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"What does it profit a man to have gained the whole world, and to have lost his soul?" - Jesus Christ
You don't have to be a Christian to see in the words of Jesus much wisdom. Quotes from men and women around the world, from the present day or millenniums past, can inspire and instruct us, regardless of the religious or spiritual tradition they come from. Nor do the religious or spiritually-oriented have a monopoly on wisdom. Quotes that strike at the truth of the matter can come from scoundrels, saints, and ordinary people.
Why Wisdom
Quotes?
"There are two great disappointments in life: Not getting what you want, and getting it." - George Bernard Shaw
Arguments and philosophies try to "capture" truth in a net of words to build systems of knowledge, and often to satisfy egos. Wisdom quotes use words to point at the truth, so that you can look and see it for yourself. Let me give you an example.
Imagine hesitating to do what you love for a living, because you might fail. Now, outside of mathematics, virtually all reasoning is tainted with rationalization, and whatever your choice, you can support it with "logical arguments." No wonder we're often confused and demotivated! We can't trust our own reasoning, if all it does is find a logical construct for whichever fear, desire or other feeling is strongest!
Then a quote from Wayne Gretzky points out the obvious: "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take." This hockey metaphor touches you, precisely because it isn't a logical argument. It simply points at a truth that you can see for yourself. You won't get anywhere without "taking that shot." Seeing the truth is far more motivating than arguing it. That's the value of "wisdom quotes."
The Quotes Pages
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