Quotes on Wisdom

O God! if I worship Thee in fear of Hell, burn me in Hell; and if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise; but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, withhold not thine everlasting beauty.

Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose.

We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.

One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight, for a very long time, of the shore.

There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them. But they are there for a reason. Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there.

It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.

What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.

While people are often content to criticize and blame others for what goes wrong, surely we should at least attempt to put forward constructive ideas. One thing is for certain: given human beings' love of truth, justice, peace, and freedom, creating a better, more compassionate world is a genuine possibility. The potential is there.

By Allah, whenever I endure any adversity I gain four blessings of Allah in exchange. The first of them is, when the adversity is not caused by my sin (virtue is earned). The second, when the adversity is not greater than my sin (virtue is earned). The third, when I am not deprived of contentment (virtue is earned). And the fourth, I hope for virtues thereby.

Pulling out the chair beneath your mind And watching you fall upon God What else is there for Hafiz to do that is any fun in this world!

Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?

Now is the time to know that all that you do is sacred... Now is the time for you to deeply compute the impossibility that there is anything but grace.

Compromise makes a good umbrella, but a poor roof; it is temporary expedient, often wise in party politics, almost sure to be unwise in statesmanship.

For the birds there is not a time that they tell, but the point vierge between darkness and light, between being and nonbeing. You can tell yourself the time by their waking, if you are experienced. But that is your folly, not theirs.

The fool who persists in his folly will become wise.

Little by little, one travels far

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.

Who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.

Everyone who is taken by death asks for more time, while everyone who still has time makes excuses for procrastination.

Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.

Lion sounds that have not grown from the mouse may exude naked power... but cannot convey any wisdom or understanding... The initial steps on the path to courageous speech then are the first tentative steps into the parts of us that cannot speak.