THE QUOTABLE SPIRIT
Peter Lorie and Manuela D Mascetti, editors
A treasury of religious and spiritual quotations from ancient times to the twentieth century
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"Then Usata Akrayana asked him: 'O Yajnavalkya!' he said, 'Explain to me what is the Brhaman, immediate and direct, which is the Self within all.' 'It is your Self within all.' 'O Yajnavalkya! Which of the Selves is it that is within all?' 'It is your Self within all which breathes in by your breathing in.'" Brhad Upanishad (900-600 bce)
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"In every human being there is a special heaven, whole and unbroken." Paracelsus (1493-1541), German-Swiss physician and alchemist, 'Essential Writings'
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"We do not 'come into' this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean 'waves', the universe 'peoples'. Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe." Alan Watts (1915-1973), 'The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are'
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"You are a part of the Infinite. This is your nature. Hence you are your brother's keeper." Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902),
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"Already, in the silence of the night, I can hear through this world of tumult a confused rustling as of crystalline needles forming themselves into a pattern or of birds huddling closer together in their nest – a deep murmur of distress, of discomfort, of well-being, of triumph, rising up from the Unity which is reaching its fulfillment." Pierre Teilhard deChardin (1881-1955), French priest and paleontologist, 'The Gread Monad'
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"Like a seed at rest, the nature-principle within, unfolding outwards, makes its way towards what appears a multiple life." Plotinus (205-270), 'Enneads'
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"It will not be long before the human mass closes in upon itself and groups all its members in a definitively realised unity. Respect for one and the same law, one and the same orientation, one and the same spirit, are tending to overlay the permanent diversity of individuals and nations. Wait but a little longer, and we shall form but one solid block. The cement is setting." Pierre Teilhard deChardin (1881-1955), French priest and paleontologist, 'The Gread Monad'
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"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest….whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report….think on these things, these things do, and the God of peace shall be with you." Elizabeth Clinton (1574-1630?), English author, Letters
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"In the Buddhist approach, life and death are seen as one whole, where death is the beginning of another chapter of life. Death is a mirror in which the entire meaning of life is reflected." Sogyal Rinpoche, contemporary Buddhist monk and author, 'The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying'
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"It is God's will that is done, forever and ever." Guru Nanak (1469-1539), Indian disciple of Kabir, 'Hymns of Guru Nanak'
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"Through it all man is marching from epoch to epoch towards the fullest realization of his soul, - the soul which is greater than the things man accumulates, the deeds he accomplishes, the theories he builds; the soul whose onward course is never checked by death or dissolution….Yes, they are coming, the pilgrims, one and all – coming to their true inheritance of the world, they are ever broadening their consciousness, ever seeking a higher and higher unity, ever approaching nearer to the one central Truth which is all-comprehensive." Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), 'Soul Consciousness'
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"I am part of the sun as my eyes are part of me. That I am part of the earth my feet know perfectly, and my blood is part of the sea. My soul knows that I am part of the human race, my soul is an organic part of the great human soul." D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930), 'Apocalypse'
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"Humility, unostentatiousness, non-injuring, forgiveness, simplicity, purity, steadfastness, self-control; this is declared to be wisdom; what is opposed to this is ignorance." Bhagavad Gita (ca. 500 bce)
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"To Zen, time and eternity are one." D. T. Suzuki, 'Zen Buddhism'
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"Were I given a hundred thousand tongues instead of one, and the hundred thousand multiplied twentyfold, a hundred thousand times would I say, and say again, the Lord of all the worlds is one." Guru Nanak (1469-1539), Indian disciple of Kabir, 'Hymns of Guru Nanak'
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"The soul-journey resembles very much the sort of adventure one encounters in folklore and myth." Paul Zeig (1935-1984), American author, 'The Adventurer'
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"Souls are all One. All souls are infinite and eternal. They are formless. All souls are One." Meher Baba (1894-1969), Indian master, 'God Speaks – The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose'
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"True happiness flows from the possession of wisdom and virtue and not from the possession of external goods." Aristotle (384-322 bce), 'Politics'
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"The substance of which all men are composed is the Buddha." Huang-Po (800-850), 'The Zen Teaching of Huang-Po'
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"Great becomes the fruit, great the advantage of earnest contemplation, when it is set round with upright conduct." Buddha (563-483 bce), 'The Dialogues'
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"There is no dichotomy between spirit and flesh, no split between Godhead and the World….Spiritual union is found in life within nature, passion, sensuality – through being fully human, fully one's self." Starhawk
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"God created man for immortality and made him the image of his own eternal self." The Wisdom of Solomon, Old Testament Apocrypha
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"Consideration is the greatest of all virtues, for in consideration all virtues are born. Veneration for God, courtesy towards others, respect of those who deserve it, kindness to those who are weak and feeble, sympathy with those who need it, all these come from consideration." Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927), Sufi master musician, 'The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan'
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"The body is affected by everything that is happening around you; it is not separate from what is happening around you. Whatever is happening there, is also happening here." U. G. Krishnamurti (b. 1918), 'Conversations with a Man Called U. G.'
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"Is not the sea – though vast and deep – a single drop? Is not the Earth – though flung so far – a single sphere? Are not the spheres – though numberless – a single universe? Likewise is mankind but a single Man – likewise is Man, with all his worlds, a singleness complete." Mikhail Naimy (1889-1988), 'The Book of Mirdad – A Lighthouse and a Haven'
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We are gathering together the primary insights of spirituality and bringing them together into one place.
This archive contains 11,754 quotes, taken from 635 references,
organized in terms of 39 primary categories. Quotes are randomized and appear in a different way at every click.
Explore the navigation options to review these insights.
We include
- All major spiritual and religious traditions, from all cultures, and all historical epochs
- Major psychologists, philosophers, writers, scholars and leading religious personalities
- Sources in classical religion as well as voices from new consciousness, esotericism and mysticism
- Choices are guided by the spirit of oneness, love, kindness, inclusion and community
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