Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Justice

"The diligent scholar is he that loves himself, and desires to have reason to applaud and love himself." - William Godwin

"The lessons of their early youth regulated the conduct of their riper years." - William Godwin

"There is reverence that we owe to everything in human shape." - William Godwin

"For the credit of virtue it must be admitted that the greatest evils which befall mankind are caused by their crimes." - François de La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, Francois A. F. Rochefoucauld-Liancourt

"Michael Brown taught us that vital national positions must be filled with qualified candidates, not political friends with little experience." - Eli Pariser

"This is a big moment. We're coming together from across the spectrum to protect the principles that are core to our identity as Americans." - Eli Pariser

"When he has nothing to say, he lets words speak." - Elias Canetti

"Cruelty to men and to the lower animals as well, which would have passed unnoticed a century ago, now shocks the sensibilities and is regarded as wicked and degrading." - Elihu Root

"Human life is held in much higher esteem, and the taking of it, whether in private quarrel or by judicial procedure, is looked upon much more seriously than it was formerly." - Elihu Root

"But so fair, She takes the breath of men away Who gaze upon her unaware." - Elizabeth Browning, fully Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong." - Elizabeth II, born Elizabeth Alexandra May NULL

"A god of kindness would be charitable to all. Your god of wrath and punishment is but a monstrous phantasy... It is not necessary that one should humble oneself to deserve assistance, it is sufficient that one should suffer." - Emile Zola

"At first, tried to seize opportunities, to faith in good housewife: then, was swayed by the coquetry: in the end, ate her alive." - Emile Zola

"But you said so yourself, the poor lass will die of it...Do you really want her to die?" - Emile Zola

"Miserable humanity was clamoring from the depths of its abyss of suffering, and the clamor swept along, sending a shudder down every spine, for one and all were plunged in agony, refusing to die, longing to compel God to grant them eternal life. Ah ! life, life! That was what all those unfortunates, who had come from so far, amid so many obstacles, wanted - that was the one boon they asked for, in their wild desire to live it over again, to live it always! O Lord, whatever our misery, whatever the torment of our life may be, cure us, grant that we may begin to live again and suffer once more what we have suffered already. However unhappy we may be, to be is what we wish. It is not heaven that we ask Thee for, it is earth; and grant that we may leave it at the latest possible moment , never leave it indeed, if such be Thy good pleasure. And even when we no longer implore a physical cure, but a moral favor, it is still happiness that we ask for; happiness , the thirst for which alone consumes us. Oh Lord, grant that we may be happy and healthy; let us live, ay, let us live forever!" - Emile Zola

"The past was but the cemetery of our illusions: one simply stubbed one's toes on the gravestones." - Emile Zola

"This must have led to a brief moment of psychological anguish. Note that, so far, General Billot was in no way compromised. Newly appointed to his position, he had the authority to bring out the truth. He did not dare, no doubt in terror of public opinion, certainly for fear of implicating the whole General Staff, General de Boisdeffre, and General Gonse, not to mention the subordinates. So he hesitated for a brief moment of struggle between his conscience and what he believed to be the interest of the military. Once that moment passed, it was already too late. He had committed himself and he was compromised. From that point on, his responsibility only grew, he took on the crimes of others, he became as guilty as they, if not more so, for he was in a position to bring about justice and did nothing. Can you understand this: for the last year General Billot, Generals Gonse and de Boisdeffre have known that Dreyfus is innocent, and they have kept this terrible knowledge to themselves?" - Emile Zola

"This was the time when the rush for the spoils filled a corner of the forest with the yelping of hounds, the cracking of whips, the flaring of torches. The appetites let loose were satisfied at last, shamelessly, amid the sound of crumbling neighborhoods and fortunes made in six months. The city had become an orgy of gold and women." - Emile Zola

"The enemies of the country and of freedom of the people have always denounced as bandits those who sacrifice themselves for the noble causes of the people." - Emiliano Zapata, fully Emiliano Zapata Salazar

"The spirit of militarism has already permeated all walks of life. Indeed, I am convinced that militarism is a greater danger here than anywhere else, because of the many bribes capitalism holds out to those whom it wishes to destroy." - Emma Goldman

"Keep a thing seven years and you will find a use for it." - English Proverbs

"The use of text messaging for propaganda purposes – known as “red-texting” – reveals another creative streak among China’s propaganda virtuosos. The practice may have grown out of a competition organized by one of China’s mobile phone operators to compose the most eloquent Party-admiring text message. Fast forward a few years, and senior telecom officials in Beijing are already busily attending “red-texting” symposia. “I really like these words of Chairman Mao: ‘The world is ours, we should unite for achievements. Responsibility and seriousness can conquer the world and the Chinese Communist Party members represent these qualities.’ These words are incisive and inspirational.” This is a text message that thirteen million mobile phone users in the Chinese city of Chongqing received one day in April 2009. Sent by Bo Xilai, the aggressive secretary of the city’s Communist Party who is speculated to have strong ambitions for a future in national politics, the messages were then forwarded another sixteen millions times. Not so bad for an odd quote from a long-dead Communist dictator." - Evgeny Morozov

"The Scripture stories do not, like Homer’s, court our favor, they do not flatter us that they may please us and enchant us—they seek to subject us, and if we refuse to be subjected we are rebels." - Erich Auerbach

"The real reason for not committing suicide is because you always know how swell life gets again after the hell is over." - Ernest Hemingway, fully Ernest Miller Hemingway

"A woman's honor rests on manly love." - Esaias Tegnér

"Given our accustomed ways of surrounding the important events with attention-getting publicity and given the importance of this event thatÂ’s a big surprise. Bright lights and amplification are not accessories to spiritual formation." - Eugene Peterson

"The united vote of those who toil and have not will vanquish those who have and toil not, and solve forever the problems of democracy." - Eugene V. Debs, fully Eugene Victor Debs

"Nearly all human beings love, but nearly none know how to love." - Eugenio Maria de Hostos (y Bonilla)

"Alas!-but why Alas? It is the lot of mortality we experience." - Euripedes NULL

"What's brilliant about the United States system of government is separation of power. Not only the executive, legislative, judicial branches, but also the independence of the military from civilians, an independent media and press, an independent central bank." - Feisal Abdul Rauf

"Comfort and peace never come from anything we know about ourselves, but only and always from what we know about Him." - 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." - Hannah Whitall Smith

"There is no helping him who will not be advised." - Italian Proverbs

"There never was a shoe however handsome that did not become an ugly slipper." - Italian Proverbs

"When gold speaks every tongue is silent." - Italian Proverbs

"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." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly