“Two orders of mankind are the enemies of church and state; the king without clemency, and the holy man without learning.”

The bad fortune of the good turns their faces up to heaven; the good fortune of the bad bows their heads down to the earth.

The true disciple should aim to live for the gospel, rather than to die for it.

However much you study, you cannot know without action. A donkey laden with books is neither an intellectual nor a wise man. Empty of essence, what learning has he whether upon him is firewood or book?

Do to me, O Allah, what is worthy of Thee; And not what is worthy of me.

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

There is a difference between him who claspeth his mistress in his arms, and him whose eyes are fixed on the door expecting her.

A little beauty is preferable to much wealth.

Whoever acquires knowledge but does not practice it is as one who ploughs but does not sow.

Religion is only in the service of the people; it is not in the rosary and the prayer-carpet.

He who learns, and makes no use of his learning, is a beast of burden with a load of books. Does the ass comprehend whether he carries on his back a library or a bundle of faggots?

It’s no virtue to gain the whole world. Just gain the heart of one person.

Whoever gives advice to a heedless man is himself in need of advice.

If a piece of worthless stone can bruise a cup of gold, its worth is not increased, nor that of the gold diminished.

Whoever interrupts the conversation of others to make a display of his fund of knowledge, makes notorious his own stock of ignorance.

Kings stand more in need of the company of the intelligent than the intelligent do of the society of kings.

When a man appreciates only eating and sleeping, what excellence has he over the reptiles?

When we see others as the enemy, we risk becoming what we hate. When we oppress others, we end up oppressing ourselves. All of our humanity is dependent upon recognizing the humanity in others.

In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior

Time is my enemy. Time will catch up with me vocally. And I dread that. I dread to think about life without singing.

Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal.

Let us conduct ourselves so that all men wish to be our friends and all fear to be our enemies.

Other dogs bite only their enemies, whereas I bite also my friends in order to save them.

As a matter of self-preservation, a man needs good friends or ardent enemies, for the former instruct him and the latter take him to task.

On a mission, your worst enemy is idle time.