Category: Wisdom (Page 3 of 13)

Francois Marie Arouet (1694-1776), pen name Voltaire, was born in Paris in 1694. Voltaire’s style, wit, intelligence and sense of justice made him one of France’s greatest writers and philosophers.

He received an excellent education at the Jesuit college but left school at 16 and soon formed friendships with a group of Parisian aristocrats. Paris society sought his company for his cleverness, humor and remarkable ability to write verse. In 1717 he was arrested for writing a series of satirical verses ridiculing the French government, and was imprisoned in the Bastille.

In 1726, Voltaire insulted a powerful a nobleman and was exiled to England. While in England Voltaire was attracted to the philosophy of John Locke and ideas of the great scientist Sir Isaac Newton. He studied England’s Constitutional Monarchy, its religious tolerance, its philosophical rationalism and most important the “natural sciences.” After his return to Paris he wrote a book praising English customs and institutions but the book criticized the French government and Voltaire was forced to flee Paris again.

Voltaire remained an outspoken critic of religious intolerance, slavery and persecution until he returned to a hero’s welcome in Paris at age 83, where he remained until his death in 1776.

“Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice and need.”

“True greatness consists in the use of a powerful understanding to enlighten oneself and others.”

“I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”

“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short on: ‘O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.’ And God granted it.”

“The biggest reward for a thing well done is to have done it.”

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.”

“The road to the heart is the ear.”

“All men are equal; it is not birth, but virtue alone, that makes the difference.”

“Common sense is not so common.”

“The true character of liberty is independence, maintained by force.”

“In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as
possible from one class of citizens to give to another.”

“If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.”

“Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy; the mad daughter of a wise mother.”

Virgil (70-19 B.C.) The most famous Roman poet, his works were thought to be classics of Latin literature even during his lifetime. Virgil gives a living voice to the glory and history of ancient Rome and all of Italy. Aeneid (29-19 B.C.) – Virgil’s last and best-known work is a twelve-book Epic poem that glorifies Rome and tells of the destiny of the Roman people.

“Love conquers all things; let us too surrender to Love.”

“They are able because they think they are able.”

“Trust not to much to appearances.”

“Practice and thought might gradually forge many an art.”

“It is easy to go down into Hell; night and day, the gates of dark Death stand wide; but to climb back again, to retrace one’s steps to the upper air – there’s the rub, the task.”

“As the twig is bent the tree inclines.”

“Who asks whether the enemy were defeated by strategy or valor?”

“The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what a man or woman is able to do that counts.”

“Time is flying never to return.”

“To have died once is enough.”

Henry Van Dyke was born November 10, 1852, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. He was an American clergyman, educator, and . Van Dyke graduated from Princeton in 1873 and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1874. Henry Van Dyke was pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City (1883-1899), a professor of English literature at Princeton (1899-1923), and during World War I, acted as American Minister to the Netherlands (1913-1916).

Henry Van Dyke’s Christmas sermons, his essays, and his short stories made him a popular writer. His poems reveal a classical education as well as a common touch in matters of faith. Among Henry Van Dyke’s popular inspirational writings is the Christmas story, “The Other Wise Man,” written in 1896. The themes of his sermons are also expressed in his poetry and the essays collected in “Little Rivers” (1895) and “Fishermen’s Luck” (1899). Van Dyke also served as a naval chaplain, for which he was awarded the Legion of Honor. He died April 10, 1933.

“As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge.”

“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.”

“What you possess in the world will be found at the day of your death to belong to someone else. But what you are will be yours forever.”

“There is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world. It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher.”

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”

“Look around for a place to sow a few seeds.”

“Some people are so afraid do die that they never begin to live.”

“There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament.”

“Use what talent you possess-the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.”

“When once you have tasted flight you will always walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward: for there you have been and there you will always be.”

Samuel Clemens, known as Mark Twain, was born in Florida, Missouri in 1835. Of the many jobs he held in his lifetime was that of a reporter, a publisher and a riverboat pilot. Twain was a great writer and is best know for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. His style included humor, satire and adventure. Mark Twain’s personality was funny and out-going but always insightful. He died in 1910 and will be remembered and quoted for a long time.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

“Always do right – This will gratify some and astonish the rest.”

“God has put something noble and good into every heart His hand created.”

“Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.”

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

“It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.”

“Courage is resistance to fear; mastery of fear – not absence of fear.”

“In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from ities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.”

“The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a lifetime, if not asked to lend money.”

My father was an amazing man. The older I got, the smarter he got.”

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”

“It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.”

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

“Few sinners are saved after the first 20 minutes of a sermon.”

“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”

“Few things are harder to put up with than a good example.”

“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”

(1820-1860) Henry David Thoreau, of French and Scottish descent, was born in Concord, Massachusetts and made it his permanent home. From a poor family, he worked his way through Harvard. Throughout his life, he reduced his needs to the simplest level and managed to live on very little money, thus maintaining his independence. In essence, he made living his career. A nonconformist, he attempted to live his life at all times according to his rigorous principles. This attempt was the subject of many of his writings.

“It is never too late to give up your prejudices.”

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”

“Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.”

“Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.”

“All this worldly wisdom was once the amiable heresy of some wise man.”

“I heartily accept the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least;’ and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically.”

“Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”

“True friendship can afford true knowledge. It does not depend on darkness and ignorance.”

“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all.”

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

“The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.”

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

Francis of Assisi was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit and without a mite of self-importance.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled
as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Quote from St. Francis

“He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”

Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee’s sub-committee. The following is a portion of the transcript:

“Since the dawn of creation there has been both good and evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.”

“The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain’s heart. “In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA – because I don’t believe that they are responsible for my daughter’s death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel’s murder I would be their strongest opponent.”

“I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy – it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. “I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. This was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today”:

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,

Your words are empty air.

You’ve stripped away our heritage,

You’ve outlawed simple prayer.

Now gunshots fill our classrooms,

And precious children die.

You seek for answers everywhere,

And ask the question “Why?”

You regulate restrictive laws,

Through legislative creed.

And yet you fail to understand,

That God is what we need!

“Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, soul, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and reek havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation’s history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine’s tragedy occurs – politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws.

“Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts. Political posturing and restrictive legislature not the answers. The young people of our nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening in place that will not be squelched! We do not need more religion. We do not need more gaudy television evangelists spewing out verbal religious garbage. We do not need more million-dollar church buildings built while people with basic needs are being ignored. We do need a change of heart and a humble acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple trust in God!”

“As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes – He did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America, and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA – I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone! My daughter’s death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!”

For a Bible Study on this topic click: Just Look to God for Answers – Lostpine

Margaret Hilda Thatcher was born October 13, 1925, the daughter of a grocer who was active in local politics as borough councilor, alderman and mayor of Grantham. She was educated at Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ High School and won a scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford, where she obtained a degree in natural science (chemistry). She is also a master of arts of Oxford University. In June 1983, she was elected Fellow of the Royal Society.

While an undergraduate, she was president of the Oxford University Conservative Association. As Miss Margaret Roberts, she contested two parliamentary elections of the Conservative Party, in 1950 and 1951, before being elected (after her marriage) to the House of Commons in 1959 as Member for Finchley. Lady Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative Party and thus leader of the opposition on February 1975.

Lady Thatcher’s husband, Sir Denis Thatcher, whom she married in 1951, served in the Second World War as a major in the Royal Artillery. He is a former director of Burmah Castrol and is a director of other companies. He was made a baronet in December 1990. Sir Denis and Lady Thatcher have a twin son and daughter, Mark and Carol, who were born August 15, 1953.

Lady Thatcher is chancellor at Buckingham University, England, and chancellor of William and Mary College, Virginia. She has received a large number of awards and honorary degrees. Lady Thatcher is patron of a number of charities and has established her own foundation.

“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it’s when you’ve had everything to do and you’ve done it.”

“Of course it’s the same old story. Truth usually is the same old story.”

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”

“Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and importance, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.”

“If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.”

“Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.”

American writer and philanthropist, best-known for the anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1851-52). Stowe wrote the work in reaction to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which made it illegal to assist an escaped slave. In the story ‘Uncle Tom’ of the title is bought and sold three times and finally beaten to death by his last owner. The book was quickly translated into 37 languages and it sold in five years over half a million copies in the United States. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was also among the most popular plays of the 19th century.

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, and brought up with puritanical strictness. She had one sister and six brothers. Her father, Lyman Beecher, was a controversial Calvinist preacher. Stowe’s mother died when she was four. In her literary works Stowe found inspiration not in Calvinism but in combination of romanticism and religiously motivated commitment to justice. When she was eleven years old, she entered the seminary at Hartford, Connecticut, kept by her elder sister. Four years later she was employed as assistant teacher. Her father married again. He became the president of lane Theological Seminary; Catherine and Harriet founded a new seminary, the Western Female Institute. In 1834 Stowe began her literary career when she won a prize contest of the Western Monthly Magazine, and soon Stowe was a regular contributor of stories and essays. Her first book, The Mayflower, appeared in 1843.

In 1836 Stowe married Calvin E. Stowe, a professor at her father’s theological seminary. The early years of their marriage were marked by poverty. Over the next 14 years Stowe had 7 children. In 1850 Calvin Stowe was offered a professorship at Bowdoin, and they moved to Brunswick, Maine. In Cincinnati Stowe had come in contact with fugitive slaves. She learned about life in the South from her own visits there and saw how cruel slavery was. These experiences led Stowe to compose her famous novel, which was first published in the anti-slavery newspaper The National Era and later in book form. The story was to some extent based on true events and the life of Josiah Henson. ‘I could not control the story, the Lord himself wrote it,’ Stowe once said. ‘I was but an instrument in His hands and to Him should be given all the praise.’ When Abraham Lincoln met Stowe he joked, ‘So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.’ The novel was smuggled into Russia in Yiddish to evade the czarist censor.

Stowe’s popularity opened her doors to the national literary magazines. She started to publish her writings in The Atlantic Monthly and later in Independent and in Christian Union. For some time she was the most celebrated woman writer in The Atlantic Monthly and in the New England literary clubs. The Stowe’s lived in Hartford in summer and spent their winters in Florida, where they had a luxurious home. Her mental faculties failed in 1888, two years after the death of her husband. She died on July 1, 1896 in Hartford, Connecticut.

“Everyone confesses that exertion which brings out all the powers of body and mind is the best thing for us; but most people do all they can to get rid of it, and as a general rule nobody does much more than circumstances drive them to do.”

“The past, the present and the future are really one: they are today.”

“I am speaking now of the highest duty we owe our friends, the noblest, the most sacred – that of keeping their own nobleness, goodness, pure and incorrupt.”

“I would not attack the faith of a heathen without being sure I had a better one to put in its place.”

“Friendships are discovered rather than made.”

“The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”

“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

“I did not write it. God wrote it. I merely did His dictation.” (In reference to Uncle Tom’s Cabin)

Potter Stewart was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was was born on January 23, 1915, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Stewart’s father was an attorney and had served as Cincinnati’s mayor. Stewart also became an attorney. He graduated from Yale University in 1937 with an undergraduate degree and in 1941 with a law degree. He practiced law briefly in New York City and enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. During World War II, Stewart served on tankers operating in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea. Following the war, Stewart returned to Cincinnati, where he practiced law and on the Cincinnati City Council.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Stewart to be judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Four years later, Eisenhower appointed Stewart to be the 92nd associate justice on the United States Supreme Court. In July 1981, Stewart retired from the Supreme Court and died on December 7, 1985.

“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.”

“Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.”

“Fairness is what justice really is.”

“Swift justice demands more than just swiftness.”

“The right to defy an unconstitutional statute is basic in our scheme. Even when an ordinance requires a permit to make a speech, to deliver a sermon, to picket, to parade, or to assemble, it need not be honored when it’s invalid on its face.”