This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.
"A wise man should foresee tragedy or misfortune and take action to prevent or overcome such tragedy or misfortune well before it strikes. Thus only he can enjoy a safe and good life." - Valmiki NULL
"A worthy man is still worthy even penniless, a donkey is a donkey even if he is finely saddled." - Turkish Proverbs
"One scabbed sheep will taint a whole flock." - Turkish Proverbs
"The fact that no two major countries have done to war since they both got McDonald’s is partly due to economic integration, but it is also due to the presence of American power and America’s willingness to use that power against those who would threaten the system of globalization–from Iraq to North Korea. The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist.[...] McDonald’s cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the designer of the US Air Force F-15. And the hidden fist that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley’s technologies to flourish is called the US Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. And these fighting forces and institutions are paid for by American taxpayer dollars." - Thomas L. Friedman, fully Thomas Lauren Friedman
"We there, in strife bewild’ring, Spilt blood enough to swim in: We orphaned many children, And widowed many women. The eagles and the ravens We glutted with our foemen; The heroes and the cravens, The spearmen and the bowmen." - Thomas Love Peacock
"They had been brought up to think that the domestic virtues were self-evident and universal; they had been starved of the knowledge that most attracts the young mind: that the crown of life is the exercise of choice" - Thornton Wilder, fully Thornton Niven Wilder
"Now tequila may be the favored beverage of outlaws but that doesn't mean it gives them preferential treatment. In fact, tequila probably has betrayed as many outlaws as has the central nervous system and dissatisfied wives. Tequila, scorpion honey, harsh dew of the doglands, essence of Aztec, crema de cacti; tequila, oily and thermal like the sun in solution; tequila, liquid geometry of passion; Tequila, the buzzard god who copulates in midair with the ascending souls of dying virgins; tequila, firebug in the house of good taste; O tequila, savage water of sorcery, what confusion and mischief your sly, rebellious drops do generate!" - Tom Robbins, fully Thomas Eugene "Tom" Robbins
"A very little little let us do and all is done." - William Shakespeare
"A woman is a dish for the gods, if the devil dress her not." - William Shakespeare
"A woman moved is like a fountain troubled,— Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty. A woman moved is like a fountain troubled, Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty, And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it. The Taming of the Shrew. Act v. Sc. 2." - William Shakespeare
"A woman sometime scorns what best contents her. Send her another; never give her o'er, for scorn at first makes after-love the more. If she do frown, 'tis not in hate of you, but rather to beget more love in you. If she do chide, 'tis not to have you gone, for why the fools are mad if left alone. Take no repulse, whatever she doth say; for 'get you gone,' she doth not mean 'away.' Flatter and praise, commend, extol their graces; though ne'er so black, say they have angels' faces. That man that hath a tongue, I say is no man, if with his tongue he cannot win a woman. Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act iii, Scene 1" - William Shakespeare
"A woman that is like a German clock, Still a-repairing, ever out of frame, And never going aright, being a watch, But being watched that it may still go right! Love's Labor's Lost (Berowne at III, i)" - William Shakespeare
"A woman would run through fire and water for such a kind heart." - William Shakespeare
"Abandon all remorse; on horror's head horrors accumulate." - William Shakespeare
"Ah! what a sign it is of evil life, when death's approach is seen so terrible!" - William Shakespeare
"And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, That sucked the honey of his music vows, Now see that noble and most sovereign reason Like sweet bells jangled, out of time and harsh, That unmatched form and feature of blown youth Blasted with ecstasy. Hamlet Prince of Denmark (Ophelia at III, i)" - William Shakespeare
"Art thou a woman's son, and canst not feel What 'tis to love? How want of love tormenteth?" - William Shakespeare
"Be bright and jovial among your guests tonight." - William Shakespeare
"Act in earnest and you will become earnest in all you do." - William James
"Keep your eyes and ears open, if you desire to get on in the world." - Douglas William Jerrold
"A fool has not material enough to be good." - François de La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, Francois A. F. Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
"A great many men's gratitude is nothing but a secret desire to hook in more valuable kindnesses hereafter." - François de La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, Francois A. F. Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
"A work can become modern only if it is first postmodern. Postmodernism thus understood is not modernism at its end but in the nascent state, and this state is constant." - François de La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, Francois A. F. Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
"However deceitful hope may be, yet she carries us on pleasantly to the end of life." - François de La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, Francois A. F. Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
"It is with an old love as it is with old age a man lives to all the miseries, but is dead to all the pleasures." - François de La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, Francois A. F. Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
"The man who thinks he can do without the world is indeed mistaken; but the man who thinks the world cannot do without him is mistaken even worse." - François de La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, Francois A. F. Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
"There is nearly as much ability requisite to know how to profit by good advice as to know how to act for one's self." - François de La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, Francois A. F. Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
"Youth changes its inclinations through heat of blood; old age perseveres in them through the power of habit." - François de La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac, Francois A. F. Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
"As Yin and Yang are not of the same nature, so man and woman have different characteristics. The distinctive quality of the Yang is rigidity; the function of the Yin is yielding. Man is honored for strength; a woman is beautiful on account of her gentleness. Hence there arose the common saying: "A man though born like a wolf may, it is feared, become a weak monstrosity; a woman though born like a mouse may, it is feared, become a tiger."" - Ban Zhao, courtesy name Huiban
"Divorce and dishonor will be unavoidable." - Ban Zhao, courtesy name Huiban
"Let a woman retire late to bed, but rise early to duties; let her nor dread tasks by day or by night. Let her not refuse to perform domestic duties whether easy or difficult. That which must be done, let her finish completely, tidily, and systematically, When a woman follows such rules as these, then she may be said to be industrious." - Ban Zhao, courtesy name Huiban
"No woman who observes these three fundamentals of life has ever had a bad reputation or has fallen into disgrace. If a woman fail to observe them, how can her name be honored; how can she but bring disgrace upon herself?" - Ban Zhao, courtesy name Huiban
"Now examine the gentlemen of the present age. They only know thar wives must be controlled, and that the husband's rules of conduct manifesting his authority must be established. They therefore teach their boys to read books and study histories. But they do not in the least understand that husbands and masters must also be served, and that the proper relationship and the rites should be maintained. Yet only to teach men and not to teach women -- is that not ignoring the essential relation between them? According to the "Rites," it is the rule to begin to teach children to read at the age of eight years, and by the age of fifteen years they ought then to be ready for cultural training. Only why should it not be that girls' education as well as boys' be according to this principle?" - Ban Zhao, courtesy name Huiban
"These three ancient customs epitomize woman's ordinary way of life and the teachings of the traditional ceremonial rites and regulations. Let a woman modestly yield to others; 1et her respect others; let her put others first, herself last. Should she do something good, let her not mention it; should she do something bad let her not deny it. Let her bear disgrace; let her even endure when others speak or do evil to her. Always let her seem to tremble and to fear. When a woman follows such maxims as these then she may be said to humble herself before others." - Ban Zhao, courtesy name Huiban
"To choose her words with care; to avoid vulgar language; to speak at appropriate times; and nor to weary others with much conversation, may be called the characteristics of womanly words." - Ban Zhao, courtesy name Huiban
"With whole-hearted devotion to sew and to weave; to love not gossip and silly laughter; in cleanliness and order to prepare the wine and food for serving guests, may be called the characteristics of womanly work." - Ban Zhao, courtesy name Huiban
"Real things in the darkness seem no realer than dreams." - Murasaki Shikibu, aka Lady Murasaki
"The hanging gate, of something like trelliswork, was propped on a pole, and he could see that the house was tiny and flimsy. He felt a little sorry for the occupants of such a place--and then asked himself who in this world had a temporary shelter." - Murasaki Shikibu, aka Lady Murasaki
"When crossing a river in bright moonlight, I love to see the water scatter in showers of crystal under the oxen's feet." - Sei Shōnagon
"Admitting it when someone else is right is a virtue." - Egyptian Proverbs
"The barking of a dog does not disturb the man on a camel." - Egyptian Proverbs
"The man who has plenty of means of existence, conducts himself pretty much as he himself wishes." - Egyptian Proverbs
"There are two kinds of error: blind credulity and piecemeal criticism. Never believe a word without putting its truth to the test; discernment does not grow in laziness; and this faculty of discernment is indispensable to the Seeker. Sound skepticism is the necessary condition for good discernment; but piecemeal criticism is an error." - Egyptian Proverbs
"When He opens up His path, may He carry me along, safe and sound." - Egyptian Proverbs
"They would have been pulling people off of Y2K to track funds, ... continue to do everything I can to protect those [federal Y2K] dollars for the district." - Eleanor Holmes Norton
"No matter who, what part of the world we live, live, until a sense of a lack of deep down we are moving. It's a basic thing we are afraid of not getting lost it in the back. Bilenimizde what is missing very little indeed." - Elif Safak