“Oh God, I say not hear my prayers! I say: Blot with forgiving pen my sins away!”

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 the belly is empty, the body becomes spirit; and when it is full, the spirit becomes body.

A wise man among the ignorant is as a beautiful girl in the company of blind men.

Were the diver to think on the jaws of the shark, he would never lay hands on the precious pearl.

Take care what you say before a wall, as you cannot tell who may be behind it.

None can be so true to your secret as yourself.

A grateful dog is better than an ungrateful man.

The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together.

The best loved by God are those that are rich, yet have the humility of the poor, and those that are poor and have the magnanimity of the rich.

Virtue pardons the wicked, as the sandal-tree perfumes the axe which strikes it.

Whoever has his foe at his mercy, and does not kill him, is his own enemy

It is safer to be silent than to reveal one’s secret to any one, and telling him not to mention it.

Patience is a conquering virtue. The learned say that, if it not desert you, It vanquishes what force can never reach; Why answer back at every angry speech? No, learn forbearance or, I’ll tell you what, You will be taught it, whether you will or not.

You must learn to forgive a man when he’s in love. He’s always a nuisance.

You must forgive me, for I struggled only for you.

It is hard to forgive, and to look at those eyes, and feel those wasted hands,’ he answered. ‘Kiss me again; and don’t let me see your eyes! I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer—but yours! How can I?

For I hope my Friends will pardon me, when I declare, I know none of them without a Fault; and I should be sorry if I could imagine, I had any Friend who could not see mine. Forgiveness, of this Kind, we give and demand in Turn.

A mother who is not everything for her children: a friend, a teacher, a confidant, a source of joy and founded pride, inducement and soothing, reconciliator, judge and forgiver, that mother obviously chose the wrong job.

Mothers can forgive anything! Tell me all, and be sure that I will never let you go, though the whole world should turn from you.

When God forgave me, I figured I’d better do it too.