Great Throughts Treasury

"Art is the symbol of the two noblest human efforts: to construct and to refrain from destruction." - Evelyn Waugh, fully Evelyn Arthur St. John Waugh

"I will not stand for being called a woman in my own house." - Evelyn Waugh, fully Evelyn Arthur St. John Waugh

"Our Creator endowed each one of us with certain rights at birth, among which are the rights to life, liberty, speech, and conscience, to name a few. These are not just human rights; they are divine rights. When these rights are not permitted expression by a nation, that nation becomes inhibited in its progress and development, and its leaders are responsible before God for suffocating sacred rights. This native endowment is what separates man from the animals. It causes men to want to be good and to seek higher aspirations. It creates in man a desire to better his life and his station in life." - Ezra Taft Benson

"The United States Constitution has been in existence longer than any written constitution in history. It has been a blessing, not only to our land, but to the world as well. Many nations have wisely adopted concepts and provisions of our Constitution, just as was prophesied." - Ezra Taft Benson

"Men do not understand books until they have a certain amount of life, or at any rate no man understands a deep book, until he has seen and lived at least part of its contents." - Ezra Pound, fully Ezra Weston Loomis Pound

"The future and strength of the race is for women to be able to have kids when they want them and to love and provide them with the tools they'll need to get through a hostile world. The image of the black woman bearing child upon child against her will is the real threat to the race." - Faye Wattleton

"If Muslims curse the Christians, then the Christians will curse the Muslims. And people will curse Allah, and Allah will hold us responsible for that." - Feisal Abdul Rauf

"Already complaints are multiplying on every hand that that most gracious quality of all that adorns the age of childhood — the quality of reverence — is fast fading from our schools and households; that the oldtime respect for father and mother is diminished, and grown rarer and more uncertain." - Felix Adler

"The exercises of our meeting are to be simple and devoid of all ceremonial and formalism. They are to consist of a lecture mainly, and, as a pleasing and grateful auxiliary, of music to elevate the heart and give rest to the feelings." - Felix Adler

"The office of the religious teacher is to be a seer, and to make others see, and thus to win them into the upward way." - Felix Adler

"The world is dark around us and the prospect seems deepening in gloom. and yet there is light ahead. On the volume of the past in starry characters it is written — the starry legend greets us shining through the misty vistas of the future — that the great and noble shall not perish from among the sons of men, that the truth will triumph in the end, and that even the humblest of her servants may in this become the instrument of unending good. We are aiding in laying the foundations of a mighty edifice, whose completion shall not be seen in our day, no, nor in centuries upon centuries after us. But happy are we, indeed, if we can contribute even the least towards so high a consummation. The time calls for action. Up, then, and let us do our part faithfully and well. And oh, friends, our children's children will hold our memories dearer for the work which we begin this hour." - Felix Adler

"You learn a lot about each other from a tour, musically and humanly." - Gustavo Dudamel and the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra

"But there is one thing that is privileged to be a paradoxical sign of God, in relation to which men are able to manifest their deepest commitment -- our Neighbor. The sacrament of our Neighbor!'" - Gustavo Gutiérrez

"Politically speaking, tribal nationalism [patriotism] always insists that its own people are surrounded by ?a world of enemies? - ?one against all? - and that a fundamental difference exists between this people and all others. It claims its people to be unique, individual, incompatible with all others, and denies theoretically the very possibility of a common mankind long before it is used to destroy the humanity of man." - Hannah Arendt

"t is better to ride a donkey that carries you than a horse that throws you." - Italian Proverbs

"The virtue of silence is a great piece of knowledge." - Italian Proverbs

"The well-fed man does not believe in hunger." - Italian Proverbs

"There's no going to heaven in a sedan." - Italian Proverbs

"Through being too knowing the fox lost his tail." - Italian Proverbs

"To a crazy ship every wind is contrary." - Italian Proverbs

"To a young heart everything is sport." - Italian Proverbs

"Too many chiefs, not enough warriors." - Italian Proverbs

"Two cocks in one yard do not agree." - Italian Proverbs

"And when [B‰or] lay dead, of no wound or grief, but stricken by age, the Eldar saw for the first time the swift waning of the life of Men, and the death of weariness which they knew not in themselves; and they grieved greatly for the loss of their friends. But B‰or at the last had relinquished his life willingly and passed in peace; and the Eldar wondered much at the strange fate of Men, for in all their lore there was no account of it, and its end was hidden from them." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

"As a lord was held for the strength of his body and stoutness of heart. Much lore he learned, and loved wisdom but fortune followed him in few desires; oft wrong and awry what he wrought turned; what he loved he lost, what he longed for he won not; and full friendship he found not easily, nor was lightly loved for his looks were sad. He was gloom-hearted, and glad seldom for the sundering sorrow that filled his youth." - 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." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

"At length the Lady Galadriel released them from her eyes, and she smiled. ?Do not let your hearts be troubled,? she said. ?Tonight you shall sleep in peace.? Then they sighed and felt suddenly weary, as those who have been questioned long and deeply, though no words had been spoken openly." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

"But Sam turned to Bywater, and so came back up the Hill, as day was ending once more. And he went on, and there was yellow light, and fire within; and the evening meal was ready, and he was expected. And Rose drew him in, and set him in his chair, and put little Elanor upon his lap." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien