ACTION REACTION

 
"Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म; IPA: [ˈkərmə]; Pali: kamma) means action, work or deed; it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering. Karma is closely associated with the idea of rebirth in many schools of Asian religions. In these schools, karma in the present affects one's future in the current life, as well as the nature and quality of future lives - one's saṃsāra."

"With origins in ancient India, karma is a key concept in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Taoism."

___

 
ACTION REACTION

"To be able to give away riches is mandatory if you wish to possess them. This is the only way that you will be truly rich."

 

"God don’t want me to go down for standing up."
 
- Muhammad Ali

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemn. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

- Luke 6:37

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."

- Luke 6:38

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

- Corinthians 12:9
 
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD."
 
- Isaiah 54:17
 
"He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver."
 

- Isaiah 49:2
 
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."
 
- John 15:1-2
 
"A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."
 
- Proverbs 11:25
 
"Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'"
 
- Matthew 19:21
 
"A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great."
 
- Proverbs 18:16
 
"Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart."
 
- Psalm 37:4
 
"Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to."
 
- Deuteronomy 15:10
 
"There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered."
 
- Proverbs 11:24-25
 
"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
 
- Acts 20:35
 
"Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed."
 
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

 

"Blessed be he who considers the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the day of trouble."
 
- Psalms 41:2

 

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

- Galatians 6:9
 
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
 
- Mathew 7:7

 
"Despair not though the seeking is long, may you see deliverance when your patience is at an end."

- Muhammad Ibn Bashir

 

"A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure."

 

- Henry Kissinger

  

"One ruins the mind
if he or she indulges in bad deeds
and ends up in misery."

 

"The person who is always involved in good deeds experiences incessant divine happiness."

 

"One who follows the path of virtuosity need not be worried about wealth as it comes to him naturally without making efforts."

 

"One gets good and bad results according to the good and bad deeds performed."

"Even if a person has few means he can perform great actions and can fulfill all his desires through hard work and diligence."

"Good deeds yield good results and bad deeds yield bad results."

"Only those who perform their duties promptly become successful."
 
"Scholars who contemplate on their thoughts and translate them into actions are the ones who are really great and noble."

"Even God blesses only those who are contemplative, intelligent and the protectors of the weak."

 

"Let us become God’s instrument
And distribute fortune to the poor and the needy."

"May those who earn honestly and give generously
Be firmly established in the world
And command respect in society.
May they dedicate their work to God!"

"The Lord does not favour the dishonest rich
Who refuse to share their wealth
With the needy and the poor.
God snatches away the wealth of the greedy,
While He bestows riches on the generous."

- The Rig Veda

 

"No one who does good work will ever come to a bad end, either here or in the world to come."
 
आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन |
सुखं वा यदि वा दु:खं स योगी परमो मत: ||
 
"When a person responds to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were his own, he has attained the highest state of spiritual union."
 
- The Bhagavad Gita
 
"They alone live, who live for others."
 
"Work and worship are necessary to take away the veil, to lift off the bondage and illusion."
 
"We reap what we sow. We are the makers of our own fate. None else has the blame, none has the praise."

"Let me tell you again that you must be pure and help any one who comes to you, as much as lies in your power. And this is good Karma. By the power of this, the heart becomes pure (Chitta-shuddhi), and then Shiva who is residing in every one will become manifest."
 
- Swami Vivekananda
 

聖人不積，
既以為人，己愈有；
既以與人，己愈多。
天之道，
利而不害。
聖人之道，
為而不爭。

 
"The sage does not accumulate for himself,
The more he uses for others, the more he has himself;
The more he gives to others, the more he possesses of his own.
The Way of Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure.
The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete."

 
- Tao Te Ching 81
 

天長地久。
天地所以能長且久者，
以其不自生，
故能長生。
是以聖人後其身
而身先，
外其身
而身存。
非以其無私邪？
故能成其私。

 
"Heaven is eternal and Earth everlasting.
They can be eternal and everlasting because they do not exist for them-selves,
And for this reason can exist forever.
Therefore the sage places himself in the background,
but finds himself in the foreground.
He puts himself away, and yet he always remains.
Is it not because he has no personal interests?
This is the reason why his personal interests are fulfilled."
 
- Tao Te Ching 7
 
"In the end,
The treasure of life is missed by those who hold on
and gained by those who let go."
 
"The world belongs to those who let go."
 
"The heart that gives, gathers."
 
"To be worn out is to be renewed."
 
- Lao Tzu
 
"Love does not seek its own. Love does not seek its own, for there are no mine and yours in love. But "mine" and "yours" are only relational specifications of "one's own"; thus, if there are no mine and yours, there is no "one's own" either. But if there is no "one's own" at all, then it is of course impossible to seek one's own."
 
"Yet does not love in a certain sense, even if in the most blissful way, produce the same confusion? But love, it too is an event, the greatest of all, yet also the happiest. Love is a change, the most remarkable of all, but the most desirable-in fact we say in a very good sense that someone who is gripped by love is changed or becomes changed. Love is a revolution, the most profound of all, but the most blessed!"
 
- Soren Kierkegaard

"A life not lived for others is not a life."

"When you don't have anything, then you have everything."

- Mother Teresa
 
"He who gives away shall have real gain. He who subdues himself shall be free; he shall cease to be a slave of passions. The righteous man casts off evil, and by rooting out lust, bitterness, and illusion do we reach Nirvana."
 
"An evil deed is better left undone, for such a deed torments one afterwards. But a good deed is better done, doing which one repents not later."
 
"When watching after yourself, you watch after others. When watching after others, you watch after yourself."
 
"Give, even if you only have a little."
 
- Buddha (PBUH)

 

"Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others."
 
- Jack Kornfield
 
"We make a living by what we get,
 We make a life by what we give."

- Winston Churchill
 
"What a man does for others, not what they do for him, gives him immortality."
 
- Daniel Webster

 

بيت المحسن عمار

 
"If you do charity, your house will be always rich"

 

- Arabic proverb

 

"If you taste the love, you are already rich."

"Every tree, every growing thing as it grows, says this truth, you harvest what you sow."

"Every leaf that grows will tell you:
What you sow will bear fruit, so if you have any sense my friend, don't plant anything but love."

"Inside the Great Mystery that is, we don't really own anything.
What is this competition we feel then, before we go, one at a time, through the same gate?"
 
نردبان آدمی‌ ما و منیست
عاقبت این نردبان افتادنیست
لاجرم هرکس که بالاتر نشست
استخوانش سختتر خواهد شکست
 
"The ladder of humanity is of we and I
The sequel of this ladder is to fall
Thus whoever sits furthest up
Will break their bones most severe"
 
- Rumi

 

"The best of people are those that bring most benefit to the rest of mankind."

 

"The best of people are those who are best in fulfilling [rights]."

 

"Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm (with glad tidings) and do not repulse (them)."
 

"Prayer is light;
charity is a proof;
patience is illumination;
and the Qur’an is an argument for or against you."

 

"Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity."

 

"The believer's shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity."

 

"Blessed is the wealth of a Muslim from which he gives to the poor, to orphans and to needy travelers."

 

"The Prophet said, 'On every Muslim there is enjoined (a compulsory) Sadaqa (alms).' They (the people) said, 'If one has nothing?' He said, 'He should work with his hands so that he may benefit himself and give in charity.' They said, 'If he cannot work or does not work?' He said, 'Then he should help the oppressed unhappy person (by word or action or both).' They said, 'If he does not do it?' He said, 'Then he should enjoin what is good (or said what is reasonable).' They said, 'If he does not do that' He said, 'Then he should refrain from doing evil, for that will be considered for Him as a Sadaqa (charity).'"

 

"It is said about Hazrath Suhaib that he used to feed the poor on such a large scale that Hazrath Umar once admonished him and he answered:

The Prophet used to say the best among you is the one who feeds the poor and returns the salutation. It is this which induces me to feed the poor."

"Hazrath Abdullah bin Salman says: I visited the Prophet when he arrived Madina. The moment I looked at the face of the Prophet, I realised it was not the face of a liar. The first thing the Prophet said at that time was:

Oh People! give currency to saluting. Feed the hungry, mend your relations, pray when other people are asleep, you would enter the paradise with peace."

- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

 

"True piety is this: to believe in God, and the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, and the Prophets, to give of one’s substance, however cherished, to kinsmen, and orphans, the needy, the traveler, beggars, and to ransom the slave, to perform the prayer, to pay the zakat." (2:177)

 
"Never will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allah] from that which you love. And whatever you spend - indeed, Allah is Knowing of it." (3:92)

 

"And him who seeks thy help, chide not." (93:11)

"And in their wealth there was a rightful share ˹fulfilled˺ for the beggar and the poor." (51:19)

"… and who give the rightful share of their wealth to the beggar and the poor; …" (70:24-25)

"The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of God is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears, and each ear Hath a hundred grains. God giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: And God careth for all and He knoweth all things." (2:261)

 

"And whatever ye spend in charity or devotion, be sure God knows it all." (2:270)

 

"And whatever you spend of good - it will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged." (2:272)

 

"The reward of goodness is nothing but goodness." (55:61)

"So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it,
And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it." (99:7-8)

 

وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ
 
"So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers." (3:139)

 
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ
 
"In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.
(O Prophet), We have surely bestowed upon you good in abundance.
So offer Prayer and sacrifice to your Lord alone.
Verily your enemy alone has been cut off from the roots." (108)
 
"But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters." (28:77)

"Man will not get anything unless he works hard." (53:39)

- The Quran

 
"You should desire for others what you desire for yourself, and hate for others what you hate for yourself. Do not oppress, just as you do not like to be oppressed. Do good to others just as you would like good to be done to you. Dislike in yourself what you dislike in others. Accept that treatment from others which you would like others to accept from you. Do not say to others what you do not like to be said to you."
 
"The highest person is he who is of most use to humankind."
 
"Be like a flower that gives its fragrance even to the hand that crushed it."
 
- Ali Ibn Abi Talib

 

"One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful."

- Sigmund Freud

 

"Those who live are those who fight."
 
- Victor Hugo
 
"And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years."

- Abraham Lincoln

 

پندار نیک‌، گفتار نیک‌، کردار نیک
 
"Good thoughts, Good words, Good deeds"

 

- Zarathustra (PBUH)

 

"For his holy Spirit and for Best Thought, deed, and word, in accordance with Right Mazda Ahura with Dominion and Piety shall give us Welfare and Immortality"

 
- Yasna 47.1

 

"According to the effort is the reward."

 

"Say little and do much, and receive all men with a cheerful face."

 

"No labor, however humble, is dishonoring."

 

- The Torah
  
"Charity outweighs all other commandments."
 
"Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world and whoever rescues a single life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the entire world."
 
"To him that is eager to give, the Lord provides the means."

 
"Whoever gives the poor money is blessed sixfold; whoever does it with a kind word is blessed sevenfold."
 
- The Talmud

 
"Live by the idea that each of us is worth only what we are willing to give to others."

- Lynn Schusterman
 
"Listen: this story's one you ought to know,
 You'll reap the consequence of what you sow."

- Ferdowsi
 
"Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made."
 
- Immanuel Kant
 
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'''

"Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right."

- Martin Luther King Jr.

 

"I don't pity any man who does hard work worth doing. I admire him. I pity the creature who does not work, at whichever end of the social scale he may regard himself as being."

 

"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

 

"It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things."

 

"Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering."

 

"With great victory comes great sacrifice."

 

- Theodore Roosevelt

 
"It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness."

 

- Thomas Jefferson

 

برو کار می‌کن، مگو چیست کار

که سرمایهٔ جاودانی است کار

…

نشد گنج پیدا ولی رنجشان
چنان چون پدر گفت، شد گنجشان

"Go and work, do not say what is work
Why work is the fortune of eternity

…
No treasure was found but their endurance
As the father said, became their treasure"

- Mohammad-Taqi Bahar

 

"Work gives you meaning and purpose, and life is empty without it."

- Stephen Hawking

 
"The greatest virtues are those which are most useful to other persons."

 

- Aristotle

 

"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."

 

"Life isn't worth living, unless it is lived for someone else."
 
"Striving for social justice is the most valuable thing to do in life."
 
"The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive."
 
"Genius is 1% talent and 99% percent hard work…"
 
"Nothing happens until something moves."
 
- Albert Einstein
 
"Everyday you have to fight so that love for humanity can be transformed into concrete deeds, into acts that set an example, that mobilize."
 
"One must have a large dose of humanity, a large dose of a sense of justice and truth in order to avoid dogmatic extremes, cold scholasticism, or an isolation from the masses. We must strive every day so that this love of living humanity is transformed into actual deeds, into acts that serve as examples, as a moving force."
 
"If you tremble with indignation at every injustice, then you are a comrade of mine."
 
"The best form of saying is being"
 
- Che Guevara
 
"The sensual love is motivated by desire, strive for a good to own it. The intellectual love is motivated by the wish, not to own, but to give."

- Thomas Aquinas
 
"Give it away give it away give it away now"

- Red Hot Chili Peppers

"Give back what you earn"

- 2 Pac

 

"No one has ever become poor by giving."

 

- Anne Frank
 
Goes around

Comes around

You get as you give
Give what you are

The chance to give,

has been given
Give as you were given,
and you might be given
 
"There are eight levels of charity… The highest is when you strengthen a man's hand until he need no longer be dependent upon others."

 

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

 

"Anticipate charity by preventing poverty."

 

- Maimonides

 

"Of what utility are the rich,
If they are clouds of August,
And do not rain upon any one;
Or the foundation of the sun,
And do not give light to anyone;"
 
- Saadi Shirazi
 
"Success always calls for greater generosity - though most people, lost in the darkness of their own egos, treat it as an occasion for greater greed. Collecting boot is not an end itself, but only a means for building an empire. Riches would be of little use to us now - except as a means of winning new friends."
 
- Cyrus the Great
 
"The virtuous man is driven by responsibility, the non-virtuous man is driven by profit."

 

"The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell."

 

"The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of advantage."
 
"The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort."
 
"If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else."
 
"When a country is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are things to be ashamed of. When a country is ill governed, riches and honor are things to be ashamed of."

 

- Confucius

 

"I choose the likely man in preference to the rich man; I want a man without money rather than money without a man."

 

- Themistocles

 

"Nothing will work unless you do."

"All great achievements require time."

"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."

 

"I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody. And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too."

"I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver."

- Maya Angelou

 

"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."

 

- Saint Augustine

 

"I know well that the greater and more beautiful the work is, the more terrible will be the storms that rage against it."

 

- Saint Faustina

 

"Rome was not built in one day"

"A hard beginning maketh a good ending."

- John Heywood

 

"Without a struggle there can be no progress."

 

"Without culture there can be no growth; without exertion, no acquisition; without friction, no polish; without labor, no knowledge; without action, no progress; and without conflict, no victory. The man who lies down a fool at night, hoping that he will waken wise in the morning, will rise up in the morning as he laid down in the evening."

 

- Frederick Douglass
 
سحرخیز باش تا کامروا باشی
 
"The early bird catches the worm"
 
- Persian and English proverb

"The test our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of dose who have much.
It is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

Whether it is all’s contribution to one
Or one’s contribution to all
One’s contribution is crucial
 
"Act, and God will act."

 

"Help yourself and God will help you."

 

- Joan of Arc

 

"To be is to do."

 

- Immanuel Kant

 

"What does not move is dead."

 

- Robert Greene
 
از تو حرکت
 از خدا برکت

 

"From the emotion by you

Comes God's blessing of you"

- Persian proverb

___

 

"To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction."

- Isaac Newton

___

 

Wall hits fist.

___
 
COMMON ACTION

"The Golden Rule"

"Law of reciprocity"

 

"One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself
(positive or directive form)
One should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated
(negative or prohibitive form)
What you wish upon others, you wish upon yourself
(empathic or responsive form)"
 
-



 "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

- Christianity

 
"Love your neighbor as yourself."

 

"What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow."

- Judaism

 

"None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."

 

"That which you want for yourself, seek for mankind."
 
- Islam

"When one cultivates to the utmost the principles of his nature, and exercises them on the principle of reciprocity, he is not far from the path."
 
"What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others."

- Confucianism

 

"By making dharma (right conduct) your main focus, treat others as you treat yourself."

 

"If the entire Dharma can be said in a few words, then it is - that which is unfavorable to us, do not do that to others."

 

- Hinduism

 

"Now if I were to take the life of another; of one who wishes to live, who does not wish to die, who desires happiness and is averse to suffering; that would not be pleasing and agreeable to the other either. What is displeasing and disagreeable to me is displeasing and disagreeable to the other too. How can I inflict upon another what is displeasing and disagreeable to me? Having reflected thus, he himself abstains from the destruction of life, exhorts others to abstain from the destruction of life, and speaks in praise of abstinence from the destruction of life."

 - Buddhism
 
"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law."

"Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of another, always at the same time as an end and never simply as a means."

- Immanuel Kant

___
 
"The veil of ignorance"

"The "veil of ignorance", along with the original position, is a method of determining the morality of a certain issue (e.g., slavery) based upon the following thought experiment: parties to the original position know nothing about the particular abilities, tastes, and positions individuals will have within a social order. When such parties are selecting the principles for distribution of rights, positions, and resources in the society in which they will live, the veil of ignorance prevents them from knowing who will receive a given distribution of rights, positions, and resources in that society. For example, for a proposed society in which 50% of the population is kept in slavery, it follows that on entering the new society there is a 50% likelihood that the participant would be a slave. The idea is that parties subject to the veil of ignorance will make choices based upon moral considerations, since they will not be able to make choices based on self- or class-interest."
 
- John Rawls

___
 
INACTION

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

- Edmund Burke

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

"There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction."

- John F. Kennedy

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

- Desmond Tutu

"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything"
 
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

 

"Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act."
 
"If I were to remain silent, I'd be guilty of complicity."
 
"Failure is success in progress."
 
"You never fail until you stop trying."
 
- Einstein

 

"Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up."

"However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. Where there's life, there's hope."

- Stephen Hawking

 

"Established in yoga, O Dhananjaya (Arjuna), perform actions, giving up attachment, and unconcerned as to the success or failure. …To work alone you have the right, but never claim its results. Let not the result of actions be your motive, nor be attached to inaction." (2:46-47)

 

"If due to ego you think: I shall not fight; this resolve of yours is vain. Your own nature will compel you."
 
- The Bhagavad Gita

 
"If a person becomes a fatalist and does not perform actions he shall literally acquire nothing."

- The Rig Veda

 

"I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act."

 

"In whom there is no sympathy for living beings: know him as an outcast."

 

- Buddha (PBUH)

 

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

 

- James 2:17
 

"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."

- James 4:17

"You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?"

- Habakkuk 1:13

"For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them."

- 2 Peter 2:21

"41 'Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45 Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'"

- Matthew 25:41-46
 
"16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

 
- 1 John 3:16-18
 
"How can you follow your heart, unless you know why you have allowed it to be empty for so long and didn't have the courage to fix it?"

- Shannon L. Alder

"As long as [man] does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance… Wallow in it… Write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilizing the seeds which [Heavenly Father] plants in a human soul… Do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm [the cause of evil] if [it is kept] out of his will… The more often he feels without acting, the less he will ever be able to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel."

- C.S. Lewis

"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."

"There comes a time when silence is betrayal."

 

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
 
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
 
"If you can't fly, then run. if you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl, but by all means, keep moving."

 

- Martin Luther King Jr.
 

"God has exalted those who strive hard with their possessions and their lives far above those who remain passive." (4:95)

- The Quran

 
"Whoever of you sees an evil must then change it with his hand. If he is not able to do so, then [he must change it ] with his tongue. And if he is not able to do so, then [he must change it] with his heart. And that is the slightest [effect of] faith."

 

"God would say on the Day of Judgement, O son of Adam! I was sick; nobody visited me. Many would plead: O My God! You are the Sustainer of all the worlds. When did you fall ill, and how could I visit you'? Then God would say: Didn't you know a particular person was sick but you didn't visit him. Had you gone there, you would have found me. Again God would say: O Son of Adam! I asked for food but you didn't give me food. Man would plead: O Sustainer of the World! When were you hungry? God would say: Don't you remember that a person asked you for food but you didn't feed him. Had you fulfilled his need then, you would have found its returns here. Again God would say: O son of Adam! I asked you for water but you didn't give water. Man would say: O Sustainer of the worlds! When were you thirsty that I could give you water'? God would say: On that day a certain man asked for water but you refused it. Had you quenched his thirst, you would have found its returns here."

(Muslim)

- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

 

"Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing."

"A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury."

- John Stuart Mill

"You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say."
 
- Martin Luther

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."
 
- Thomas Jefferson
 
"When you have something to say, silence is a lie - and tyranny feeds on lies."

 

- Jordan B. Peterson

 
"Anyone whose good deeds exceed his wisdom, his wisdom will endure; but anyone whose wisdom exceeds his [good] deeds, his wisdom will not endure."

 
- Rabbi Yitzchak Schneersohn

 
"Anyone who fulfills more than he has learnt, receives reward for the deed and the wisdom. For wisdom that does not culminate in deed is not wisdom at all."

 
- HaChassid

 

"It is better for one to have his placenta turned on his face than to learn Torah and not to fulfill it."
 
"Who can protest an injustice but does not is an accomplice to the act."

 

- The Talmud

 

"People often avoid making decisions out of fear of making a mistake. Actually the failure to make decisions is one of life's biggest mistakes."

 

- Rabbi Noah Weinberg

 

"To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself."
 
"At the bottom of enmity between strangers lies indifference."
 
- Soren Kierkegaard
 
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."

 

"Absence and death are the same - only that in death there is no suffering."

 

"Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big."

 

"Wars are, of course, as a rule to be avoided; but they are far better than certain kinds of peace."

 

"The pacifist is as surely a traitor to his country and to humanity as is the most brutal wrongdoer."

 

- Theodore Roosevelt
 

"Do not fear death so much but rather the inadequate life."

 
- Bertolt Brecht

 
"Death, immediate, in the firmament today,
Is worth a hundred lives enmeshed in decay."

 
- Parviz Natel Khanlari

 
از مرگ نترسید، از این بترسید كه وقتی زنده اید، چیزی درون شما بمیرد، چیزی بنام انسانیت

 

"Do not fear death, fear that while you live something inside you should die, something called humanity."

 
- Gandhi

 

"One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying."

"I am not afraid… I was born to do this."

- Joan of Arc

"I've been trying to live my life so that in the hour of my death I would rather feel joy, than fear."

- Witold Pilecki

 
"Every man dies. Not every man really lives."

 
"Here is no choice but either do or die."

 
- William Wallace

 

"I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it."

"If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die."

"During bad circumstances, which is the human inheritance, you must decide not to be reduced. You have your humanity, and you must not allow anything to reduce that. We are obliged to know we are global citizens. Disasters remind us we are world citizens, whether we like it or not."

 

- Maya Angelou

 

"There is in fact two ways, by which one can benefit God’s enemy - and I do not know, which of them is the most dangerous. The one is to be active for the evil, the other is to be passive in the good."

- Kaj Munk

"If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything."

- Peter Marshall
 

"Well begun is half done."

 

- Aristotle

 

"Indecision and delays are parents of failure."

- George Canning

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."

- Abraham Lincoln

"He who allows oppression shares the crime."

- Desiderius Erasmus

 

"The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil."

"Good can be radical; evil can never be radical, it can only be extreme, for it possesses neither depth nor any demonic dimension yet - and this is its horror - it can spread like a fungus over the surface of the earth and lay waste the entire world. Evil comes from a failure to think."

"The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (i.e., the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (i.e., the standards of thought) no longer exist."

 
- Hannah Arendt

 

"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."

 

"I swore never to be silent whenever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Whenever men and women are prosecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe."

- Elie Wiesel

 

"First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

 

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me"

- Martin Niemöller

 

"I believe in a world to come … When confronted by the martyred millions … I will be able to say … 'I did not forget you."'

 
- Simon Wiesenthal

 
ای آدمها که بر ساحل نشسته، شاد و خندانید
یک نفر در آب دارد می سپارد جان
یک نفر دارد که دست و پای دائم می زند
روی این دریای تند و تیره و سنگین که می دانید

"Hey, you over there who are sitting on the shore, happy and laughing,
someone is dying in the water,
someone is constantly struggling
on this angry, heavy, dark, familiar sea."

- Nima Yooshij

"Human beings are members of a whole,
In creation of one essence and soul.

 

If one member is afflicted with pain,
Other members uneasy will remain.

 

If you have no sympathy for human pain,
The name of human you cannot retain."

 

"He who is indifferent to the suffering of others is a traitor to that which is truly human."
 
"Better is the sinner who hath thoughts about God, than the saint who hath only the show of sanctity."

 
- Saadi Shirazi

  

"If you have a sense of honor,
Then you will feel distress;
If you have no sense of honor,
You will lose your manliness"

 

- Obeyd-e Zakani

 

"Say: o brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning."

"The essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds"

 
- Baha'u'llah (PBUH)

 

"To see the right and not to do it is cowardice."

 

"A gentleman would be ashamed should his deeds not match his words."

 

"The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."
 
"Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage."

 

- Confucius

 

الأفعال أبلغ من الأقوال

 
"Actions speak louder than words.
Doing something is better than talking about it."

 

- Arabic proverb

 

بزرگی سراسر به گفتار نیست
دو صد گفته چون نیم کردار نیست

 

"Overall greatness depends not on saying
Two hundreds of sayings don’t match half of doing"
 
- Ferdowsi

 

"May God bless the man who says less and does more."

- Umar Ibn Al-Khattab
 
"The real meaning of the spoken word has to be demonstrated by practical deeds."

"A new world will be won not by those who stand at a distance with there hands folded, but by those who are in the arena."

- Nelson Mandela

 

"Words that do not match deeds are unimportant"

 

- Che Guevara

 

"Rather, ten times, die in the surf, heralding the way to a new world, than stand idly on the shore."

 

- Florence Nightingale
 
"Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."
 
- Alfred Lord Tennyson

 
"He who stops being better stops being good."

 

- Oliver Cromwell

 

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Til your good is better and your better is best."
 
"It is not enough for us to restrain from doing evil, unless we shall also do good."
 
- St. Jerome
 
"Nature knows no pause in progress and development, and attaches her curse on all inaction."

"What is not started today is never finished tomorrow."

"Willing is not enough, we must do."

- Goethe

___
 
OUR ACTION

We shall overcome

 

"O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another." (49:13)

 

"Who (conduct) their affairs by mutual Consultation" (42:38)
 
"Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression." (5:2)

 

"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided." (3:103)
 
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا

 
"And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference." (17:70)

 
اِنَّمَا الصَّدَقٰتُ لِلۡفُقَرَآءِ وَالۡمَسٰكِيۡنِ وَالۡعٰمِلِيۡنَ عَلَيۡهَا وَالۡمُؤَلَّـفَةِ قُلُوۡبُهُمۡ وَفِى الرِّقَابِ وَالۡغٰرِمِيۡنَ وَفِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ وَابۡنِ السَّبِيۡلِ​ؕ فَرِيۡضَةً مِّنَ اللّٰهِ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلِيۡمٌ حَكِيۡمٌ‏ 

"Alms (zakat: literally means 'that which purifies') expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakat] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise." (9:60)
 

كَلَّاۤ اِنَّ الۡاِنۡسَانَ لَيَطۡغٰٓىۙ‏
اَنۡ رَّاٰهُ اسۡتَغۡنٰىؕ‏

 
"Nay, surely man transgresses;
for he believes himself to be self-sufficient." (96:6-7)

 

- The Quran

 

"Just as ablutions purify the body and salah (prayer) purifies the soul (in Islam), so zakat (alms) purifies possessions and makes them pleasing to God."

- Sachiko Murata and William Chittick

 
"How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!"

 

- Psalm 133:1

 

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

 

- Ephesians 4:3

 

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

 

- Matthew 5:9

 

"Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."

 

- James 3

 

"10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought."

- 1 Corinthians 1:10

"11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

- Ephesians 4:11-13

"23 I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

- John 17:23

"8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."

- 1 Peter 3:8

"16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."

- Romans 12:16

"10 To be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment-to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ."

- Ephesians 1:10

"14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,"

 
- Ephesians 2:14
 
"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
 
- John 1 4:12
 
"And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him-a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

- Ecclesiastes 4:12

 

"Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed."
 
- Proverbs 15:22
 
"Listen to counsel and accept discipline, That you may be wise the rest of your days."
 
- Proverbs 19:20
 
"…That these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
 
- Abraham Lincoln
 
"Gouvernement du peuple, par le peuple et pour le peuple"
 
"Government of the people, by the people, and for the people"
 
- Constitution of France
 
"Ants, fighting together, will vanquish the lion."

 

- Saadi Shirazi

 

"We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

 
- Martin Luther King Jr.

 
"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

 

- Benjamin Franklin

 

"We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided."

 

- J.K . Rowling

 

"One love, one heart…

Let’s get together and feel all right"

 

- Bob Marley

 

सं-समिद युवसे वर्षन्नग्ने विश्वान्यर्य आ |
इळस पदेसमिध्यसे स नो वसून्या भर ||
सं गछध्वं सं वदध्वं सं वो मनांसि जानताम |
देवा भागं यथा पूर्वे संजानाना उपासते ||
समानो मन्त्रः समितिः समानी समानं मनः सह चित्तमेषाम |
समानं मन्त्रमभि मण्त्रये वः समानेन वोहविषा जुहोमि ||
समानी व आकूतिः समाना हर्दयानि वः |
समानमस्तु वोमनो यथा वः सुसहासति ||
 
"Come together, talk together,
Let our minds be in harmony.
Common be our prayer,
Common be our end,
Common be our purpose,
Common be our deliberations,
Common be our desires,
United be our hearts,
United be our intentions,
Perfect be the union among us."

 

"A person who brings out the greatness of his friend himself gains importance."

"Only a person having trusted and worthy friend's lives and dwells in happiness on this earth."
 
"One should make good people their friends. One, who keeps good friends, benefits and lives in peace."

"He, whose friend is great, is himself great."

"May there be unison in the speech and action of humans. Only by this shall, unity emerge and serve each others purpose. The nation shall emerge stronger and mightier because of this."

"Those who exchange ideas, views and knowledge can never be harmed by anyone."

"The strength of unity and federation are unquestionable."

 

- The Rig Veda

"O man, work with vigour and vitality
Drive away the devil of poverty and disease.
May your honest earnings support the people,
Engaged in benevolent deeds
For the welfare of society."
 
- The Atharva Veda
 
"All for one and one for all, united we stand divided we fall."

 

- Alexander Dumas

 

"According to every man's ability, and as need shall require"
 
- Guilford Covenant
 
διεδίδετο δὲ ἑκάστῳ καθότι ἄν τις χρείαν εἶχεν
 
"Distribution was made unto every man according as he had need"
 
"32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need."
 
- Acts of the Apostles 4:32-35
 
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."
 
- Karl Marx
 
"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things."

 

- Mother Teresa

  

מרגלא בפומייהו דרבנן דיבנה אני בריה וחברי בריה אני מלאכתי בעיר והוא מלאכתו בשדה אני משכים למלאכתי והוא משכים למלאכתו כשם שהוא אינו מתגדר במלאכתי כך אני איני מתגדר במלאכתו ושמא תאמר אני מרבה והוא ממעיט שנינו אחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט ובלבד שיכוין לבו לשמים.
 
"A favourite saying of the Rabbis of Jabneh was: I am God's creature and my fellow is God's creature. My work is in the town and his work is in the country. I rise early for my work and he rises early for his work. Just as he does not presume to do my work, so I do not presume to do his work. Will you say, I do much and he does little? We have learnt: One may do much or one may do little; it is all one, provided he directs his heart to heaven."

 

אני בריה וחברי בריה

 

"I am a creation of Hashem, and my friend is also a creation of Hashem. We each have roles in this Creation, and this is not the place to elevate myself over my fellow."

 

אני מלאכתי בעיר והוא מלאכתו בשדה

 

"Both of us have different roles in the general scheme of things. But both of us are serving our role within Creation, as a part of society."

 

- The Talmud

 

"God is going to send you someone that will rescue you. Then one day you will rescue them in return and together your story will rescue others. He has always been a God of rescues and a maker of warriors for his grace. You only need to believe that you are part of something greater than you know."

 

- Shannon L. Alder

 

"The purpose of life is to obey the hidden command which ensures harmony among all and creates an ever better world. We are not created only to enjoy the world, we are created in order to evolve the cosmos."

 

- Maria Montessori

 

"For peace to reign on Earth, humans must evolve into new beings who have learned to see the whole first."
 
- Immanuel Kant
 
"Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it's beauty."
 
- Albert Einstein
 
"Every time you name yourself, you name someone else."

 

- Bertolt Brecht

 

 تو اول بگو با کیان دوستی, پس آنگه بگویم که تو کیستی

همان قیمت آشنایان تو, بود ارزش و قیمت جان تو

با بدان کم نشین که صحبت بد, گر چه پاکی تو را پلید کند

آفتاب به ایـــــن بـــــزرگی را, لـــــکه ای ابر ناپدید کند

 

"First tell me who are your friends,
and then I will tell who you are
The same price of your acquaintances,
is the value and price of your life
Sit rarely with the bad why bad talk,
will diminish your goodness
The sun that great,
disappears behind a spot of cloud"
 
- Sanai

 

"There is no greater wealth than wisdom, no greater poverty than ignorance; no greater heritage than culture and no greater support than consultation."
 
"It is better to listen to a wise enemy than to seek counsel from a foolish friend."

 

- Ali Ibn Abi Talib
 
"Nanos gigantum humeris insidentes"

 
"Standing on the shoulders of giants" 

 

- Bernard of Chartres

"Discovering truth by building on previous discoveries"

 

- Bonnie Keith

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

 

"We build too many walls and not enough bridges."

 
- Isaac Newton

 
"I am the servant of the Qur'an as long as I have life.
I am the dust on the path of Muhammad, the Chosen one.
If anyone quotes anything except this from my sayings,
I am quit of him and outraged by these words."

 
هفت شهر عشق را عطار گشت
ما هنوز اندر خـــــم یک کوچه ایم

 

"Attar traveled through all the seven cities of love
While I am only at the bend of the first alley."
 
"Attar is the soul and Sanai its two eyes, I came after Sanai and Attar."
 
- Rumi

 

"Heaven means to be one with God"

 

"To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness."

 

四海之内，皆兄弟也。
 
"Within the four seas, all men are brothers."
 
- Confucius

 

‎گِلی خوشبوی در حمام روزی رسید از دست محبوبی به دستم

بدو گفتم که مشکی یا عبیری که از بوی دلاویز تو مستم

بگفتا من گِلی ناچیز بودم و لیکن مدتی با گُل نشستم

‎کمال همنشین در من اثر کرد وگر نه من همان خاکم که هستم

 

"A sweet-smelling piece of clay, one day in the bath,
Came from the hand of a beloved one to my hand.

I asked: 'Art thou musk or ambergris?

Because thy delicious odour intoxicates me.'
It replied: 'I was a despicable lump of clay;
But for a while in the society of a rose.
The perfection of my companion took effect on me
And, if not, I am the same earth which I am.'"

 
"I am displeased with the company of friends

To whom my bad qualities appear to be good;

They fancy my faults are virtues and perfection;

My thorns they believe to be rose and jessamine.

Say! where is the bold and quick enemy

To make me aware of my defects?

He whose faults are not told him

Ignorantly thinks his defects are virtues."

 

"What can a foe do when the friend is kind?"

 

هر که با بدان نشیند اگر نیز طبیعت ایشان درو اثر نکند به طریقت ایشان متهم گردد و گر به خراباتی رود به نماز کردن منسوب شود به خمر خوردن

 
رقم بر خود به نادانی کشیدی
که نادان را به صحبت برگزیدی
 طلب کردم ز دانایی یکی پند
مرا فرمود با نادان مپیوند
 که گر دانای دهری خر بباشی
وگر نادانی ابله تر بباشی
 
"Anyone associating with bad people, although their nature may not infect his own, is supposed to follow their ways to such a degree that if he goes to a tavern to say his prayers, he will be supposed to do so for drinking wine.

Thou hast branded thyself with the mark of ignorance,
When thou hast selected an ignoramus for thy companion.
I asked some scholars for a piece of advice.
They said: 'Connect thyself not with an ignorant man,
For if thou be learned, thou wilt be an ass in course of time
And if unlearned thou wilt become a greater fool.'"

 

- Saadi Shirazi

 

"One who reveals your faults to you like a mirror is your true friend, and one who flatters you and covers up your faults is your enemy."

 
- Imam Hussein

 
"Whosoever shows you your faults is your friend. Thos that pay you lip service in praise are your executioners."

"The most beloved of people to me is he that points out my flaws to me."

- Umar Ibn Al-Khattab

 

تو اول بگو با کیان زیستی

پس آنگه بگویم که تو کیستی

 

"First tell me who did you live with
Then I will tell who you are"

 

- Persian proverb

 

إذا أردتَ أن تَعرفَ قدرَ العَملِ الذي أنتَ فيه، فانظُر مَن يشارکُکَ فيه

 
اگر می‌خواهی ارزش عملی را که بدان می‌پردازی بدانی، بنگر چه کس یا کسانی در آن عمل با تو همراهی و مشارکت می‌کنند

 
"If you want to know the value of the action that you are performing, then look at who that is cooperating and consulting with you in that regard"

 
- Ibn Ata Allah Al-Iskandari

 

"Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure."

 

"Let him associate with friends who are noble, energetic, and pure in life, let him be cordial and refined in conduct. Thus, full of joy, he will make an end of suffering."

 

- Buddha (PBUH)

 

"Whosoever in your kingdom is poor, to him let wealth be given."

"Thus from goods not being bestowed on the destitute, poverty, stealing, violence, murder, lying, evil-speaking, and immorality grew rife."

- Cakkavatti Sihanada Sutta

"To have much wealth and ample gold and food, but to enjoy one’s luxuries alone is a cause of one’s downfall,"

- Parabhava Sutta

"If the spirit of many in body but one in mind prevails among the people they will achieve all their goals, whereas if one in body but different in mind, they can achieve nothing remarkable."

- Nichiren Daishonin 

 
"To study the way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things. To be enlightened by all things is to remove the barriers between one’s self and others."

 
- Dogen
 
"I come to you without me,
come to me without you.
Self is the thorn in the sole of the soul.
Merge with others.
If you stay in self, you are a grain, you are a drop.
If you merge with others, you are an ocean, you are a mine."

 

- Rumi

"Where there is unity there is always victory."
 
- Publilius Syrus

Only with you, for you, and to show some of your potential
 
"It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a help-mate to match him."

 

- Genesis 2:18

 

وَخَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا

"And created you in pairs" (78:8)

- The Quran

"With renunciation life begins."

 
- Amelia Barr

 

"The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety."

 

- Felix Mendelssohn

 
"We can learn to see each other and see ourselves in each other and recognize that human beings are more alike than we are unalike."
 
"It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength."

 

- Maya Angelou

 

"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success."

 

- Henry Ford

 

"Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."

 

- Mattie Stepanek

 

اتَّكَلْنا منه على خُصٍّ الاتحاد قوة

 

"Unity is power."

 
- Arabic proverb

 

"O ye that dwell on earth! The religion of God is for love and unity; make it not the cause of enmity or dissension."

 

- Baha'u'llah (PBUH)

 

"If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace."

 

"We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out."

 

"Whoever seeks to set one religion against another seeks to destroy all religion."

 

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

"Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all."

 

- George Washington

 

"'Should I not tell you something that is better than [voluntary/optional] fasting, Salah and charity?' They [The Sahabah] said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Reconciling and making peace between people, for spoiling relations is the shaver [destroys faith and good].'"
 
"To remove mutual enmity, ill-feeling and hatred among people is better than all the prayers and fasting of many years."

 

- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
 

بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ
مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ
وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
 
"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Say, 'I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
From the evil of that which He created
And from the evil of darkness when it settles
And from the evil of the blowers in knots
And from the evil of an envier when he envies.'"

 
- The Quran
Surah 113 Al-Falaq
The Daybreak

"Talent perceives differences; genius, unity."

 

- William Butler Yeats
 
"For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk and we learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication of ideas, enabling human beings to work together to build the impossible. Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking. It doesn't have to be like this. Our greatest hopes could become reality in the future. With the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking."
 
- Stephen Hawking

 
اسرار ازل را نه تو دانی و نه من‬
‎‫وین حل معما نه تو خوانی و نه من‬
‎‫هست از پس پرده گفتگوی من و تو‬
‎‫چون پرده برافتد نه تو مانی و نه من
 

"The answer to perpetuity neither you know nor I;
The solution to life's enigma neither you know nor I.
Behind the curtain are bantering you and I;
When the curtain falls, neither you remain nor I."
 
- Khayyam

 
Fusion power

 

Conception

___
 
 DEVELOPMENT IN ACTION
 
From you emotion
From life devotion

Attention intention
Indeed in deed

Walk the walk you talk

Responsibility cover need

Make the best of it
In time

Despite any defeat

Never be defeated

Forever the same
And never ever

Strive to improve is inherent in good
Why it is good in the first place

What makes sense
Makes you stronger

Do your best
Evaluate the rest

___
 
 LAST AND LASTING ACTION

 

"I have sworn upon the alter of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
 
"If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so."
 
"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty."

"The world is indebted for all triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression."

 

"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country."

 

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression."

 

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."
 
"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time."

 

"Nothing is unchangeable but the inherent and unalienable rights of man."
 
- Thomas Jefferson

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

 

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."

 

"Unhappy it is, though, to reflect that a brother's sword has been sheathed in a brother's breast and that the once-happy plains of America are either to be drenched with blood or inhabited by slaves. Sad alternative! But can a virtuous man hesitate in his choice?"

 

"Our cruel and unrelenting Enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance, or the most abject submission; this is all we can expect - We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die: Our own Country's Honor, all call upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions - The Eyes of all our Countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their blessings, and praises, if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the Tyranny meditated against them. Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and shew the whole world, that a Freeman contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth."
 
- George Washington

"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it."

"Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as a heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors."

- Abraham Lincoln
 
"Pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend…to assure the survival and success of liberty."
 
"The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened."
 

"If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all - except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty."
 
"Without debate, without criticism no administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive."

 

"Art is the great democrat, calling forth creative genius from every sector of society, disregarding race or religion or wealth or color."

 

"The most powerful single force in the world today is neither Communism nor Capitalism, neither the H-bomb nor the guided missile - it is man's eternal desire to be free and independent."

 

- John F. Kennedy

 
"Article I - Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions can be founded only on the common good.

Article II - The goal of any political association is the conservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, safety and resistance against oppression.

Article III - The principle of any sovereignty resides essentially in the Nation. No body, no individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation

Article IV - Liberty consists of doing anything which does not harm others: thus, the exercise of the natural rights of each man has only those borders which assure other members of the society the fruition of these same rights. These borders can be determined only by the law."

- Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

"Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law"

- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Preamble
 

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

- The Declaration of Independence

 

"Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights."

 

- Declaration of the Rights of Man
 
"To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice."

- Magna Carta

 

"Oh how happy are those who get rid of the chains controlling their lives."

 

"There is no worse flaw in one's soul than the thought of superiority!"

 

- Rumi

گـَر چرخ به کام ما نگردد، کاری بکـُنیم تا نگردد
هرگز قـَدِ مردمان آزاد، در زیر فشار تا نگردد
اَندَر کـَف مردمان آزاد، نـَـوَد گِرِهی که وآ نگردد

 

"If the wheel does not turn according to our will,
we will prevent it from turning
Never will the height of free people,
be bent under pressure
In the hands of free people,
there is no knot that cannot be opened"
 
- Abolqasem Lahouti

 

"The hand of liberality is stronger than the arm of power."

 

"A tyrannic man cannot be a sultan

As a wolf cannot be a shepherd.

A padshah (king/ruler) who establishes oppression

Destroys the basis of the wall of his own reign."

 
"A padshah (king/ruler) who allows his subjects to be oppressed

Will in his day of calamity become a violent foe.

Be at peace with subjects and sit safe from attacks of foes

Because his subjects are the army of a just shahanshah."

 

"He who, when he hath the power, doeth not good, when he loses the means will suffer distress. There is not a more unfortunate wretch than the oppressor; for in the day of adversity nobody is his friend."

"Where the hand of tyranny is long we do not see the lips of men open with laughter."

"To pardon the oppressor is to deal harshly with the oppressed."

 

"Forgiveness is commendable, but apply not ointment to the wound of an oppressor."

 

- Saadi Shirazi

 

"As they also absolutely intended to proceed with the execution against us, we came to an unanimous agreement among ourselves that, regardless of any loss of life and limb, honor and property, we would stand firm, with all for one and one for all… nor would we be subservient, but rather we would loyally help and protect each other to the utmost, against all difficulties."
 
- Defenestrations of Prague
 
"The harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all"
 
- Jimmy Cliff

"Whenever you can, act as a liberator. Freedom, dignity, wealth - these three together constitute the greatest happiness of humanity. If you bequeath all three to your people, their love for you will never die."

 

- Cyrus the Great

 

為政以德，譬如北辰居其所而眾星共之。

 

"He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place when all the stars are rotating about it."

 

"An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger."

 

- Confucius

 

"Do not conquer the world with force, for force only causes resistance. Thorns spring up when an army passes. Years of misery follow a great victory. Do only what needs to be done without using violence."

 

- Lao Tzu

 

"Enduring patience is the highest austerity. "Nibbana is supreme," say the Buddhas. He is not a true monk who harms another, nor a true renunciate who oppresses others."

 

- Buddha (PBUH)

 

"Sitting cross-legged,
They should wish that all beings
Have firm and strong roots of goodness
And attain the state of immovability.

Cultivating concentration,
They should wish that all beings
Conquer their minds by concentration
Ultimately, with no reminder.

When practicing contemplation,
They should wish that all beings
See truth as it is
And be forever free of oppression and contention."

- Garland Sutra 11

"There can be no peace as long as there is grinding poverty, social injustice, inequality, oppression, environmental degradation, and as long as the weak and small continue to be trodden by the mighty and powerful."

- Dalai Lama

 

"There should be mutual love and co-operation between the guardian and the recipient."

"The leader who cares for his subject cannot be vanquished even if all his enemies become united."

"The leader sacrifices his life for the well being of his people."

"The leaders who do good deeds reside in the hearts of the people."
 
"Let our hearts be
In equality and unity."

"O effulgent Lord,
May the person who enslaves us
Be crushed under feet
Whether he is near or far;
Mayest Thou be with us
For our progress and prosperity."

"O resplendent Lord,
Destroy the power of the man
Who wants to enslave us
Whether he is alien or akin,
No matter, if his strength
Is as vast as the sky;
Break the ropes
Fastened unto his bows."

- The Rig Veda

 

"Slavery is pain,
Freedom is pleasure,
In short, this is the definition
Of pain and pleasure."

 
- Shri Manu
 
"May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all."

- Sanskrift Mantra

 

"Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being."

- Mahavira
 
"When what is ordered by an authority is opposed to the object for which that authority was constituted, … not only is there no obligation to obey the authority, but one is obliged to disobey it, as did the holy martyrs who suffered death rather than obey the impious commands of tyrants."

 
- Thomas Aquinas

 
"The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant."

 

"Any law which violates the inalienable rights of man is essentially unjust and tyrannical; it is not a law at all."

 

"By sealing our work with our blood, we may see at least the bright dawn of universal happiness."

 

- Maximilien Robespierre

 

"Non sire, ce n’est pas une révolte, c’est une révolution."
 
"No sire, it’s not a revolt; it’s a revolution."
 
- Duke of Rochefoucauld
 
"Liberté, égalité, fraternité."
 
"Liberty, equality, fraternity."
 
- French Revolution

 

"L’insurrection est le plus saint des devoirs."
 
"Insurrection is the holiest of duties."
 
"When the government violates the people's rights, insurrection is, for the people and for each portion of the people, the most sacred of the rights and the most indispensible of duties."

 

"The happiness of America is intimately connected with the happiness of all mankind; she is destined to become the safe and venerable asylum of virtue, of honesty, of tolerance, and quality and of peaceful liberty."

 

- Marquis De Lafayette

 

"They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power."

 

"Give me liberty or give me death."

 

"Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Beside, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of Nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us."

 

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

 

"Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason toward my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings."

 

"Show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chance of their rulers being good men, without a consequent loss of liberty?"

 

"If this be treason, make the most of it!"

 

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who comes near that precious jewel. Unfortunately, nothing
will preserve it but downright force. When you give up that force, you are ruined."

 

"Liberty, the greatest of all earthly blessings - give us that precious jewel and you may take everything else!"

 

"It is natural for man to indulge in the illusions of hope and pride. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it."

 

"Congress may carry on the most wicked and pernicious of schemes under the dark veil of secrecy. The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them."

 

"No realistic American can expect from a dictator’s peace international generosity, or return of true independence, or world disarmament, or freedom of expression, or freedom of religion - or even good business. Such a peace would bring no security for us or for our neighbors. Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

 

- Patrick Henry

 

"For me, if I have done my duty, the continued approbation of Congress and the Marine Committee will make me rich indeed, and far more than reward me for a life of service devoted from principles of philanthropy, to support the dignity of human nature."

 

"I have sacrificed not only my favorite scheme of life, but the softer affections of the heart, and my prospects of domestic happiness, and I am ready to sacrifice my life also, with cheerfulness, if that forfeiture could restore peace and good will among mankind."

 

"An honorable Peace is and always was my first wish! I can take no delight in the effusion of human Blood; but, if this War should continue, I wish to have the most active part in it."

 

"I profess myself a citizen of the world, totally unfettered by the little, mean distinctions of climate or of country, which diminish the benevolence of the heart and set bounds to philanthropy."

 

"I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."

 

- John Paul Jones

 

"Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood."

 

"Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain."

 

- John Adams

 

"[I]t is the greatest absurdity to suppose it in the power of one, or of any number of men, at the entering into society to renounce their essential natural rights, or the means of preserving those rights, when the grand end of civil government, from the very nature of its institution, is for the support, protection, and defence of those very rights; the principal of which, as is before observed, are life, liberty, and property. If men, through fear, fraud, or mistake, should in terms renounce or give up an essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the grand end of society would absolutely vacate such renunciation. The right of freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave."

 

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

 
- Samuel Adams

 

"These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their county; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny like hell is not easily conquered yet we have this consolation with us, the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value."

 

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."

 

"Let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America the law is King. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be King; and there ought to be no other."

 

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."

 

- Tom Paine

 

"Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny of his cruel ministry we will not tamely submit - appealing to Heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free."

 

"May our land be a land of liberty, the seat of virtue, the asylum of the oppressed, a name and a praise in the whole Earth, until the last shock of time shall bury the empires of the whole world in one common undistinguished ruin!"

 

"Stain not the glory of your worthy ancestors, but like them resolve never to part with your birthright; be wise in your deliberations, and determined in your exertions for the preservation of your liberties. Follow not the dictates of passion, but enlist yourselves under the sacred banner of reason; use every method in your power to secure your rights."

 

"Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. Our enemies are numerous and powerful; but we have many friends, determining to be free, and heaven and earth will aid the resolution. On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important question, on which rest the happiness and liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves."

 

"It is the united voice of America to preserve their freedom, or lose their lives in defence of it. Their resolutions are not the effect of inconsiderate rashness, but the sound result of sober inquiry and deliberation. I am convinced, that the true spirit of liberty was never so universally diffused […]"

 

"That it is an indispensable duty which we owe to God, our country, ourselves, and posterity, by all lawful ways and means in our power, to maintain, defend, and preserve those civil and religious rights and liberties for which many of our fathers fought, bled, and died, and to hand them […]"

 

"[I]t is absurd to attempt to impose so cruel a yoke on a people who are so near to the state of original equality, and who look upon their liberties not merely as arbitrary grants, but as their unalienable eternal rights, purchased by the blood and treasure of their ancestors; which […]"

 

- Joseph Warren

 

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse. When a people are used as mere human instruments for firing cannon or thrusting bayonets, in the service and for the selfish purposes of a master, such war degrades a people. A war to protect other human beings against tyrannical injustice; a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice, - is often the means of their regeneration. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever-renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other."

 

- John Stuart Mill

 
"Freedom may never be conceived merely negatively, as the absence of compulsion. Freedom conceived intersubjectively distinguishes itself from the arbitrary freedom of the isolated individual. No one is free until we are all free."

 

- Jürgen Habermas

 

"The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free."

 
- Maya Angelou

 

تا زمانی که در روی زمین یک انسان زندانی، گرسنه، ستمکش، محروم و بی فرهنگ موجود باشد، آزادی یک کلمه پوچ و توخالی بیش نیست
 
"As long as there in this world is present a single human in prison, hungry, oppressed, deprived, and without culture, freedom is nothing but an absurd and empty word"
 
آزاداندیشی جوهر اخلاق است
 
"Free thinking is the ink of character"
 
- Shokrollah Paknejad

 
"'Dico tibi verum, Libertas optima rerum; Nunquam servili, sub nexu vivito, fili.'

'I tell you a truth: Liberty is the best of things, my son; never live under any slavish bond.'"

 

- William Wallace

 

"All gave some
Some gave all"
 

- Sergeant Howard William Osterkamp

 

The best gave their best for others to have the best

 

It was all to bring but more joy
So why should there be anything but more joy
 
"It is not tolerable, it is not possible, that from so much death, so much sacrifice and ruin, so much heroism, a greater and better humanity shall not emerge."

 

"You'll live. Only the best get killed."

 

- Charles de Gaulle

 

"Say not the struggle nought availeth,
The labour and the wounds are vain,
The enemy faints not, nor faileth,
And as things have been they remain.

 

If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars;
It may be, in yon smoke concealed,
Your comrades chase e'en now the fliers,
And, but for you, possess the field.

 

For while the tired waves, vainly breaking
Seem here no painful inch to gain,
Far back through creeks and inlets making,
Comes silent, flooding in, the main.

 

And not by eastern windows only,
When daylight comes, comes in the light,
In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,
But westward, look, the land is bright."

 
- Arthur Hugh Clough

 

پای در زنجیر خوش تر تا که دست اندر لجن

 

"Legs in shackles more fortunate than hands in on sludge"

 

- Shafiei Kadkani

 

الْحُرَّ حُرٌّ عَلَى جَمِيعِ أَحْوَالِهِ

آزاده در هر حال آزاده است

"The free is free in any condition"

وَ قَالَ الصَّادِقُ ع إِنَّ الْحُرَّ حُرٌّ عَلَى جَمِيعِ أَحْوَالِهِ وَ إِنْ نَابَتْهُ نَائِبَةٌ صَبَرَ لَهَا وَ إِنْ تَدَاكَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الْمَصَائِبُ لَمْ تَكْسِرْهُ وَ إِنْ أُسِرَ وَ قُهِرَ وَ اسْتُبْدِلَ بِالْيُسْرِ عُسْراً كَمَا كَانَ يُوسُفُ الصِّدِّيقُ الْأَمِينُ ص لَمْ يَضْرُرْ حُرِّيَّتَهُ أَنِ اسْتُعْبِدَ وَ قُهِرَ وَ أُسِرَ وَ لَمْ تَضْرُرْهُ ظُلْمَةُ الْجُبِّ وَ وَحْشَتُهُ وَ مَا نَالَهُ أَنْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ فَجَعَلَ الْجَبَّارَ الْعَاتِيَ لَهُ عَبْداً بَعْدَ أَنْ كَانَ مَالِكاً لَهُ فَأَرْسَلَهُ وَ رَحِمَ بِهِ أُمَّةً وَ كَذَلِكَ الصَّبْرُ يُعْقِبُ خَيْراً فَاصْبِرُوا تَظْفَرُوا وَ وَاظِبُوا عَلَى الصَّبْرِ تُؤْجَرُوا

امام صادق عليه السّلام فرمود: آزاده در هر حال آزاده است، اگر مصيبتى براى او پيش آيد بر آن صبر خواهد كرد، و اگر مصائب بر او هجوم آورند او را درهم نشكنند، اگر چه اسير شود و اذيّت شود و آسايش او تبديل به سختى گردد، همان طور كه حضرت يوسف صدّيق امين عليه السّلام بود كه با وجود اينكه تبعيد شد و اذيت و اسير شد ولى ضررى به حريّت او نزد، و تاريكى چاه و وحشت آن و آنچه بر سرش آمد به او ضررى نرساند، تا اينكه خدا بر او منّت نهاد و آن جبّار سركش را كه قبلا مالك او بود بنده او ساخت، و خدا او را رسول خود نمود و به وسيله او به امّتى رحم كرد
و اين چنين است صبر كه خير به دنبال دارد، شما هم صبر كنيد تا پيروز شويد، و صبر را پاس داريد تا اجر ببريد
 
"Imam Al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: A free person is free in all conditions. If an affliction befalls him, he is patient, and if misfortunes press upon him they do not break him even if he is taken captive and oppressed, and his ease is substituted with hardship - as in the case of Yusuf, the veracious and trustworthy, Allah’s blessings on him. His freedom was not harmed when he was enslaved, oppressed and taken captive, and the darkness and loneliness of the well did not harm him when God favoured him and made the insolent tyrant, who had been his king, into his slave. God sent him as a Prophet and had mercy on a nation through him. Thus, patience has good results, therefore be patient, and accustom yourselves to patience and you will be rewarded."

 
- Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq
 
"For daily I expect to be murdered or betrayed or reduced to slavery if the occasion arises. But I fear nothing, because of the promises of Heaven; for I have cast myself into the hands of Almighty God, who reigns everywhere. As the prophet says: 'Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you.'"

 
- Saint Patrick
 
"The wise man does not expose himself needlessly to danger, since there are few things for which he cares sufficiently; but he is willing, in great crises, to give even his life - knowing that under certain conditions it is not worthwhile to live."

 

"Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind."

 

- Aristotle

 

"I don't care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps on shooting."

 

"I know you are here to kill me. Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man"

 

"We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it"

 

"Whenever death may surprise us, let it be welcome if our battle cry has reached even one receptive ear and another hand reaches out to take up our arms"

 

"The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall."

 

- Che Guevara

 

"When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right."

 
"Freedom in art, freedom in society, this is the double goal towards which all consistent and logical minds must strive.

 

- Victor Hugo

 

"In its truest sense freedom cannot be bestowed, it must be achieved."

 

"The truth is found when men are free to pursue it."

- F. D. Roosevelt

 

"Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom - and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech."

 
- Benjamin Franklin

 

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

- John 8:36

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

- Galatians 5:1

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

- 2 Corinthians 3:17

"But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

- James 1:25

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;"

- Isaiah 61:1

"The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them,"

- Jeremiah 34:8

"And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan."

- Leviticus 25:10

"That the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God."

- Romans 8:21

"But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak."

- 1 Corinthians 8:9

"So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty."

- James 2:12

"Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God."

- 1 Peter 2:16

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."

 

- Galatians 5:13

 

"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom."

 

- Albert Einstein

 

تو در نماز عشق چه خواندی
که سالهاست
بالای دار رفتی و این شحنه های پیر
از مرده ات
هنوز پرهیز می‌کنند

 

"What did you pray in the prayer of love that it is years since you climbed the gallows and these old authorities still fear you even as dead"
 
- Shafiei Kadkani
 
سرم را بشکن نرخم را نشکن

 
"Break my head don't break my value"

 
- Persian proverb

 

"Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles.
Cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances.
Courage breeds creativity; Cowardice represses fear and is mastered by it.
Cowardice asks the question, is it safe?
Expediency ask the question, is it politic?
Vanity asks the question, is it popular?

 But, conscience ask the question, is it right? And there comes a time when we must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right."

 
"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." 

 

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

"People have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take."

 
- Emma Goldman

 
"Freedom is not something that anybody can be given. Freedom is something people take, and people are as free as they want to be"

 

- James Baldwin

 

"Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow."

 

- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

 

"He who does not understand that a dead lion is more alive than a living dog will remain a dog."

 

- Maimonides

 

"Power in defense of freedom is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression."

 

"Truth is on the side of the oppressed."

 

"If you're not ready to die for it, put the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary."

 

"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom."

 

"Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it."

 

- Malcolm X

 

"Without dignity there is no liberty, without justice there is no dignity, and without independence there are no free men."

 

- Patrice Lumumba
 
"The most beloved Jihad according to Allah is that a word of truth be spoken to a tyrant ruler."
(Tabarani, Hasan)
 
"Undoubtedly the community in which the rights of the weaker are not safe, would not be considered good and exonerated by God."

"Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) said, 'Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one. People asked, 'O Allah’s Apostle! It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?' The Prophet said, 'By preventing him from oppressing others.'"

عَنْ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَا عِبَادِي إِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ الظُّلْمَ عَلَى نَفْسِي وَجَعَلْتُهُ بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا فَلَا تَظَالَمُوا

"Allah the Exalted said: O my servants, I have forbidden oppression for myself and have made it forbidden among you, so do not oppress one another."
(Abu Dharr, Sahih Muslim 2577)

اتَّقُوا الظُّلْمَ فَإِنَّ الظُّلْمَ ظُلُمَاتٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَاتَّقُوا الشُّحَّ فَإِنَّ الشُّحَّ أَهْلَكَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ حَمَلَهُمْ عَلَى أَنْ سَفَكُوا دِمَاءَهُمْ وَاسْتَحَلُّوا مَحَارِمَهُمْ

"Guard yourself from oppression, for oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection. Guard yourself from greed, for greed destroyed those before you. It caused them to shed blood and to make lawful what was unlawful."
(Jabir Ibn Abdullah, Sahih Muslim 2578)

إِنَّ أَحَبَّ النَّاسِ إِلَى اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَأَدْنَاهُمْ مِنْهُ مَجْلِسًا إِمَامٌ عَادِلٌ وَأَبْغَضَ النَّاسِ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَبْعَدَهُمْ مِنْهُ مَجْلِسًا إِمَامٌ جَائِرٌ

"Verily, the most beloved of people to Allah on the Day of Resurrection and the nearest to Him will be the just leader. The most hated of people to Allah and the furthest from Him will be the tyrannical leader."
(Abu Sa’eed, Sunan At-Tirmidhi 1329)

وَاللَّهِ لَتَأْمُرُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَتَنْهَوُنَّ عَنْ الْمُنْكَرِ وَلَتَأْخُذُنَّ عَلَى يَدَيْ الظَّالِمِ وَلَتَأْطُرُنَّهُ عَلَى الْحَقِّ أَطْرًا وَلَتَقْصُرُنَّهُ عَلَى الْحَقِّ قَصْرًا

"By Allah, you must enjoin good and forbid evil and seize the hand of the oppressor and make him follow the truth and restrict him to what is just."
(Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud, Sunan Abu Dawud 4336)

 

وَاتَّقِ دَعْوَةَ الْمَظْلُومِ فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ حِجَابٌ

"Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah"
(Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī 4090)

ثَلَاثَةٌ لَا تُرَدُّ دَعْوَتُهُمْ الصَّائِمُ حَتَّى يُفْطِرَ وَالْإِمَامُ الْعَادِلُ وَدَعْوَةُ الْمَظْلُومِ يَرْفَعُهَا اللَّهُ فَوْقَ الْغَمَامِ وَيَفْتَحُ لَهَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاءِ وَيَقُولُ الرَّبُّ وَعِزَّتِي لَأَنْصُرَنَّكِ وَلَوْ بَعْدَ حِينٍ

"The supplications of three persons are never turned away: a fasting person until he breaks his fast, a just ruler, and the supplication of the oppressed which is raised by Allah above the clouds, the gates of heaven are opened for it, and the Lord says: By my might, I will help you in due time."
(Sunan Al-Tirmidhī 3598)

 

"Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left before Doomsday, Allah will expand that day to such length of time as to accommodate the kingdom of a person from my Ahlul-Bayt who will be called by my name. He will fill out the earth with peace and justice as it will have been full of injustice and tyranny (by then)."

 
"The Garden (heaven) and the Fire argued and the Fire said, 'I have the tyrants and the arrogant.' The Garden said, 'I have the weak and poor people.' Allah judged between them, 'You, the Garden, are My mercy. By you I show mercy to whomever I wish. You, the Fire, are My punishment by whom I punish whomever I will. It is My duty to fill both of you.'"

 

الملك يبقي مع الكفر ولايبقي مع الظلم

 

"A Kingdom/Rule can remain with Kufr [disbelief] but it cannot remain with Zhulm [tyranny]."

 

- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

 
"Death with dignity is better than life of humiliation."

 

هَيْهاتِ مِنّا الذلَّة

 

"Don't accept injustice/oppression"

 

"Unworthy is life under tyranny"

 

"To me, death for the sake of what is right, is nothing but happiness, and living under tyrants nothing but living in a hell."

 
- Imam Hussein

 

"It is found in the records of history that the Zoroastrians ruled the affair of the world for four thousand years, and the kingdom resided with them, and their kingdom only remained due to their fairness towards their subjects."

 

- Imam Al-Ghazali

 
اللَّهُ يَنْصُرُ الدَّوْلَةَ الْعَادِلَةَ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ كَافِرَةً وَلَا يَنْصُرُ الدَّوْلَةَ الظَّالِمَةَ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مُؤْمِنَةً
 
"Allah will support the just state even if it is led by unbelievers, but Allah will not support the oppressive state even if it is led by believers."
(Majmū’ Fatāwá 28/63)

 
- Ibn Taymiyyah

 
البياض نصف الحسن بيت الظالم خراب

 

"The house of a tyrant is a ruin."

 

أفْضَلُ الجهاد كلمة عدل عند سلطان جائر

 

"The best jihad (determined struggle) is saying the truth in the face of a dictator."
 

ذا ظلمت من دونك فلا تأمن عقاب من فوقك 

"If you oppress who is below you then you won't be safe from the punishment of who is above you."

- Arabic proverbs

 
أما بعدُ، أَيُّها الناسُ فَإِني قد وُلِّيتُ عليكم ولست بخيركم فإِنْ أَحْسَنْتُ فَأَعِينُونِي وإِنْ أَسَأْتُ فَقَوِّمُوني. الصِدْقُ أمانةٌ والكَذِبُ خِيَانَةٌ. والضعيفُ فيكم قويٌّ عندي حتى أرجعَ إليه حقَّه إن شاء اللّه، والقويّ فيكم ضعيفٌ عندي حتى آخذَ الحقَّ منه إن شاء اللّه. أَطِيعُوني ما أَطَعْتُ اللَّهَ ورسولَه فإِذا عَصَيْت اللَّهَ ورسولَه فلا طاعةَ لي عليكم. قُومُوا إلى صلاتكم يَرْحَمْكُمُ اللّه

"I have been given the authority over you, and I am not the best of you. If I do well, help me; and if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth is loyalty and disregard for truth is treachery. The weak amongst you shall be strong with me until I have secured his rights, if God will; and the strong amongst you shall be weak with me until I have wrested from him the rights of others, if God will. Obey me so long as I obey God and His Messenger. But if I disobey God and his Messenger, ye owe me no obedience. Arise for your prayer, God have mercy upon you!"

 
- Abu Bakr

 
"Islam is the pure religion of the divine and according to it, freedom of thought and speech are undeniable. Of the nature of acceptance of religion, the Koran states: religion is not accepted through force. Religion must be accepted through logic and reason. According to the tradition of the Prophet of Islam and his progeny (his infallible successors) that with full freedom and the absence of any fear, the people must have the right to criticize and protest. The greatest injustice to Islam is the oppression of the people under the banner of an Islamic government."
 
- Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri
 
ماهی از سر گنده گردد نی زدم
فتنه از عمامه خیزد نی زخم
 
"A fish rots from the head not from the tail
Corruption rises from the turban not from the rum"
 
هرچه بگندد نمکش میزنند
وای به روزی که بگندد نمک
 
"Whatever rots is added salt
Fear the day when the salt starts to rot"
 
- Persian proverbs

 

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."
 
- Friedrich Nietzsche
 
"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."

- Thomas Paine

"I wholly disapprove of what you say, and will defend to the death your right to say it."

- Voltaire

مرز اصلی و تضاد اصلی بین بی خدا و با خدا نیست بلکه بین استثمار کننده و استثمار شونده است

"The real distinction and the real issue is not between those with a God and those without a God, but rather between the exploiters from the exploited ones."
 
- Mohammad Hanifnejad

 

"No power on this earth can destroy the thirst for human dignity."

 

"To overthrow oppression has been sanctioned by humanity and is the highest aspiration of every free man."

 

"Those who sought their own freedom in the domination of others where doomed in the time to ignominious failure."
 
"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."
 
- Nelson Mandela

 

جوانه می‌زنم
به روی زخم برتنم
فقط به حکم بودنم
که من زنم، زنم، زنم

چو هم صدا شویم و
پا به پای هم رویم و
دست به دست هم دهیم و
از ستم رها شویم

جهان دیگری
بسازیم از برابری
به هم‌دلی و خواهری
جهان شاد و بهتری

نه سنگ و سارها
نه پای چوب دارها
نه گریه‌های بارها
نه ننگ و عارها

جهان دیگری
بسازیم از برابری
به هم‌دلی و خواهری
جهان شاد و بهتری

"I bloom
On the wound on my body
Sentence for my mere existence
For I am a woman, woman, woman

If we unite our voices and
Walk side by side and
Hand in hand and
Free us from oppression

A different world
We build of equality
In solidarity and sisterhood
A joyful and better word

No stones and rocks
No climbing the gallows
No crying again
No shame and disgrace

A different world
We build of equality
In solidarity and sisterhood
A joyful and better word"

- Fereshteh Molavi
Mansoureh Shojaee
Gorji Marzban

 

"I still have a dream, a dream deeply rooted in the American dream - one day this nation will rise up and live up to its creed, "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream…"

 

- Martin Luther King Jr.

 

"All and every particular and individual man and woman, that ever breathed in the world, are by nature all equal and alike in their power, dignity, authority and majesty, none of them having (by nature) any authority, dominion or magisterial power one over or above another."

 

- John Lilburne
 
"Love for the neighbor is therefore the eternal equality in loving. Equality is simply not to make distinctions and eternal equality is unconditionally not to make the slightest distinction, unqualifiedly not to make the slightest distinction. The essential Christian is itself too weighty, in its movements too earnest to scurry about, dancing, in the frivolity of such facile talk about the higher, highest, and the supremely highest. Think of the most cultured person, one of whom we all admiringly say, 'He is so cultured!' Then think of Christianity, which says to him, 'You shall love the neighbor!' of course, a certain social courtesy, a politeness toward all people, a friendly condescension toward inferiors, a boldly confident attitude before the mighty, a beautifully controlled freedom of spirit, yes, this is culture - do you believe that it is also loving the neighbor? With the neighbor you have the equality of a human being before God. God is the middle term." 
 
- Soren Kierkegaard
 
"Here, before God, in the presence of these witnesses, from this time, I consecrate my life to the destruction of slavery!"

 

"Whereas, Slavery, throughout its entire existence in the United States is none other than a most barbarous, unprovoked, and unjustifiable War of one portion of its citizens upon another portion; the only conditions of which are perpetual imprisonment, and hopeless servitude or absolute extermination; in utter disregard and violation of those eternal and self-evident truths set forth in our Declaration of Independence"

 

"I want you to understand that I respect the rights of the poorest and weakest of colored people, oppressed [to deny others their rights or liberty] by the slave system, just as much as I do those of the most wealthy and powerful. That is the idea that has moved me, and that alone."

 

"I am yet too young to understand that God is any respecter of persons. I believe that to have interfered as I have done…in behalf of His despised poor, was not wrong, but right. Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children, and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, I submit: so let it be done!"

 

"Now let us thank th' eternal power, convinced That Heaven but tries our virtue by affliction: That oft the cloud that wraps the present hour Serves but to brighten all our future days."

 

"Had I so interfered in behalf of the rich, the powerful, the intelligent, the so-called great, or in behalf of any of their friends…every man in this court would have deemed it an act worthy of reward rather than punishment."

 

- John Brown

 

"I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other."

 

- Harriet Tubman

 

"Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life."
 
- Bob Marley
 

ز گهواره تا گور آزادی بجوی

 

"Seek freedom from the cradle to the grave"

 

- Mohammad Maleki

 

"This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress."

 

"No people to whom liberty is given can hold it as firmly and wear it as grandly as those who wrench their liberty from the iron hand of the tyrant."

 

"Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe."

 
- Frederick Douglass

 

"Freedom is the alone unoriginated birthright of man, and belongs to him by force of his humanity."

 

"All that is required for this enlightenment is freedom; and particularly the least harmful of all that may be called freedom, namely, the freedom for man to make public use of his reason in all matters."

 

"The public use of a man's reason must be free at all times, and this alone can bring enlightenment among men…"

 

"There are three juridical attributes that inseparably belong to the citizen by right. These are:
1. Constitutional freedom, as the right of every citizen to have to obey no other law than that to which he has given his consent or approval;
2. Civil equality, as the right of the citizen to recognize no one as a superior among the people in relation to himself…; and
3. Political independence, as the right to owe his existence and continuance in society not to the arbitrary will of another, but to his own rights and powers as a member of the commonwealth."

 

- Immanuel Kant

 

"And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the Cause of Allâh, and for those weak, illtreated and oppressed among men, women, and children, whose cry is: Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help." (4:75)

 
"And those who, when tyranny strikes them, they defend themselves. And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation - his reward is [due] from Allah. Indeed, He does not like wrongdoers. And whoever avenges himself after having been wronged - those have not upon them any cause [for blame]. The cause is only against the ones who wrong the people and tyrannise upon the earth without right. Those will have a painful punishment. And whoever is patient and forgives - indeed, that is of the matters [requiring] determination [i.e. on the part of those seeking the reward of Allah]." (42:39-43)

 

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

 
"Verily, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and He forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded." (16:90)

 
قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالْإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَن تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

 

"Say, 'My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know.'" (7:33)

 

لَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِهِ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَاتَّبَعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
 
"Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet, the Immaculate one, whom they find mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel which are with them. He enjoins on them good and forbids them evil, and makes lawful for them the good things and forbids them the bad, and removes from them their burden and the shackles that were upon them. So those who shall believe in him, and honour and support him, and help him, and follow the light that has been sent down with him - these shall prosper." (7:157)
 
"O you who believe, be persistently standing firm for Allah as witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just, for that is nearer to righteousness. Fear Allah, for verily, Allah is aware of what you do." (5:8)

 

وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ

 
"Allah does not love the oppressors." (3:140)

 

تِلۡكَ الدَّارُ الۡاٰخِرَةُ نَجۡعَلُهَا لِلَّذِيۡنَ لَا يُرِيۡدُوۡنَ عُلُوًّا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا ؕ وَالۡعَاقِبَةُ لِلۡمُتَّقِيۡ

 

"We will reserve the houses of the hereafter exclusively for those who do not seek self-glory in this life and do not cause oppression and corruption to spread." (28:83)

 
- The Quran
 
וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיֹּ֥ום הַה֖וּא לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה יְהוָה֙ לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃
 
"And you shall explain to your child on that day, 'It is because of what the Lord did for me when I went free from Egypt'"

 
- Exodus 13:8
 

"The sword comes into the world because of justice delayed and justice denied."

 
- Ethics of the Fathers

 
"This school agrees in all other respects with the opinions of the Pharisees, except that they have a passion for liberty that is almost unconquerable, since they are convinced that God alone is their leader and master. They think little of submitting to death, if only they may avoid calling any man master"

 

- Antiquities of the Jews 18:23

 

"The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."

- Psalm 9:9

"Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him."

- Proverbs 14:31

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."

- Isaiah 1:17

"May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!"

- Psalm 72:4

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

 
- Luke 4:18-19
 

"In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you."

 
- Isaiah 54:14

"Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?"
 
- Isaiah 10:1-3

"Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart."

- Ecclesiastes 7:7

"The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed."

- Psalm 103:6
 
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

 
- Matthew 5:10

 
"15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me."

 

- Psalm 31:15

 

"And do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another."

- Zechariah 7:10

"I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."

- Isaiah 49:26
 
إِنِّي وَاللهِ لَوْ لَقِيتُهُمْ وَاحِداً وَ هُمْ طِلاَعُالاََْرْضِ كُلِّهَا مَا بَالَيْتُ وَلاَ اسْتَوْحَشْتُ، وَ إِنِّي مِنْ ضَلاَلِهِمُ الَّذِي هُمْ فِيهِ وَالْهُدَى الَّذِي أَنَا عَلَيْهِ لَعَلى بَصِيرَةٍ مِنْ نَفْسِي
وَلكِنَّنِي آسَىأَنْ يَلِيَ أَمْرَج هذِهِ الاَُْمَّةِ سُفَهَاؤُهَا و َفُجَّارُهَا، فَيَتَّخِذُوا مَالَ اللهِ دُوَلاً وَعِبَادَهُ خَوَلاً، وَالصَّالِحِينَ حَرْباً وَالْفَاسِقِينَ حِزْباً

 

به خدا سوگند اگر در برابر ستمگران تک و تنها باشم و آنان تمام روی زمین را هم پر کرده باشند ترس و واهمه‌ای ندارم. چون به درستی مسیر خودم و به پوچی راه آنان اشراف دارم
اما از این رنج می‌برم که بر سرنوشت مردم کسانی سوار شده‌اند که با خرد بیگانه‌اند. مردم را به بندگی می‌گیرند و حرث و نسل شان را نابود می‌کنند. با نیکان می‌ستیزند و با پلیدان می‌سازند

 

"By Allah, if I had encountered the oppressors alone and they had been so numerous as to fill the earth to the brim, I would not have worried or become perplexed. I am clear in myself and possess conviction from Allah about their misguidance and my guidance…

…But I am worried that foolish and wicked people will control the affairs of the entire community, with the result that they will grab the funds of Allah as their own property and make His people slaves, fight with the virtuous, and ally with the sinful."

(Nahj Al-Balagha Letter 62)

 

"If the people suspect your oppression, so apologize to them and disclose the truth because apology and truth are austerity for your soul and kindness for people."
 
"Be an enemy of tyrants and oppressors and be a friend and support of those who are oppressed."
(Nahj Al-Balagha Letter 47)

 

أَنْصِفِ اللهَ وَأَنْصِفِ النَّاسَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ، وَمِنْ خَاصَّةِ أَهْلِكَ، وَمَنْ لَكَ فِيهِ هَوىً مِنْ رَعِيَّتِكَ، فَإِنَّكَ إِلاَّ تَفْعَلْ تَظْلِمْ، وَمَنْ ظَلَمَ عِبَادَ اللهِ كَانَ اللهُ خَصْمَهُ دُونَ عِبَادِهِ، وَمَنْ خَاصَمَهُ اللهُ أَدْحَضَ حُجَّتَهُ، وَكَانَ لله حَرْباً حَتَّى يَنْزعَ وَيَتُوبَ
وَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أَدْعَى إِلَى تَغْيِيرِ نِعْمَةِ اللهِ وَتَعْجِيلِ نِقْمَتِهِ مِنْ إِقَامَة عَلَى ظُلْم، فَإِنَّ اللهَ سَميِعٌ دَعْوَةَ الْمَظْلُومِينَ، وَهُوَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ بِالْمِرْصَا

 

"Do justice for Allah and do justice towards the people, as against yourself, your near ones and those of your subjects for whom you have a liking because if you do not do so you will be oppressive, and when a person oppresses the creatures of Allah then, instead of His creatures, Allah becomes his opponent, and when Allah is the opponent of a person He tramples his plea; and he will remain in the position of being at war with Allah until he gives it up and repents. Nothing is more inducive of the reversal of Allah's bounty or for the hastening of His retribution than continuance in oppression, because Allah hears the prayer of the oppressed and is on the look out for the oppressors."

(Nahj Al-Balagha Letter 53)

 

- Ali Ibn Abi Talib

 

"For those who practise tyranny and deprive others of their rights, I will be harsh and stern, but for those who follow the law, I will be most soft and tender."

"I will be harsh and stern against the aggressor, but I will be a pillar of strength for the weak."

"I will not calm down until I will put one cheek of a tyrant on the ground and the other under my feet, and for the poor and weak, I will put my cheek on the ground."

 

"Remember, I have not appointed you as commanders and tyrants over the people. I have sent you as leaders instead, so that the people may follow your example. Give the Muslims their rights and do not beat them lest they become abused. Do not praise them unduly, lest they fall into the error of conceit. Do not keep your doors shut in their faces, lest the more powerful of them eat up the weaker ones. And do not behave as if you were superior to them, for that is tyranny over them."

- Umar Ibn Al-Khattab

"To the Tyrants of the World"

 

"Hey you, despotic tyrant, Darkness lover and enemy of life,
You scoffed at powerless people’s groans; And your hands are tainted with their blood.
You embarked on empoisoning the allure of existence and sowing prickles of grief in its horizons.
You will see! Don’t be deceived by spring time, Shining sky and morning light
For in the wide horizon lurk darkness fright, Thunder Rumble and stormy winds.
Woe betide you for flames are underneath ashes. Who grows prickles reaps wounds.
Have a look there…where you cut off The people’s heads and the flowers of hope;
You imbibed the heart of the earth with blood And made it drunk with tears.
The flood, of blood, will wipe you away, and the flaring gale will eat you up."

 
 إذا الشعب يوما أراد الحياة
فلا بدّ أن يستجيب القدر
ولا بد لليل أن ينجلي
ولا بد للقيد أن ينكسر

 

آنگاه که مردم زندگی را بخواهند

سرنوشت ناگزیر است که به خواسته‌های آنها گردن نهد

پس تاریکی‌ها ناچار زدوده می‌شود

و بندها بی شک در هم می‌شکنند

 

"When the people will to live,
Destiny must surely respond.
Oppression shall then vanish.
Fetters are certain to break."
 
- Aboul-Qacem Echebbi
 
"The occupational duty of a warrior is to protect the citizens of the country from oppression. This requires the application of violence in appropriate cases for the maintenance of law and order. He should thus defeat the soldiers of enemy kings, and help rule the country according to the principles of righteousness."

- Parāśhar Smriti

 

"Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression."

 
- Baha'u'llah (PBUH)

 
"I respect culture, tradition and religion, but they can never justify the denial of basic rights."
 
- Ban Ki-Moon

 

"Its better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."

 

"I want to die a slave to principles. Not to men."

 

- Emiliano Zapata

 

"Quisieron enterrarnos, pero se les olvido que somos semillas."

 

"They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds."

 

- Mexican proverb
 
اگر یک وقت ناچار با مرگ روبرو شدم که می‌شوم، مهم نیست

 مهم این است که زندگی یا مرگ من چه تاثیری در زندگی دیگران داشته باشد  

 
"If I at some time should unwillingly face death which I will, it is not important, what is important is what effect my life or death has on the lives of others"
 
- Samad Behrangi 

 

"An idea which needs rifles to survive dies of its own accord."

 

- Jerzy Popiełuszko

 

"Altid frejdig, når du går"

"Altid frejdig, når du går
veje, Gud tør kende,
selv om du til målet når
først ved verdens ende.

Aldrig ræd for mørkets magt!
stjernerne vil lyse;
med et fadervor i pagt
skal du aldrig gyse.

Kæmp for alt, hvad du har kært;
dø, om så det gælder,
da er livet ej så svært,
døden ikke heller."

"On your way! Be brave and true!"

"On your way! Be brave and true!
Should the road seem endless,
walk where God is near and you
never can be friendless.

Stars above the clouds still shine
through your darkest hour!
In the Lord’s own prayer you find
courage, peace and power.

Live and die for what you love!
Cherish and defend it!
Then you lift your life above
things that waste and end it."

- Christian Richardt

"Bella ciao"

 

"Goodbye beautiful"

 

"Ma verrà un giorno che tutte quante

lavoreremo in libertà."

 

"But the day will come when us all
will work in freedom."
 
"Questo è il fiore del partigiano
morto per la libertà."
 
"This is the flower of the partisan
who died for freedom."
 
- Bella ciao
 
"A martyr is someone willing to die for what he believes in.
A fanatic is someone willing for you to die for what he believes in."
 
- Marsha Hinds
 
"It is the cause, not the death, that makes the martyr."
 
- Napoleon
 
شهید قلب تاریخ است

 

"The martyr is the heart of history"

 

- Ali Shariati

 

"The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins."

- Soren Kierkegaard

___
 
BEST ACTION

Give without remembering
Receive without forgetting

 
"He that gives should never remember, he that receives should never forget."

 

"Who gives charity in secret is greater than Moses."
 
- The Talmud

 

"There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return." 

 

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
 
- Nelson Mandela

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." 

- Harry S. Truman

"Teach us to give and not count the cost."

- St. Ignatius de Loyola

"Love risks everything and asks for nothing."

- Rumi

"Intense love does not measure, it just gives."
 
"Do things for people not because of who they are or what they can do for you in return, but because of who you are."
 
- Mother Teresa

تو نیکی میکن و در دجله انداز
که ایزد در بیابانت دهد باز
 
"Do good and throw it in the Tigris river
So that god returns it to you in your desert"

 
- Saadi Shirazi
 
"Even After All this time
The Sun never says to the Earth,
'You owe me.'
Look What happens With a love like that,
It lights the whole sky."

 
- Daniel Ladinsky
 

"Love is not love that alters when it alteration finds."

"He that loves to be flattered is worthy o' the flatterer."

"Love sought is good, but given unsought, is better."

- William Shakespeare

 

"Avançons sans regret, sans calcul, sans répit. La récompense ne sera pas dans I'Histoire, elle sera dans l'avenir."
 

"Let us go forward without regret, without calculation, without respite.The reward will not be in history, it will be in the future."

 

- François Hollande

 

"The measure of love is to love without measure."

مقياس المحبة هو المحبة بلا مقياس

- St. Francis de Sales

 

"The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure."

- Tibetan proverb

 

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."

 

- Princess Diana

 

"Hide the good you do, and make known the good done to you."

 

"The best form of devotion to the service of Allah is not to make a show of it."

 

"Fulfillment of (others') needs becomes a lasting virtue in three ways: regarding it small so that it attains bigness, concealing it so that it may manifest itself, and doing it quickly so that it becomes pleasant."
 
- Ali Ibn Abi Talib

 

"The most generous person is the one who offers help to those who have no hope of return."

 

- Imam Hussein

 
أفضل الجود العطاء قبل الموعد أفضل الجود أن تبذل من غير مسألة

 
"The best generousity is giving without being asked."

 

أعلى الممالك ما يبنى على الأسل اعمل خيراً وارمه البحر

 

"Do good and throw it in sea.
Don't expect rewards for good deeds"

 

- Arabic proverbs

 

"Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy whenever they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.
…
But those who are selfless rejoice here and rejoice there; they rejoice wherever they go. They rejoice and delight in the good they have done.
…
The selfless person is happy here, and he is happy there; he is happy wherever he goes. He is happy when he thinks of the good he has done. He grows in happiness as he progresses along the path of bliss."

- The Dhammapada
 
"Just practice good, do good for others, without thinking of making yourself known so that you may gain reward. Really bring benefit to others, gaining nothing for yourself. This is the primary requisite for breaking free of attachments to the Self."

 

"It is only due to a lack of heart for the Way and a lack of skill in handling their daily conduct that people become vainly tied to fame and gain."

 
"If he cannot stop the mind that seeks after fame and profit, he will spend his life without finding peace."

 
- Dogen

 

"At the beginning of time I declared two paths for the pure heart: jnana yoga, the contemplative path of spiritual wisdom, and karma yoga, the active path of selfless service. One who shirks action does not attain freedom; no one can gain perfection by abstaining from work. Indeed, there is no one who rests for even an instant; all creatures are driven to action by their own nature.

Those who abstain from action while allowing the mind to dwell on sensual pleasure cannot be called sincere spiritual aspirants. But they excel who control their senses through the mind, using them for selfless service. Fulfill all your duties; action is better than inaction. Even to maintain your body, Arjuna, you are obliged to act. Selfish action imprisons the world. Act selflessly, without thought of personal profit."
 
दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे |
देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्विकं स्मृतम् ||
 
"A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return"

 

- The Bhagavad Gita

 

"The most virtuous are those who content themselves with being virtuous without seeking to appear so."
 
- Plato
 
"It is the way of the superior man to prefer the concealment of his virtue, while it daily becomes more illustrious, and it is the way of the mean man to seek notoriety, while he daily goes more and more to ruin."

 

- Confucius

 

"Bearing and nurturing,
Creating but not owning,
Giving without demanding,
Controlling without authority,
This is love."

 

"To bear and not to own; to act and not lay claim; to do the work and let it go: for just letting it go is what makes it stay."

 

- Lao Tzu

 

"In a word, nearness to God necessitates sacrifice of self, severance and the giving up of all to Him."

 

- Baha'u'llah (PBUH)

 

"The great secret of true success, of true happiness, is this: the man or woman who asks for no return, the perfectly unselfish person, is the most successful."

 

"Desire nothing for yourself. Do all for others. This is to live and move and have your being in God."

 

"Self-sacrifice, not self-assertion, is the law of the highest universe."

 

"The highest ideal is eternal and entire self-abnegation, where there is no 'I,' but all is 'Thou'."

 

"Who will give the world light? Sacrifice in the past has been the Law, it will be, alas, for ages to come. The earth’s bravest and best will have to sacrifice themselves for the good of many, for the welfare of all. Buddhas by the hundred are necessary with eternal love and pity."

 

"Selfishness is the devil incarnate in every man. Every bit of self, bit by bit, is devil. Take off self by one side and God enters by the other. When the self is got rid of, only God remains. Light and darkness cannot remain together."

 

- Swami Vivekananda

 

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."

 

- Samuel Johnson

 

"Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return."

 

- Roy T. Bennett

 

"The most truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward."

 

- Carol Ryrie Brink

 

"Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting."

 

- Brian Tracy

 

"To be kind is good. To be kind without expecting anything in return is better."

 

- Tariq Ramadan

 

"Generosity is doing something for someone else expecting nothing in return."

 

"Don't give to get. Give to inspire others to give."

 
- Simon Sinek
 
"Real love begins where nothing is expected in return."
 
"True love begins when nothing is looked for in return."
 
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
 
"Love the people that wanna see you be successful and help you expecting nothing in return. That’s priceless. Those are real friends."
 
- Mark Patterson
 
"Anonymously perform acts of kindness, expecting nothing in return, not even a thank-you. The universal all-creating Spirit responds to acts of kindness with the response: 'How may I be kind to you?'"

 

- Wayne Dyer

 

"Anyone who loves in the expectation of being loved in return is wasting their time."

 

- Paulo Coelho

 
"Give the respect you want to receive; embody the grace you hope to encounter; and help others with no expectations whatsoever."

 

- Cory Booker

 

"When you give, expect nothing from people and everything from Allah."

 

- Omar Suleiman

 
"His love for her was a gift he gave her daily, expecting nothing in return. He walked at her side, his love for her a torch to guide her footsteps along the dark path she walked."

 

- Margaret Weis

 
"Fame is temporary, make it longterm by putting smiles on people's hearts and helping others by expecting nothing in return. Be famous and unforgettable for your Unconditional Love."

 

- Arsi Nami
 
"If you disclose your Sadaqaat (almsgiving), it is well; but if you conceal them and give them to the poor, that is better for you." (2:271)

 

"Those who spend their money in the night and in the day, secretly and openly, they will have their reward with their Lord, there is no fear over them nor will they grieve." (2:274)

 

"Those who spend their wealth for increase in self-purification, And have in their minds No favour from anyone For which a reward Is expected in return, But only the desire To seek for the Countenance Of their Lord Most High; And soon will they Attain (complete) satisfaction." (92:18-21)

 

"O my people! I ask of you no reward for this (Message). My reward is from none but Him who created me: Will ye not then understand?" (11:51)

 

"Obey those who ask no reward of you (for themselves), and who have themselves received Guidance." (36:21)

 

"Those who spend their substance in the cause of God, and follow not up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury, for them their reward is with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." (2:262)

 

"O ye who believe! cancel not your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like those who spend their substance to be seen of men, but believe neither in God nor in the Last Day. They are in parable like a hard, barren rock, on which is a little soil: on it falls heavy rain, which leaves it (Just) a bare stone. They will be able to do nothing with aught they have earned. And God guideth not those who reject faith. And the likeness of those who spend their substance, seeking to please God and to strengthen their souls, is as a garden, high and fertile: heavy rain falls on it but makes it yield a double increase of harvest, and if it receives not Heavy rain, light moisture sufficeth it. God seeth well whatever ye do." (2:264-265)

 

"Not those who spend of their substance, to be seen of men, but have no faith in God and the Last Day: If any take the Evil One for their intimate, what a dreadful intimate he is!" (4:38)

 

"And do not confer favor to acquire more" (74:6)

 

"We feed you only for the sake of Allah, seeking neither reward nor thanks from you." (76:9)

 

- The Quran

 

"The Prophet said: 'Allah loves the God-fearing rich man [who gives much in charity but still] remains obscure and uncelebrated.'"
(Muslim)

 
"There are seven whom Allah will shade on the Day of Judgement…
 …A man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears."
(Abu Hurairah, Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)

 
- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

 

"But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." 

- Matthew 6:3-4

 

"But love ye your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest; for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."

 

- Luke 6:35

 
"If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit."
 
- Leviticus 25:35-37
 
"12 Then Jesus said to his host, 'When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.'"
 
- Luke 14:12-14

 

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

 
- Matthew 6:9-13

 
"Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation."

 

- Luke 11:2-4

 

"12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

- Matthew 21:12-13

"13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, 'Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!'"

 

- John 2:13-16

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."

- Matthew 6:5

 

"I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says God Almighty."

- Isaiah 45:13

 
"If ye are grateful, I will add more (favors) unto you…" (14:7)

 

"And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner]." (4:86)

"Therefore remember Me. I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and never show me ingratitude." (2:152)

"Has there (not) been a long time when man was not even a mentionable thing. It is We who have created man out of a sperm-drop intermingled, so that We might test him. And therefore We have made him hearing and seeing. Surely We have guided him to the way (and it rests with him to prove himself) either grateful or ungrateful." (76:1-3)

"When God brought you out of your mother’s womb, you were empty of knowledge. But he gave you eyes and ears and hearts, in order that you may give thanks to him." (16:78)

"…Whoever is thankful (to God) is thankful for his own self…" (31:12)

"…If you count the favors of Allah, never will you be able to number them…" (14:34)

"[Satan] said, 'Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You].'" (7:16-17)

"We enjoined on man to recognize the rights of his parents. His mother bore him in her womb with weakness upon weakness and his weaning took two years. Give thanks to Me and to your parents. All things will return to Me." (31:14)

 

"If you are thankless - Allah is in no need of you - yet He is not pleased by ingratitude of His worshippers. And if you are thankful He is pleased by it in you…" (39:7)

 

"It is God who has made the night for you, that you may rest therein, and the day, as that which helps you to see. Verily God is full of grace and bounty to men, yet most men give no thanks." (40:61)
 
"It is God who has made for you the earth as a resting place, and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape - and made your shapes beautiful - and has provided for you sustenance of things pure and good; such is God, your Lord. So glory to God, the Lord of the Worlds!" (40:64)
 
- The Quran

"He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah"

"He has not thanked Allah who has not thanked people."

"Ibn Abbas reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'The first to be called to Paradise are those who always praised Allah in times of ease and adversity.'"

(Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabīr)

"Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'One who eats gratefully has the status of one who fasts patiently.'"

(Sunan Al-Tirmidhī)

"Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'O Allah, bring our hearts together, reconcile between us, guide us to ways of peace, and deliver us from darkness into light. Keep us away from immorality, outwardly and inwardly, and bless us in our hearing, our seeing, our hearts, our spouses, and our children. Accept our repentance, for you alone are the Relenting, the Merciful. Make us grateful for your blessings, praising and accepting them, and give them to us in full.'"

(Sunan Abī Dāwūd)

"The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'The best wealth is a tongue that remembers Allah, a grateful heart, and a believing wife to help him in his faith.'"

(Sunan Al-Tirmidhī)

"Ibn Abbas reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would supplicate by saying, 'O Lord, help me and do not help against me, support me and do not support against me, plan for me and do not plan against me. Guide me and make guidance easy for me. Support me against those who transgress against me. O Lord, make me grateful to you, mindful of you, fearful of you, obedient to you, humble to you, turning to you and repenting. O Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sin, answer my supplication, establish my proof, direct my tongue, guide my heart, and remove the hatred from my chest.'"

(Sunan Al-Tirmidhī)

"Ibn Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'Whoever has four things has been given the best in this world and the Hereafter: a grateful heart, a tongue of remembrance, a body that can withstand with trials, and a wife not seeking betrayal in herself or his wealth.'"

(Shu’ab Al-Imān)

"Usamah ibn Zaid reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'The most grateful of people to Allah are those who are most grateful to others.'"

(Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabīr)

- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

- Philippians 4:6-7

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever."

- 1 Chronicles 16:34

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

- Colossians 3:15

"Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he passed the bread to the people, and he did the same with the fish, until everyone had plenty to eat."

- Colossians 4:2

"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."

- Psalm 9:1

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts."

- Colossians 3:16

"You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."

- 2 Corinthians 9:11

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever."

- Psalm 23

"The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!"

- Psalm 50:23

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations."

- Psalm 100:1-5

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!"

- Psalm 107:1

"You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it."

- Psalm 118:28-29

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."

- Psalm 103:2

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life."

- 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

"He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!"

- 2 Corinthians 9:10-15

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."

- Ephesians 5:15-21

"See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

"But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

- James 1:14-17

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

- James 1:2-4

"For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."

- Hebrews 13:14-16

"At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of things that are shaken - that is, things that have been made-in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

- Hebrews 12:26-29

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

- 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Gratitude is ultimately bringing others the same,
and bearing with others without the same

"From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained."

- Jeremiah 30:19

"Let the peace of the Messiah also rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful."

- 1 Chronicles 29:13

 

"The unworthy man is ungrateful, forgetful of benefits [done to him]. This ingratitude, this forgetfulness is congenial to mean people… But the worthy person is grateful and mindful of benefits done to him. This gratitude, this mindfulness, is congenial to the best people."

 

- Anguttara Nikaya i.61

 

"When you feel stressed, practice breathing into your blessings until you're so full of gratitude that there's no room for anything else."

"True gratitude comes from knowing that you belong in the infinite dance of life."

"Gratitude connects us to the joy that's hidden in plain sight, growing right underneath our own feet, patiently waiting to be seen."

- Sanskrift Mantra

 

"Then that supreme authority, personified by sound and unseen by eyes, but most wonderful, stopped speaking. Feeling a sense of gratitude, I offered my obeisances unto Him, bowing my head."

"My dear Lord, by Your causeless mercy I am awakened to consciousness, although I am only ten months old. For this causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the friend of all fallen souls, there is no way to express my gratitude but to pray with folded hands."

"Every living entity, especially persons in the human race, must feel grateful for the benedictions offered by the grace of the Supreme Lord."

- Srimad Bhagavatam

"There is one quality that makes the mercy of guru and Krishna accessible - and that is gratitude."

"Every situation is an appropriate opportunity to celebrate the glory and mercy of God."

"Gratitude is to honour, recognise and appreciate everyone and everything for a higher purpose."

"Any real civilization is based on the principles of respect and gratitude. On the basis of that respect and gratitude, there is morality, charity, and compassion."

"Krishna will take our devotional service seriously when he sees we have gratitude to the great souls who have given their lives to help us."

- Radhanath Swami

 

"When a man is born, whoever he may be, there is born simultaneously a debt to the gods, to the sages, to the ancestors, and to men.

When he performs sacrifice it is the debt to the gods which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action when he sacrifices or makes an oblation.

 

And when he recites the Vedas it is the debt to the sages which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action, for it is said of one who has recited the Vedas that he is the guardian of the treasure store of the sages.

 

And when he desires offspring, it is the debt to the ancestors which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action, so that their offspring may continue, without interruption.

 

And when he entertains guests, it is the debt to man which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action if he entertains guests and gives them food and drink. The man who does all these things has performed a true work; he has obtained all, conquered all."

- Satapatha Brahmana 1.7.2.1-5

 

"Be not like those who honor their gods in prosperity and curse them in adversity. In pleasure or pain, give thanks!"

 

- Midrash, Mekilta to Exodus 20.20

 

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."

 

- Gilbert K. Chesterton

 

"Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for."

- Zig Ziglar

"Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want."

- Jim Rohn

 

"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul."
 
"The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!"
 
- Henry Ward Beecher
 
"Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts."

- Henri Frederic Amiel

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

- Robert Brault

"The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness."

- Dalai Lama

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

- Albert Einstein

 

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present."
 
- Bil Keane
 
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."

- Charles Dickens

"None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy."

- Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

"Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses."

- Alphonse Karr

"Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

- Epicurus

"Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals.
If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more."

"Great things happen to those who don't stop believing, trying, learning, and being grateful."

"Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart."

"Be thankful for everything that happens in your life; it’s all an experience."

"Always remember people who have helped you along the way, and don’t forget to lift someone up."

"When one has a grateful heart, life is so beautiful."

- Roy T. Bennett

"Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good."

 
"When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed."

- Maya Angelou

"If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough."

- Meister Eckhart

"Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance."

- Eckhart Tolle

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others."

- Marcus Tullius Cicero

"When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears."

- Anthony Robbins

"We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count."

- Neal A. Maxwell

"Be happy with who you are and what you do, and you can do anything you want."

"If you want to find happiness, find gratitude."

"Those who have the ability to be grateful are the ones who have the ability to achieve greatness."

"Be consistent in your dedication to showing your gratitude to others. Gratitude is a fuel, a medicine, and spiritual and emotional nourishment."

- Steve Maraboli

"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Take full account of what Excellencies you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not."

- Marcus Aurelius

"An attitude of gratitude brings great things."

- Yogi Bhajan

"May the work of your hands be a sign of gratitude and reverence to the human condition."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"Hardship is a blessing when it spurs effort and development; ease is a curse when it increases complacency and self-indulgence."

- Muso Kokushi

"So much has been given to me; I have no time to ponder over that which has been denied."

- Helen Keller

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart."

- Jean Baptiste Massieu

"Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses."

"Act with kindness, but do not expect gratitude."

- Confucius

 

"If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

- Lao Tzu

 
"No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks."

- James Allen

"The essence of all beautiful art is gratitude."

- Friedrich Nietzche

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful."

 

"Good men and bad men differ radically. Bad men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else"

 

"A noble person is mindful and thankful for the favors he receives from others."

 
"Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude and hearing the good Dhamma, this is the best good luck."

 
"In the light of his vision that is the perspective that allows him to be grateful that things are not worse he has found his freedom and joy: his thoughts are peace, his words are peace and his work is peace."

 
"…One who possesses four qualities is deposited in heaven as if brought there. What four? Bodily good conduct, verbal good conduct, mental good conduct, and gratitude or thankfulness. One possessing these four qualities is deposited in heaven as if brought there."

 

- Buddha (PBUH)

"Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart."

- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

"Giving is an expression of gratitude for our blessings."

- Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen

"Thankfulness brings you to the place where the Beloved lives."

"Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life."

"Be grateful for your life, every detail of it, and your face will come to shine like a sun, and everyone who sees it will be made glad and peaceful."

- Rumi

"May the gratitude in my heart kiss all the universe."
 
"Join me in the pure atmosphere of gratitude for life."
 
- Hafez

 

هر محنتی که میکشم از تنگی قفس
کفران نعمتیست که در باغ کرده ام
 
"Whatever distress I suffer from the tightness of the cage
Is due to my ingratitude for the blessings in the garden"
 
- Hajeb Shirazi
 
"Man is, beyond dispute, the most excellent of created beings, and the vilest animal is a dog; but the sages agree that a grateful dog is better than an ungrateful man."
 
منّت خدای را عز و جل که طاعتش موجب قربتست و به شکر اندرش مزید نعمت هر نفسی  که فرو می رود ممدّ حیاتست و چون بر می آید مفرّح ذات پس در هر نفسی دو نعمت موجودست و بر هر نعمتی شکری واجب
از دست و زبان که برآید
کز عهده شکرش به در آید
اِعملوا آلَ داودَ شکراً وَ قلیلٌ مِن عبادیَ الشکور
 
"Laudation to the God of majesty and glory! Obedience to him is a cause of approach and gratitude in increase of benefits. Every inhalation of the breath prolongs life and every expiration of it gladdens our nature; wherefore every breath confers two benefits and for every benefit gratitude is due.
Whose hand and tongue is capable
To fulfil the obligations of thanks to him?
Words of the most high: Be thankful, O family of David, and but few of my servants are thankful."

 

- Saadi Shirazi

___
 
FAITH IN ACTION

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him:

"Faith is patience and generosity/tolerance."

- Al-Bukhari

Muslim
 
"The best of faith is patience and magnanimity."
 
- Ahmad
 
"The poor will enter the Garden [heaven] five hundred years before the rich."

- Al-Nawawi
 
"Allah is at the back of a servant so long as the servant is at the back of his brother."
 
- Abu Hurayrah
 

"Seek out the vulnerable among you. Verily, you are only given provision and support due to your support of the weak." 

 

- Al-Tirmidhī 

Abu Darda

"The Lord's commandment for every one of His slaves is, 'Spend on others, and I will spend on you'." 

 

- Al-Bukhari

Muslim

 

"All the creatures make the family of God. Among them the man who serves the family best is beloved of God."

- Hazrat Anas

Hazrat Abdullah Bin Masood

"There is a reward in every act of service to all living beings."

- Hazrat Abu Huraira

Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him:

"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

- Matthew 19:23-26
Mark 10:24-27
Luke 18:24-27

"Jesus said, "You know that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

 

- Matthew 20:25-28

 

"And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, 'If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.'"

- Mark 9:35

"For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake."

- 2 Corinthians 4:5

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies-in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

- 1 Peter 4:10-11

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

- Philippians 2:5-7

"Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve;"

- 1 Peter 5:2

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free."

- Ephesians 6:7-8

 

عبادت به جز خدمت خلق نیست

"Devotion is but to serve people"
 
خدا را بر آن بنده بخشایش است
که خلق از وجودش در آسایش است

…
کسی نیک بیند به هر دو سرای
که نیکی رساند به خلق خدای

"God is gracious to that servant
Who creation is from its existence in comfort

…
Someone will look good in both houses
Who brought goodness to God's creation"

 

- Saadi Shirazi
 

"O people of Islam, 'You are the best people ever raised for the good of mankind because you have been raised to serve others; you enjoin what is good and forbid evil and believe in Allah.'" (3:110)

 
"And as for those who strive in Our path - We will surely guide them in Our ways. And Indeed, Allah is with those who are of service to others." (29:69)

 

- The Quran

 

"Faith in action is love - and love in action is service."

"If we pray we believe; If we believe we love; If we love we serve."
 
"Give your hands to serve, and your hearts to love."
 
- Mother Teresa
 
"Total openness to serving others is our hallmark, it alone is our title of honor!"
 
- Pope Francis

 
أنا بني ادم، انت اشرف المخلوقات

 

I am child of Adam, you are the highest creation

 

नमस्ते

 

"Namaste"

 

"I bow to the divine in you"
 
- Hindu greeting

 

"Without selfless service are no objectives fulfilled; In service lies the purest action."
 
- Adi Granth, Maru, M.1
 
"One who serves and seeks no recompense Finds union with the Lord. Such a servant alone takes the Master's guidance, says Nanak, As on him is divine grace."
 
- Adi Granth, Sukhmani 18, M.5
 
"All the troubles encountered in my Beloved’s service shall be the cause of great happiness, for in his devotional service joy and sorrow are equally great riches, for both destroy the misery of ignorance."
 
- Bhakthivinode
 
"Look upon every man, woman, and everyone as God. You cannot help anyone, you can only serve: serve the children of the Lord, serve the Lord Himself, if you have the privilege."

"He who wants to serve the father must serve the children first. He who wants to serve Shiva must serve His children - must serve all creatures in this world first. It is said in the Shâstra that those who serve the servants of God are His greatest servants."

 

"It is a privilege to serve mankind, for this is the worship of God. God is here, in all these human souls. He is the soul of man."

 

"This is the gist of all worship - to be pure and to do good to others. He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worships Shiva; and if he sees Shiva only in the image, his worship is but preliminary. He who has served and helped one poor man seeing Shiva in him, without thinking of his caste, or creed, or race, or anything, with him Shiva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples."

  

- Swami Vivekananda
 
सहयज्ञा: प्रजा: सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापति: |
अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् ||
 
"At the beginning, mankind and the obligation of selfless service were created together. "Through selfless service, you will always be fruitful and find the fulfillment of your desires": this is the promise of the Creator…"
 
"Living creatures are nourished by food, and food is nourished by rain; rain itself is the water of life, which comes from selfless worship and service."
 
"Every selfless act, Arjuna, is born from the eternal, infinite Godhead. God is present in every act of service. All life turns on this law, O Arjuna. Whoever violates it, indulging his senses for his own pleasure and ignoring the needs of others, has wasted his life. But those who realize the God within are always satisfied. Having found the source of joy and fulfillment, they no longer seek happiness from the external world. They have nothing to gain or lose by any action; neither people nor things can affect their security."
  
"Strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world; by devotion to self-less work one attains the supreme goal in life. Do your work with the welfare of others always in mind. It was by such work that Janaka attained perfection; others, too, have followed this path."
 
"The ignorant work for their own profit, Arjuna; the wise work for the welfare of the world, without thought to themselves. By abstaining from work you will confuse the ignorant, who are engrossed in their actions. Perform all work carefully, guided by compassion." (3:10-26)
 
- The Bhagavad Gita
 
"Generosity and kind words,
Conduct for others’ welfare,
Exemplification of the good;
These are suitable everywhere.
These four winning ways make the world go round,
As the linchpin in a moving car.
If these in the world exist not,
Neither mother nor father will receive,
Respect and honor from their children."
 
- Buddha (PBUH)
 
"As everybody likes to be honoured, so people imagine that God also wants to be honoured. They forget that the fulfilment of duty towards men is the only honour adequate to him."
 
"Men will not understand … that when they fulfil their duties to men, they fulfil thereby God’s commandments; that they are consequently always in the service of God, as long as their actions are moral, and that it is absolutely impossible to serve God otherwise."
 
- Immanuel Kant
 
務民之義、敬鬼神而遠之。可謂知矣。
 
"To give one's self earnestly to the duties due to men, and, while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom."
 
- Confucius
 
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
 
"That service is the noblest which is rendered for its own sake."
 
"Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy."
 
- Mahatma Gandhi
 
"Children, don't waste a single second.
Serve others, above all the poor,
expecting nothing in return.
Just as the person who offers God flowers
is the first to enjoy their fragrance,
the person who offers compassion
is the first to receive its blessing.
Wherever a heart beats
with compassion:
God is there."
 
- Mata Amritanandamayi
 

"With faith, discipline
and selfless devotion to duty,
there is nothing worthwhile
that you cannot achieve."

 

- Muhammad Ali Jinnah

 
"If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody. And this is because the most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people and convince them to join. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display."

 

- Rob Bell

 

"That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."

 
"Man's merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the pageantry of wealth and riches."

 
- Baha'u'llah (PBUH)

 

"I tell you these things that you may learn wisdom; that you may learn that when you are in the service of your fellow beings you are only in the service of your God."

 

- Book of Mormon, Mosiah 2.17

 

"I do not know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."

 

- Albert Schweitzer

  

"Serving others is one of the pillars upon which Judaism rests."

 

- Lynn Schusterman

 

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy."

 

- Rabindranath Tagore

 

"Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible."

 

- Mary McLeod Bethune

 

"Some of our finest work comes through service to others."

 

- Gordon B. Hinckley (PBUH)

 

"Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people."

- Chief Tecumseh

"The only way you can serve God is by serving other people."

- Rick Warren

"No joy can equal the joy of serving others."

- Sai Baba
 
"Nothing liberates our greatness like the desire to help, the desire to serve."     

- Marianne Williamson

"Service of self is best developed in dealings of service to others."    

- Tyler J. Hebert

"The more selfless service you do, the more successful you will become."

- Dr. Pillai

 

"There is no greater calling than to serve your fellow men. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well."    

- Walter Reuther

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."

- Muhammad Ali

"Being of service to others is what brings true happiness."    

- Marie Osmond

"The highest of distinctions is service to others."    

- King George Vi

"Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living."    

- Albert Einstein

"I know of no great man except those who have rendered great services to the human race."

- Voltaire

"Godly leadership is not about attaining recognition or glory; it's about serving others."

- John M. Perkins
 
"I believe in prayer. I believe in gratitude and serving people."

- Kiran Bedi

"To me, the most beautiful people are those who are able to transcend self-interest and lose themselves in the joy of serving others."

- Dr. Paul TP Wong

"You must learn to meditate and stop your thoughts. You must overcome all egotism and selfishness by serving others. You must cleanse your mind so that enlightenment will find a happy place to reside there."

- Frederick Lenz

"A world filled with temptations needs priests who are totally dedicated to their mission. Accordingly, they are asked in a very special way to open themselves fully to serving others as Christ did by embracing the gift of celibacy."

- Pope Benedict XVI

"Because the Lord hears their cries and feels your deep compassion for them, He has from the beginning of time provided ways for His disciples to help. He has invited His children to consecrate their time, their means, and themselves to join with Him in serving others."

- Henry B. Eyring

 

"Serving others breaks you free from the shackles of self and self-absorption that choke out the joy of living."    

- James Hunter

"Love in action is service to the world."

- Lynne Namka

"Love means to serve and to serve means to please."

- Radhanath Swami

"If you really want to receive joy and happiness, then serve others with all your heart. Lift their burden, and your own burden will be lighter."

- Ezra Taft Benson

"Our rewards in life will always be in direct ratio to our service."

- Earl Nightingale

___
 
ONE'S ACTION

 

"If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?"
 
"It is only he who is possessed of the most complete sincerity that can exist under heaven, who can give its full development to his nature. Able to give its full development to his own nature, he can do the same to the nature of other men."

 

"He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior."

 
- Confucius

 

"Would you like to liberate yourself from the lower realms of life? Would you like to save the world from the degradation and destruction it seems destined for? Then step away from shallow mass movements and quietly go to work on your own self-awareness. If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation."
 
- Wang Fou
 
"He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty"
 
"Those who overcome others have strength
Those who overcome themselves are powerful"
 
- Lao Tzu
 

正勝吾勝

 

"Masakatsu Agatsu… True victory is victory over oneself."

 
"The Art of Peace is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On occasion the Voice of Peace resounds like thunder, jolting human beings out of their stupor."

 

- Morihei Ueshiba O’Sensei

 
"The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men."

 

"By oneself one must censure oneself and scrutinize oneself. The self-guarded and mindful monk will always live in happiness."
 
"He who does no evil in deed, word and thought, who is restrained in these three ways - him do I call a holy man."
 
- Buddha (PBUH)

 

"103. Though one may conquer a thousand times a thousand men in battle, yet he indeed is the noblest victor who conquers himself.
104. Self-conquest is far better than the conquest of others. Not even a god, an angel, Mara or Brahma can turn into defeat the victory of a person who is self-subdued and ever restrained in conduct."
 
- The Dhammapada
 
"It is a good thing for a man not to be able to do what he likes. But there are two ways of keeping him from it. One is by the law, the other is by the Spirit of God. The law works on a man from the outside by fear; but the Spirit of God works in a man by honour, by the sense of duty, by making him like and love what is right, and making him see what a beautiful and noble thing right is."
 
- Saint Paul
 
"Sufis teach that we first must battle and destroy the evil within ourselves by shining upon it the good within, and then we learn to battle the evil in others by helping their higher selves gain control of their lower selves."
 
- Feisal Abdul Rauf
 
"Rather than finding the devil "out there," we battle the devil within us. The revolution starts inside each of us."
 
- Shane Claiborne
 
"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self."

 

- Aristotle

 

"The true value of a human being can be found in the degree to which he has attained liberation from the self."

 

- Albert Einstein

 

"I complained to my rabbi and said it wasn’t fair that I wasn’t given an easier nature. His response was very helpful.
He quoted me a well-known letter of Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner. Rav Hutner wrote a student that exactly in the place where he has to fight battles with himself, there he will find his greatness. One serves the Almighty precisely to the degree he has to overcome difficulties.
After this talk I began to view each battle … as an opportunity to express my love for my Creator. I felt a profound sense of victory every time I won a battle."

 

- Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

 

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law."

 

- Galatians 15:16-18

 

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

- Galatians 5:22-23

"8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined."

- Titus 1:8
 

"Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled."

- Titus 2:6

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

- Hebrews 12:11

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."

- 2 Timothy 1:7

"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control."

- Proverbs 25:28

"Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city."

- Proverbs 16:32

"When something goes wrong, look deep into yourself  -  not in an emotional way, to blame yourself or indulge your feelings of guilt, but to make sure that you start your next campaign with a firmer step and greater vision."

 

- Robert Greene

 

"Some of the greatest battles will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul."

 

- Ezra Taft Benson

 

"All of the truly important battles are waged within the self."

 

- Sheldon B. Kopp

 

"The greatest battle you ever have to win is the battle within yourself."

 

- Eli Soriano

 

"More often than not, a heroes most epic battle is the one you never see; it’s the battle that goes on within him or herself."

 

- Kevin Smith

 

"The only battle to win is the battle within, that place where we realize that we deserve to have and create all that we want in our lives."

 

- Ali Vincent

 

The greatest challenges are from within
 
"No man is free who is not master of himself."

- Epictetus

"No man is free who cannot command himself."

- Pythagoras

"No confict is so severe as his who labors to subdue himself."     

- Thomas Kempis

"Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself."

"The only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself."    

- Elie Wiesel

"You will never have a greater or lesser dominion than that over yourself."

- Da Vinci

"Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock."    

- Mahatma Gandhi

"The man who masters his own soul will forever be called conqueror of conquerors."    

- Plautus

"The first and best victory is to conquer self. To be conquered by self is, of all things, the most shameful and objectionable."

"For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories."

- Plato

"As far as your self-control goes, as far goes your freedom."

- Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach

"Self-command is the main elegance."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You can’t always control the wind, but you can control your sails."     

- Dr. Bob Chope

"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself, and apply myself to them, if they will not apply themselves to me."    

- Michel de Montaigne

"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."     

- William Henley

"If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self."

- Napoleon Hill

"In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves."    

- Harry S. Truman

"Rule your mind or it will rule you."

- Horace

"Serving one’s own passions is the greatest slavery."

- Thomas Fuller

"It is one of the strange ironies of this strange life that those who work the hardest, who subject themselves to the strictest discipline, who give up certain pleasurable things in order to achieve a goal, are the happiest men."

- Brutus Hamilton

"Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself."

- Abraham Joshua Heschel

"The most powerful control we can ever attain is to be in control of ourselves."

- Chris Page

 

"A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering."

 

"A spiritual practice is a constant battle within, replacing previous negative conditioning or habituation with new positive conditioning."

 

- Dalai Lama

 

"The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself, the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us, that’s where it’s at."

 

- Jesse Owens

 

"The most challenging of all resistance comes from within. The similarity with all warriors is that they’re always battling demons within themselves. It’s a constant battle, that has to be fought non-stop."

 

- Tim Kennedy

 

"It is Zen practice that you gain power, balance, and wisdom. The battles that you fight are within your own mind. That is where the real victories and defeats are."

 

- Frederick Lenz

 

"Saints and sages, thinkers and philosophers, priests and scientific inquirers have tried for centuries to understand the enigmatic nature of the human soul. They find man a paradoxical being; one capable of descent into the darkest abysses of evil, and yet equally capable of ascent to the sublimest heights of nobility. They discover two creatures within his breast - one related to the demons and the other related to the angels."

 

- Paul Brunton

 

"There is a battle of two wolves inside us all. One is evil - he is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, inferiority and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth. The wolf that wins? The one you feed."

- Cherokee proverb

روزی ز سر سنگ عقابی به هوا خاست
واندر طلب طعمه پر و بال بیاراست

بر راستی بال نظر کرد و چنین گفت
امروز همه روی زمین زیر پر ماست

بر اوج فلک چون بپرم از نظر تیز
می‌بینم اگر ذره‌ای اندر ته دریاست

گر بر سر خاشاک یکی پشّه بجنبد
جنبیدن آن پشّه عیان در نظر ماست

بسیار منی کرد و ز تقدیر نترسید
بنگر که از این چرخ جفا پیشه چه برخاست

ناگه ز کمینگاه یکی سخت کمانی
تیری ز قضا و قدر انداخت بر او راست

بر بال عقاب آمد آن تیر جگر دوز
وز ابر مر او را بسوی خاک فرو کاست

بر خاک بیفتاد و بغلتید چو ماهی
وانگاه پر خویش گشاد از چپ و از راست

گفتا عجب است این که ز چوب است و ز آهن
این تیزی و تندیّ و پریدنش کجا خاست

چون نیک نگه کرد و پر خویش بر او دید
گفتا ز که نالیم که از ماست که بر ماست

"One day an eagle rose in the air from the top of a rock,
spurred by greed he arranged his feathers.

Looking at his feathers so rightly arranged, he said,
'Today the whole face of the earth is under my wing.

When I reach the highest point, I can fly from the eye of the sun,
I can see a mere morsel deep in the sea.

If a midge but wriggles on the end of a leaf
that wriggling midge is seen by my eyes.'

He boasted much, and had no fear of God’s decree.
Now see, what cruel fate dealt out:

Suddenly, one strong bow struck from an ambush:
as fate and God’s decree would have it, an arrow sped straight at him.

That liver-piercing arrow entered the eagle’s wing
and threw him from his cloud to earth.

He fell to the ground, thrashed around like a fish,
then pulled his own feathers out, left and right.

He said, 'What’s a wonder is, it’s made of iron and wood,
where does it get its swiftness and flight?'

He looked at the arrow, saw his own feather on it, and said:
'What am I complaining about? What came from me, returned to me.'"

"An eagle sat on a lofty rock, watching the movements of a hare, whom he sought to make his prey. An archer, who saw him from a place of concealment, took an accurate aim, and wounded him mortally. The Eagle gave one look at the arrow that had entered his heart, and saw in that single glance that its feathers had been furnished by himself. 'It is a double grief to me,' he exclaimed, 'that I should perish by an arrow feathered from my own wings.'"

 
- Nasir Khusraw

 

اگر این درنده‌خویی ز طبیعتت بمیرد
همه عمر زنده باشی به روان آدمیت

…

طیران مرغ دیدی تو ز پای‌بند شهوت
به در آی تا ببینی طیران آدمیت

 

"If this beast instinct dies in your nature
You live a whole life by a human nature

…

You have watched the flight of birds;
Should you remove the shackles of lust,
You will witness the flight of man"

 

- Saadi Shirazi

گفت دانایی که: گرگی خیره سر
هست پنهان در نهاد هر بشر
 
لاجرم جاری است پیکاری سترگ 
روز و شب، مابین این انسان و گرگ

زور بازو چارهٔ این گرگ نیست 
صاحب اندیشه داند چاره چیست

 
ای بسا انسان رنجور پریش 
سخت پیچیده گلوی گرگ خویش
 
وی بسا زور آفرین مرد دلیر 
هست در چنگال گرگ خود اسیر

 
"A tenacious wolf, said a wise man once,
Is hidden deep within each of us.

Hence, an immense daily struggle is ongoing,
Between the wolf and the human being.

Might alone will not this wolf subdue,
One with intellect would know what to do.

Many a man, weak and grieved,
Have their wolves by the throat seized.

And, many a man, courageous and strong,
Have been trapped in their wolves’ claws for long."

 

- Fereydoon Moshiri

 

گر به دولت برسی مست نگردی، مردی
 گـــر به ذلت برسی پست نگردی، مردی
 اهل عــــــالم همه بازیچه دست هوسند
 گـــــر تو بازیچه این دست نگردی، مردی

"If you reach government and don't get around as a drunk, then you are a man
If you reach misery and don't get around as a dishonorable, then you are a man
World inhabitants are all played by the hand of desire
If you don't get played by this hand, then you are a man"

- Badr Al-Din Jajarmi

 

"The warrior is the one who combats his inner self."

 

"One who struggles against himself so as to obey God, in the eyes of God, his station is that of a pious martyr."
 
"The person who teaches and instructs his own self is more entitled to esteem then he who teaches and instructs others."
 
"Your nafs [the ego, the self] is your battlefield, therefore if you prevail over it, you will have more power over the nafs of others, and if you lose in it you will have less power over the nafs of others, therefore first try fighting it."
 
- Ali Ibn Abi Talib

 

"He who has complete control over himself (nafs), when he desires something as well as when he fears something, when he is angry as well as when he is pleased, Allah prohibits the Fire of Hell from touching his body."

 

- Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq

 

"His constant fight is with the Nafs (self-interest), the root of all disharmony and the only enemy of man. By crushing this enemy man gains mastery over himself; this wins for him mastery over the whole universe, because the wall standing between the self and the Almighty has been broken down. Gentleness, mildness, respect, humility, modesty, self-denial, conscientiousness, tolerance and forgiveness are considered by the Sufi as the attributes which produce harmony within one's own soul as well as within that of another."

 
- Hazrat Inayat Khan

 
"My Nafs screams out for what it desires. But my will to be free screams louder."

 
- Yasmin Mogahed

 

"To be imprisoned behind bars is a loss, but to be imprisoned by one's own desires and to become a slave to one's self is the ultimate loss."

 

- Yasir Qadhi

 

"Declare your jihad on thirteen enemies you cannot see - Egoism, Arrogance, Conceit, Selfishness, Greed, Lust, Intolerance, Anger, Lying, Cheating and Gossiping and Slandering. If you can master and destroy them, then you will be ready to fight the enemy you can see."

- Imam Al-Ghazali

"One who knows thyself perfectly is blessed with enthusiasm without which success is impossible."

 
"The main factor behind success is - self control."

- The Rig Veda

 

प्रशान्तमनसं ह्येनं योगिनं सुखमुत्तमम् |
उपैति शान्तरजसं ब्रह्मभूतमकल्मषम् ||
 
युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी विगतकल्मष: |
सुखेन ब्रह्मसंस्पर्शमत्यन्तं सुखमश्नुते ||
 
"Supreme bliss comes to a Self-realized yogi whose mind is tranquil, whose desires are under control, and who is free from faults or sin. Such a sinless yogi, who constantly engages his or her mind and intellect with the Self, enjoys the eternal bliss of contact with the Self." (6:27-28)

 

"The soul who meditates on the Self is content to serve the Self and rests satisfied within the Self; there remains nothing more for him to accomplish."

 

"Little by little, through patience and repeated effort, the mind will become stilled in the Self."

 

"The senses have been conditioned by attraction to the pleasant and aversion to the unpleasant: a man should not be ruled by them; they are obstacles in his path."

 
"Pleasure from the senses seems like nectar at first, but it is bitter as poison in the end."

 
"That which seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end - this is the joy of sattva, born of a mind at peace with itself."

 

"Pleasures conceived in the world of the senses have a beginning and an end and give birth to misery, Arjuna. The wise do not look for happiness in them. But those who overcome the impulses of lust and anger which arise in the body are made whole and live in joy. They find their joy, their rest, and their light completely within themselves. United with the Lord, they attain nirvana in Brahman."

 
"Reshape yourself through the power of your will; never let yourself be degraded by self-will. The will is the only friend of the Self, and the will is the only enemy of the Self."

 
"To those who have conquered themselves, the will is a friend. But it is the enemy of those who have not found the Self within them."

 
"Let a man raise himself by his own efforts. Let him not degrade himself.
Because a person's best friend or his worst enemy is none other than his own self."

 

"The senses are higher than the body, the mind higher than the senses; above the mind is the intellect, and above the intellect is the Atman. Thus, knowing that which is supreme, let the Atman rule the ego. Use your mighty arms to slay the fierce enemy that is selfish desire."

 

"For a person who has conquered his lower self by the divine self, his own self acts as his best friend. But for that person who has not conquered his lower self, his own self acts as his worst enemy."

 

"The supreme Reality stands revealed in the consciousness of those who have conquered themselves. They live in peace, alike in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, praise and blame."

 

- The Bhagavad Gita

 

"You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself."

 

"If faith in ourselves had been more extensively taught and practiced, I am sure a very large portion of the evils and miseries that we have would have vanished."

 

- Swami Vivekananda

 

"Generally speaking, consciousness, i.e. consciousness of self, is the decisive criterion of the self. The more consciousness, the more self; the more consciousness, the more will, and the more will the more self. A man who has no will at all is no self; the more will he has, the more consciousness of self he has also."

 

- Soren Kierkegaard

 

"Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully."

 
- Richard Bach

 
"Conscience is God present in man."

 
- Victor Hugo

 

"To be, or not to be, that is the question."

"This above all; to thine own self be true."

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."

- William Shakespeare

 

"Your worst enemy is hiding within yourself, and that enemy is your nafs or false ego."

 

"Once you conquer your selfish self, all your darkness will change to Light."

 

"He whose intellect overcomes his desire is higher than the angels; he whose desire overcomes his intellect is less than an animal."

 
"The lion who breaks the enemy's ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself."

 

- Rumi

 

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

 

- Helen Schucman

 

"You yourself are your own obstacle, rise above yourself."
 
- Hafez
 
"Since love has spoken in your soul, reject
The Self, that whirlpool where our lives are wrecked;
As Jesus rode his donkey, ride on it;
Your stubborn Self must bear you and submit -
Then burn this Self and purify your soul;
Let Jesus' spotless spirit be your goal.
Destroy this burden, and before your eyes
The Holy Ghost in glory will arise."

 
- Attar

 

"If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins."
 
"Let no pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no persuasion move thee, to do anything which thou knowest to be evil; so shalt thou always live jollity; for a good conscience is a continual Christmas."

- Benjamin Franklin

 

"The truly powerful person is the one who has conquered himself."

 

"The best combat is the combat of one who fights his inner self."

 

"Wealth is not from a lot of money. Wealth is the independence of the self."

 

"The best of Jihad is that man strives against his soul and desires."
 
"The greatest Jihad is to battle your own soul, to fight the evil within yourself."

- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
 
"… By the soul and (by) Him who made it perfect, and then inspired it to understand what is wrong and what is right for it. Truly is successful the one who purifies (his soul)." (91:7-9)
 
"But as for he who feared the standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from [his] desire, then indeed, Paradise will be his refuge." (79:40-41)
 

"So if they fail to respond to you, then know that they only follow their desires. And who could be more astray than those who follow their desires with no guidance from Allah?..." (28:50)

"And do not follow ˹your˺ desires or they will lead you astray from Allah’s Way." (38:26)

"... So do not let your desires cause you to deviate ˹from justice˺..." (4:135)

- The Quran

 

بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ
مَلِكِ النَّاسِ
إِلَهِ النَّاسِ
مِن شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ
الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ
مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَ النَّاسِ

"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Say, 'I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
The Sovereign of mankind.
The God of mankind,
From the evil of the retreating whisperer -
Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind -
From among the jinn and mankind.'"

- The Quran
Surah 114 An-Nas
 The Mankind

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فضل الله المجاهدین علی القاعدین اجرا عظیما

"Yet has God exalted those who strive hard above those who remain passive by [promising them] a mighty reward"

- The Quran
Surah 4 An-Nisa' Ayat 95
The Women

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