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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"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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"Doubt is nothing but a trivial agitation on the surface of the soul, while deep down there is a calm certainty." Francois Mauriac (1885-1970), winner of Nobel Prize for Literature, 1952, 'God and Mammon'
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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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"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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"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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"As the human species awakens to itself as a collection of immortal souls learning together, caring for the environment and the earth will become a matter of the heart, the natural response of souls moving toward their full potential." Gary Zukav, 'Evolution and Business'
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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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"All things are manifestations of His Will." Guru Nanak (1469-1539), Indian disciple of Kabir, 'Psalms and Devotions'
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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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"These bodies are perishable; but the dwellers in these bodies are eternal, indestructible, and impenetrable." The Bhagavad Gita (ca. 500 bce),
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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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"Such is the likeness of God, wholly given, spent and drained in that sublime self-giving which is the ground and source and origin of the universe." W. H. Vanstone, 'Love's Endeavour Love's Expense'
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"Is there one maxim which ought to be acted upon throughout one's whole life? Surely it is the maxim of loving-kindness. Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you." Confucian Analects, 15, 23
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"To Zen, time and eternity are one." D. T. Suzuki, 'Zen Buddhism'
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"This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto other which would cause you pain if done to you." Mahabharata 5, 1517
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"Vedanta says there is nothing that is not God….The living God is within you." Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), disciple of Ramakrishna, Address to the Parliament of World Religions
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"Joy is the realization of onenes, the oneness of our soul with the world and of the world-soul with the supreme love." Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), Indian poet
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"Nothing in the universe exists independently of your own consciousness." Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, poet, 'Old Path White Clouds: The Life Story of the Buddha'
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"All eyes that look on me are my sole eyes; the one heart that beats within all breasts is mine." Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950), Yogic master, 'Sonnets of Cosmic Consciousness'
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"May the vision that so many mystic masters of all traditions have had, of a future world free of cruelty and horror, where humanity can live in the ultimate happiness of the nature of mind, come, through all our efforts, to be realized." Sogyal Rinpoche, 'TheTibetan Book of Living and Dying'
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"One god there is hidden in every creature, the Self of all creatures, and all pervading, abiding in all." Sueta Upanishad (900-600 bce)
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"The soul is the mirror of an indestructible universe." G. W. Leibniz (1646-1716), German philosopher, 'The Monadology'
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"If man speaks or acts with a pure mind, joy follows him as his own shadow." The Dhammapada (3rd century bce), 'The Path to Perfection'
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"There is a very slight distinction, if any, between complete, conscious faith and love." Alan Watts (1915-1973), 'This Is IT and Other Essays on Zen and Spiritual Experience'
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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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