Let not Ambition mock their useful Toil,Their homely Joys and Destiny obscure;Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful Smile,The short and simple Annals of the Poor. The Boast of Heraldry, the Pomp of Pow'r,And all that Beauty, all that Wealth e'er gave,Awaits alike th' inevitable Hour.The Paths of Glory lead but to the Grave. From Gray's … Continue reading Thomas Gray on levelling death
John Morley on intellectual perseverance
"nobody here needs to be reminded that the great successes of the world have been affairs of a second, a third, nay, a fiftieth trial. The history of literature, of science, of art, of industrial achievements, all testify to the truth that success is only the last term of what looked like a series of … Continue reading John Morley on intellectual perseverance
Seneca to Lucilius on the death of his friend
I am grieved to hear that your friend Flaccus is dead, but I would not have you sorrow more than is fitting. That you should not mourn at all I shall hardly dare to insist; and yet I know that it is the better way. But what man will ever be so blessed with that … Continue reading Seneca to Lucilius on the death of his friend
Joseph Addison on the quest for happiness
Enquiries after Happiness, and Rules for attaining it, are not so necessary and useful to Mankind as the Arts of Consolation, and supporting oneself under Affliction. The utmost we can hope for in this World is Contentment; if we aim at any thing higher, we shall meet with nothing but Grief and Disappointments. A Man … Continue reading Joseph Addison on the quest for happiness
The vanity of human wishes
Enlarge my Life with Multitude of Days, In Health, in Sickness, thus the Suppliant prays; Hides from himself his State, and shuns to know, That Life protracted is protracted Woe. Time hovers o'er, impatient to destroy, And shuts up all the Passages of Joy: In vain their Gifts the bounteous Seasons pour, The Fruit autumnal, … Continue reading The vanity of human wishes
Seneca to Lucilius on philosophy
I point other men to the right path, which I have found late in life, when wearied with wandering. I cry out to them: “Avoid whatever pleases the throng: avoid the gifts of Chance! Halt before every good which Chance brings to you, in a spirit of doubt and fear; for it is the dumb … Continue reading Seneca to Lucilius on philosophy
Cicero on magnanimity
'A spirit which is utterly courageous and noble is conspicuous especially for two features. The first of these is disregard for external circumstances, springing from the conviction that a man ought to revere or aspire to or seek nothing except what is honourable and proper, and should not lie down before any man or emotional … Continue reading Cicero on magnanimity
Seneca on Anger
A description of anger. "Some of the wisest of men have ... called anger a short madness: for it is equally devoid of self-control, regardless of decorum, forgetful of kinship, obstinately engrossed in whatever it begins to do, deaf to reason and advice, excited by trifling causes, awkward at perceiving what is true and just, … Continue reading Seneca on Anger
Karl Kautsky on the educated proletariat
'There is still a third category of proletarians that has gone far on the road to its complete development – the educated proletarians. Education has become a special trade under our present system. The measure of knowledge has increased greatly and grows daily. Capitalist society and the capitalist state are increasingly in need of men … Continue reading Karl Kautsky on the educated proletariat
Two Glasses by Ibn al-Tilmidh
Through my life I have gone with two glasses, And depended on them at all passes; The one glass was filled up with ink, The other was filled with wine pink: By the one, my wisdom I proved; By the other, my heart’s pains I subdued. Ibn al-Tilmidh (1074-1165) was a Christian Arab physician and … Continue reading Two Glasses by Ibn al-Tilmidh
Notes in the Margins of the Days 