work | World | God |

J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

Britain, which in the years immediately before this war was rapidly losing such democratic virtues as it possessed, is now being bombed and burned into democracy.

Compassion | Intolerance | Meaning | Means | People | Pity | Practice | Religion | Time | World |

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

But some of us are beginning to pull well away, in our irritation, from... the exquisite tasters, the vintage snobs, the three-star Michelin gourmets. There is, we feel, a decent area somewhere between boiled carrots and Beluga caviar, sour plonk and Chateau Lafitte, where we can take care of our gullets and bellies without worshipping them.

Absolute | Compassion | Equity | Heart | Honor | Suffering | Work | World |

J. B. S. Haldane, fully John Burdon Sanderson Haldane

Life implies constant activity, and the vital principle was accordingly regarded as something essentially active, constantly controlling and therefore interfering with physical tendencies towards disintegration of organic structure, and building up new organic structure in the process of nutrition and reproduction.

Body | Death | Evidence | Life | Life | Time |

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

A fox passing through the wood on business of his own stopped several minutes and sniffed. 'Hobbits!' he thought. 'Well, what next? I have heard of strange doings in this land, but I have seldom heard of a hobbit sleeping out of doors under a tree. Three of them! There's something mighty queer behind this.' He was quite right, but he never found out any more about it.

Fraternity | Mind | World |

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

And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring? passed out of all knowledge.

Debt | Enough | Family | Labor | Land | Means | Money |

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

And suddenly first one and then another began to sing as they played, deep-throated singing of the dwarves in the deep places of their ancient homes; and this is like a fragment of their song, if it can be like their song without their music... As they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves. Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick. He looked out of the window. The stars were out in a dark sky above the trees. He thought of the jewels of the dwarves shining in dark caverns. Suddenly in the wood beyond The Water a flame leapt up - probably somebody lighting a wood-fire-and he thought of plundering dragons settling on his quiet Hill and kindling it all to flames. He shuddered; and very quickly he was plain Mr. Baggins of Bag-End, Under-Hill, again. He got up trembling.

Fighting | Ignorance | Money | People | Time |

J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

Have you not a moist eye, a dry hand, a yellow cheek, a white beard, a decreasing leg, an increasing belly? Is not your voice broken, your wind short, your chin double, your wit single, and every part about you blasted with antiquity?

Life | Life |

J. B. S. Haldane, fully John Burdon Sanderson Haldane

Our whole universe is a universe of perceived phenomena in which all that is perceived embodies part of what is ourselves. A person and all his perceived world, thought, motives, and acts, are active manifestations of personality? personality represents a constant struggle to realize itself. This is why for personality there is always a now? entering into the meaning of the past and the nature of the future.

Life | Life |

J. B. S. Haldane, fully John Burdon Sanderson Haldane

The reality of God?s existence appears as love in the manifestation of goodness, beauty, and truth? Apart from God?s existence as living and active, existence has no ultimate meaning. However far we may look backwards in time, we cannot reach a time when the ordered beauty of the heavens ? that beauty which seems overwhelming when we contemplate it ? was not present. The existence of truth, order and beauty are eternal, since God is eternal.

Life | Life |

J. L. Balsford

Pray not too often for great favors, for we stand most in need of small ones.

Inspiration | Little | Mystery | Research | Work | World |

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

A sword rang as it was drawn. Do what you will; but I will hinder it if I may. - Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me! Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. owyn I am, omund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you if you touch him.

Life | Life |

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

Among those who still have enough wisdom not to think fairy-stories are pernicious, the common opinion seems to be that there is a natural connection between the minds of children and fairy-stories, of the same order as the connection between children's bodies and milk. I think this is an error; at best an error of false sentiment, and one that is therefore most often made by those who, for whatever private reason (such as childlessness), tend to think of children as a special kind of creature, almost a different race, rather than normal, if immature, members of a particular family, and of the human family at large.

Work | Old |

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

And Iluvatar spoke to Ulmo, and said: 'Seest thou not how here in this little realm in the Deeps of Time Melkor hath made war upon thy province? He hath bethought him of bitter cold immoderate, and yet hath not destroyed the beauty of thy fountains, nor of my clear pools. Behold the snow, and the cunning work of frost! Melkor hath devised heats and fire without restraint, and hath not dried up thy desire nor utterly quelled the music of the sea. Behold rather the height and glory of the clouds, and the everchanging mists; and listen to the fall of rain upon the Earth! And in these clouds thou art drawn nearer to Manwe, thy friend, whom thou lovest.' Then Ulmo answered: 'Truly, Water is become now fairer than my heart imagined, neither had my secret thought conceived the snowflake, nor in all my music was contained the falling of the rain. I will seek Manwe, that he and I may make melodies for ever to my delight!' And Manwe and Ulmo have from the beginning been allied, and in all things have served most faithfully the purpose of Iluvatar.

World | Learn |