Quotations and Proverbs

Submitted by The Editorial Team on Sun, 06/06/2004 - 00:00

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in yourlife."

     ―Confucius
 

Prophet Muhammad
"إخشوشنوا فإن النعم لا تدوم."
 
     ―النبي، صلى الله عليه وآله
 
"Roughen-up for comforts do not last."
 
     ―Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him andhis family
 

Prophet Muhammad
"الدنيا قنطرة، أعبروها ولا تعمروها."
 
     ―النبي، صلى الله عليه وآله
 
"The World is a vault, cross it and do not settle in it."
 
     ―Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him and his family
 
Imam Ali
"إنني ذقت الطيبات كلها فلم أجد أطيب من العافية، وذقت المرارات كلها فلم أجد أمر من الحاجة إلى الناس، ونقلت الحديد والصخر فلم أجد أثقل من الدّين. واعلم أن الدهر يومان: يوم لك ويوم عليك! فإن كان لك فلا تبطر، وإن كان عليك فاصبر فكلاهما سينحسر."
 
     ―الإمام علي بن أبي طالب، عليه السلام
 
"I have tasted everything good and have found nothing tastier than good health.  And I have tasted everything bitter and have found nothing bitterer than neediness to others.  And I have carried iron and rocks but have found nothing heavier than debt.  Know that time is two days:  A day for you and a day against you!  So when it is for you, be not reckless; and when it is against you, be patient.  Both days shall expire."
 
     ― Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, Peace be upon him
 
Imam Ali
" أصدقاؤك ثلاثة، وأعداؤك ثلاثة، فأصدقاؤك: صديقك وصديق صديقك وعدوعدوك، وأعداؤك: عدوك، وعدو صديقك وصديق عدوك."
 
     ―الإمام علي بن أبي طالب، عليه السلام
 
"Three are your friends and three are your enemies.  Friends are your friend, the friend of your friend, and the enemy of your enemy.  Enemies are your enemy, the enemy of your friend, and the friend of your enemy!"
 
     ― Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, Peace be upon him
 
Imam Ali
"آفة العقل التكبر."
 
     ―الإمام علي بن أبي طالب، عليه السلام
 
"The distorter of the mind is arrogance."
 
     ―Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, Peace be upon him
 
Al-AahdSupplication
"إنهم يرونه بعيدا ونراه قريبا." (من دعاء العهد)
 
"They view it distant and we view it imminent." (From Al-Aahd Supplication)
 
Al-Mutanabi
"إذا أنت أكرمت الكريم ملكته     وإن أنت أكرمت اللئيم تمردا"
 
     ―المتنبي
 
If you honor the generous man you win him,
and if you honor the mean man he rebels on you!
 
     ―  Al-Mutanabi
 
Old Arabic Proverb
"إن الطيور على أشكالها تقع." (مثل عربي قديم)
 
"Verily, birds fall upon those which are alike." (Old Arabic Proverb)
 
Arabic Proverb
"قل لي من تعاشر وأقول لك من أنت." (مثل عربي)
 
"Tell me about your company and I tell you who you are." (Arabic Proverb)
 
Arabic Proverb
"لا يوجد جيوب فيكفن." (مثل إيرلندي قديم)
 
"There are no pockets in a shroud." (Gaelic Proverb)
 

"There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. Inthe long run, the sword will always be conquered by the spirit."

     ―Napoleon Bonaparte
 

"Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone."

     ―Thomas Jefferson
 

"It is true that you may foolall of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

     ―  President Abraham Lincoln, in 1865.
 
"وَمَنْ لا يُحِبّ صُعُودَ الجِبَـالِ     يَعِشْ أَبَدَ الدَّهْرِ بَيْنَ الحُفَـر"
 
     ―أبو القاسم الشابي التونسي في قصيدة إرادة الحياة
 
And he who does not long for climbing mountains
lives eternally between the burrows
 
     ―Abu al-Kassem ash-Shabbi, in his poem The Will to Live
 

"It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And itisn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it."

     ―Eleanor Roosevelt
 

"Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first."

     ―President Charles deGaulle
 

"Better to have him inside the tent pissing out, then outside the tentpissing in."

     ―President Lyndon Johnson
 

"All politics are local."

     ―U.S. House Speaker Tip O'Neill
 
"When you side with a man, you stick with him.  If you can't dothat, you are like some animal!  You are finished!" (William Holden as Pike Bishop in the movie The Wild Bunch, 1969.)
 
"You want my advice?  Make a list of everything you want and thenplan on spending the next 25 years of your life getting it. Slowly, piece by piece!" (Robert De Niro as Nick Wells in the movie The Score, 2001.)
 
"Might does not make right, nor does wrong.  But might is part ofthis World of human conflict, where we all are prisoners.  That's the real trap." (Max von Sydow as Guttuart in the movie Druids, aka Vercingetorix, 2001.)
 
"An Islamic leader must be an Aaref (a mystic)." ―David Salman (a.k.a. Dawood Salman; a.k.a. Abu Baqir)

"An Islamic leader must be an Aaref (a mystic)."

     ―David Salman (a.k.a. Dawood Salman; a.k.a. Abu Baqir) at the 5th Annual Al-Hasanain Youth Conference, Milpitas, California, on Saturday, September 18, 2004.

 
 

"A Muslim who declines to help another Muslim is not a Muslim!"

     ―Syed Abbas Ayleya at the 5th Annual Al-Hasanain Youth Conference, Milpitas, California, on Saturday, September 18, 2004.
 

"The Muslims should stop blaming others for their problems.  The Muslims are in a state of failure because they are divided!"

     ―Prof. Javaid Sayed at the 5th Annual Al-Hasanain Youth Conference, Milpitas, California, on Saturday, September 18, 2004.
 
"حتى لو ذهبت إلى القمر، ستجد لبناني!"
 
     ―السيد علي الموسوي، في مركز الجالية العراقية في منطقة خليج سان فرانسيسكو، كاليفورنيا.
"Even if you go to the Moon, you shall find a Lebanese!"
 
     ―Sayyed Ali Almosawi at the Iraqi Community Association, San Francisco Bay Area, California.
 

 

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