Wisdom Shared III

“A wise person is one who watches over himself and restrains himself from that which is harmful and strives for that which will confront him after death; and a foolish one is he who gives rein to his cravings and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires.”

“It is part of the excellence of a person’s Islam that he should eschew that which is of no benefit to him.”

- Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam)

Pure, inside and out

“Be kind and merciful to humanity, for all are His creatures: Do not oppress them with your tongue, or hands, or in any other way. Always work for the good of mankind. Never unduly assert yourselves with pride over others, even those who are placed under you. Never use abusive language for anyone, even though he abuses you. Be humble in spirit, kind and gentle, and forgiving, sympathetic towards all and wishing them well, so that you should be accepted. There are many who pretend to be kind, gentle and forgiving, but inside they are wolves; there are many on the outside who look pure, but in their hearts they are serpents. You cannot be accepted in the presence of the Lord unless you are pure, both on the outside and inside.” – Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as)- Kashti Nuh

Prejudice and Discrimination

“I have no race prejudice. I think I have no color prejudices or caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. Indeed, I know it. I can stand any society. All that I care to know is that a man is a human being — that is enough for me; he can’t be any worse.” – Mark Twain

“We must remember that we have to make judges out of men, and that by being made judges their prejudices are not diminished and their intelligence is not increased.” – Robert Green

“He flattered himself on being a man without any prejudices; and this pretension itself is a very great prejudice.” – Anatole France

“Prejudice is the reason of fools.” – Voltaire

“Reason transformed into prejudice is the worst form of prejudice, because reason is the only instrument for liberation from prejudice.” – Allan Bloom

“Before we can study the central issues of life today, we must destroy the prejudices and fallacies born of previous centuries.” – Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

“Logic: an instrument used for bolstering a prejudice.” – Elbert Hubbard

“The First Law of Journalism: to confirm existing prejudice, rather than contradict it.” – Alexander Cockburn

“Prejudice squints when it looks, and lies when it talks.” – Duchess de Abrantes

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice, and motivated by pride and vanity.” – Dale Carnegie

“Ignorance gives a sort of eternity to prejudice, and perpetuity to error.” – Robert Hall

“Passion and prejudice govern the world; only under the name of reason.” – John Wesley

“Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo.” – Ambrose Bierce

“Ignorance is stubborn and prejudice is hard.” – Adlai E. Stevenson

“Where prejudice exists it always discolors our thoughts.” – Mark Twain

“Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained with the greatest violence.” – Hebrew Proverb

“I conceive of a world without poverty, without classes, without nations, without religions, without any kind of discrimination. I conceive of a world which is one, a humanity which is one, a humanity which shares everything — outer and inner — a deep spiritual brotherhood.” – Bhagwan Shree

“When calamity approaches, discrimination departs.” – Sri Sathya Sai Baba

“The sun showers light to one and all without any discrimination. Similarly, humans should also engage himself in doing works for the benefit of the society.” – Atharva Veda

Goodwill and Humanity

“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” – Albert Einstein

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro

“Peace on earth, the quiet wish of every heart, the focus of each prayer, is that this season be the start of goodwill everywhere.” – Unknown

“All humanity is one undivided and indivisible family, and each one of us is responsible for the misdeeds of all the others. I cannot detach myself from the wickedest soul.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“Humanity is never so beautiful as when praying for forgiveness, or else forgiving another.” – Jean Paul Richter

“There is, nevertheless, a certain respect and a general duty of humanity that ties us, not only to beasts that have life and sense, but even to trees and plants.” – Michel de Montaigne

“We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind.” – Wangari Maathai

“Fear makes us feel our humanity.” Benjamin Disraeli

“Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes – goodwill among men and peace on earth.” – Albert Einstein

“Justice and goodwill will outlast passion.” James A. Garfield

“A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing.” – Oscar Wilde

“Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.” John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.” – Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

“You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity…” – Marie Curie

“We cannot despair of humanity, since we are ourselves human beings.” – Albert Einstein

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The earth is the general and equal possession of all humanity and therefore cannot be the property of individuals.” – Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

“We must never permit the voice of humanity within us to be silenced. It is man’s sympathy with all creatures that first makes him truly a man.” – Albert Schweitzer

Cheer and Delight

“To overcome difficulties is to experience the full delight of existence.” – Arthur Schopenhauer

“The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.” – Mark Twain

“May God grant you always…A sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you. Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you. And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you.” – Irish Blessings

“We find a delight in the beauty and happiness of children, that makes the heart too big for the body.” – Ralph Waldo

“Love consists in desiring to give what is our own to another and feeling his delight as our own.” – Emanuel Swedenborg

“Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature’s delight.” – Marcus Aurelius

“The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.” – Helen Keller

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

“Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what’s next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young.” – Samuel Ullman

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” – Kahlil Gibran

“As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.” – Emmanuel Teney

“No matter what looms ahead, if you can eat today, enjoy today, mix good cheer with friends today enjoy it and bless God for it.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“The man who radiates good cheer, who makes life happier wherever he meets it, is always a man of vision and faith.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

“Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition.” – Alexander Smith

“If one’s life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Having few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: satisfaction with just enough food, clothing, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements. And finally, there is an intense delight in abandoning faulty states of mind and in cultivating helpful ones in meditation.” – Dalai Lama

“The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing.” – Isaac Asimov

“There is no delight in owning anything unshared.” – Seneca

“The world is so full of care and sorrow that it is a gracious debt we owe to one another to discover the bright crystals of delight hidden in somber circumstances and irksome tasks.” – Helen Keller

“Only when your consciousness is totally focused on the moment you are in can you receive whatever gift, lesson, or delight that moment has to offer.” – Barbara De Angelis

“Never find your delight in another’s misfortune.” – Publilius Syrus

“The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.” – Julia Cameron

“Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never happen.” – James Russell Lowell

Ignorance and Indifference

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” – Elie Wiesel

“All you’ll get from strangers is surface pleasantry or indifference. Only someone who loves you will criticize you.” – Judith Crist

“Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.” – Dalai Lama

“The confidence of ignorance will always overcome the indecision of knowledge.” – Unknown

“The truest characters of ignorance are vanity, and pride and arrogance.” – Samuel Butler

“Love me or hate me, but spare me your indifference.” – Libbie Fudim

“If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.” – Isaac Asimov

“The only foes that threaten America are the enemies at home, and these are ignorance, superstition and incompetence.” – Elbert Hubbard

“To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant.” – Amos Bronson

“I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed.” – Dalai Lama

“If I don’t have wisdom, I can teach you only ignorance.” – Leo F. Buscaglia

“To be curious about that which is not one’s concern while still in ignorance of oneself is ridiculous.” – Plato

“Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.” – St. Francis of Assisi

“Love will find a way. Indifference will find an excuse.” – Unknown

“Indifference and neglect often do more damage than outright dislike.” – Joanne Kathleen Rowling

“We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders.” – Maya Angelou

“Love cannot endure indifference. It needs to be wanted. Like a lamp, it needs to be fed out of the oil of another’s heart, or its flame burns low.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance.” – W. Clement Stone

“To be proud of learning is the greatest ignorance.” – Jeremy Taylor

“The consciousness of the falsity of present pleasures, and the ignorance of the vanity of absent pleasures, cause inconstancy.” – Blaise Pascal

“The most violent element in society is ignorance.” – Emma Goldman

“A man is never astonished that he doesn’t know what another does, but he is surprised at the gross ignorance of the other in not knowing what he does.” – Thomas C. Haliburton

“At the bottom of enmity between strangers lies indifference.” – Soren Kierkegaard

“The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference.” – Bess Myerson

“It is impossible to make people understand their ignorance, for it requires knowledge to perceive it; and, therefore, he that can perceive it hath it not.” – Jeremy Taylor

“The most destructive criticism is indifference.” – Edgar Watson Howe

“Indifference is the essence of inhumanity.” – George Bernard Shaw

“The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.” – Benjamin Franklin

“Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil.” – Elie Wiesel

Life and Purpose

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” – Albert Einstein

“Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” – James Dean

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” – Maria Robinson

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” – Ashley Smith

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman

“The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.” – Tom Bodett

“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.” – Unknown

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” – Flora Whittemore

“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching.” – Unknown

“The most important things in life aren’t things.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo

“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again.” – Alex Tan

“Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us.” – John N. Mitchell

“Only a life lived for others is a life worth while.” – Albert Einstein

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” – Unknown

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children…to leave the world a better place…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” – Ralph Waldo

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

“Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror.” – Byrd Baggett

“Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.” – Horace

“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” – Peter Marshall

Pain and Suffering

“To become a spectator of one’s own life is to escape the suffering of life.” – Oscar Wilde

“The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt.” – Thomas Merton

“The superior man is distressed by the limitations of his ability; he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability that he has.” – Confucius

“If you suffer, thank God! — it is a sure sign that you are alive.” Elbert Hubbard

“But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it’s better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you’re fighting for.” – Paulo Coelho

“He who suffers much will know much.” – Greek proverb

“Suffering is but another name for the teaching of experience, which is the parent of instruction and the schoolmaster of life.” – Horace

“Tis better to suffer wrong than do it.” – Thomas Fuller

“Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind.” – Aristotle

“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.” – Ben Okri

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