Wise quotes from great people (200 quotes)

Quotes about the meaning of life

Often, among a lot of information, we suddenly hear or read such wise statements of great or famous people, which so turn our understanding of some events, the actions of people, that they make our life easier in an instant.

This really happens. We suffer, not knowing how to escape, for example, from a difficult situation, but one phrase gives us a breath of fresh air. But some phrases are hundreds of years old, but they still have a fresh meaning today.

Wise advice from Omar Khayyam

Omar Khayyam Nishapuri - Persian philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and poet was born in 1048. Even as a child, he studied sciences such as philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy. He wrote many scientific and philosophical works.

In addition to scientific works, the sage, as a poet, wrote about love. He is the author of quatrains or rubai.

His admiration for a woman touches his soul. The philosopher urged a man not only to love the weaker sex, but also to do everything to make every woman who is nearby happy.

His phrases make many men think. Omar Khayyam believed that for the stronger sex, a beloved woman is the highest reward. And he considered friendship a gift from the Almighty. And this statement of his: that it is better to be alone, “than with just anyone,” can often be heard today from the lips of men and women.

Omar Khayyam urged people to cherish every moment, and also to be able to find something good even in difficult situations. Wise advice has deep meaning, although it was written a thousand years ago.

He who has been beaten by life will achieve more; he who has eaten a pound of salt values honey more highly. He who shed tears laughs sincerely, He who died knows that he lives.

You can seduce a man who has a wife. You can seduce a man who has a mistress. But you cannot seduce a man who has a beloved woman.

Khayyam has long sayings, and there are short, but very apt ones:

When you throw dirt at a person, remember that it may not reach him, but will remain on your hands.
Don't listen to those who promise too much. They usually don't do anything.
Drive away your friends who betrayed you once. Those who betray once will betray twice.
Those who lose heart die before their time.
Don't complain about pain - that's the best medicine.
To please fate, it is useful to suppress murmurs.
Don't hold back what comes and don't push away what comes. Then happiness will find you on its own.

This is only part of the statements of the great Khayyam.

Amazing Haruki Murakami Quotes

Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, born in the last century, wrote many books.

His works have been translated into 50 languages. Despite the difference in the way of life of the East, his quotes spread throughout the world.

Here are some of his phrases about life:

“Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it”
“The world is spacious, filled with amazing things and strange people”
“Speaking frankly does not mean telling the truth”
“A person who carefully preserves in his soul the emotional landscape of his youth, the living reflections of the flame of feelings that once burned him, will not grow old and will not harden over the years.”
“So while you are young, fall in love and love with all your might to accumulate that precious soul reserve. Money and work are, of course, very important, but when else will you have time to admire the stars and frantically strum your guitar, and then frantically tune it? But it’s so cool.”

Aphorisms of worldly wisdom by Schopenhauer

The most famous creative work of Arthur Schopenhauer, “Aphorisms of Worldly Wisdom,” is considered a kind of “textbook for life.”

Aphorisms from that popular book:

Sometimes we think we are longing for some distant place, when in fact we are longing for the time we spent there, younger and more vigorous than we are now. This is how time deceives us under the guise of space...

Wealth is like salt water, the more you drink, the more thirsty you become. This also applies to fame.

A calm, cheerful temperament, which is a consequence of good health and a strong body, a clear, lively, insightful and correctly thinking mind, a restrained will and at the same time a clear conscience - these are blessings that no ranks and treasures can replace.

Any intelligence will go unnoticed by those who do not have it themselves.

The average person is concerned with how to kill time, but the talented person strives to use it.

Wise, beautiful phrases with the meaning of life

Life is not easy, and the first hundred years are the hardest - Wilson Mizner
Life is a hospital where every patient dreams of moving to another bed - Charles Baudelaire
The best things in the world cannot be seen or touched with your hands. You can only feel them - Helen Keller
Life is a series of small steps - Hota Kotb
Learn to love yourself and everything else will fall into place - Lucille Ball
You shouldn't spend even five minutes on it if you're not willing to spend 5 years on it - Meghan Markle
What comes easy will not last long. And the fact that it lasts for a long time does not come easy - Unknown author
He who does not believe in miracles will never receive one - Roald Dahl
Life is a journey, not a home - Felix Feldheim
Life is too short to do what you don't like - Richard Branson
Life is a matter of time - Vladimir Reznikov
Life is like a dispatch: short and full of mistakes - Hannah Zhurk
Life is a rough thing. You set out on a long journey, which means that somewhere you will slip, and get a kick, and fall, and get tired, and exclaim “I wish I could die!”, and therefore, you will lie - Seneca
Life is mostly about what happens elsewhere - Alan Bennett
Life is what happens to us while we are making plans for the future - Thomas La Mans
Life is like an onion: you peel off layer after layer, and in the end you find that there is nothing inside - James Gibbons Hunecker
Life is a toy so stupid it's only given to babies - Bill Manville
Life is a gift we didn't ask for - Alfred Konar

Eastern wisdom about life

We often hear that phrases about the lives of Eastern thinkers are filled with special wisdom.

What is wisdom? This is a special human psychology that has been improved over the years based on accumulated experience.

And eastern wisdom, according to the philosopher Fethullah Gülen, is “the most important source of light, saving a person’s thoughts from clouding and the soul from savagery.”

In simple words, wisdom is a combination of deep knowledge and experience taken from life.

To gain wisdom, follow these tips:

Cut out useless information;
Apply your knowledge in practice;
Lead an active lifestyle so that there are more positive events around you;
You need to learn from your own mistakes and from the mistakes of others;
Develop constantly;
Learn from wise people;
Listen to your inner voice.

Lessons from the Chinese Sages

China is a completely incomprehensible country for Europeans. The harshness of its rulers became the talk of the town.

But China is also amazing because of the great thinkers who lived there, such as Confucius and Lao Tzu. They have become the conscience of the Chinese nation, and we never cease to be amazed at their deep thoughts about life.

Confucius

Their precise sayings live for thousands of years. For example, the sayings of Confucius today can make us think about the meaning of life, about friendship between people:

When friendship is based only on profit, they sow hostility and anger.
Be as strict as possible with yourself, as gentle as possible with others. This way, human hostility will not arise.
Three things never come back - time, word, opportunity. Therefore: do not waste time, choose your words, do not miss the opportunity.

Lao Tzu

The East gave humanity the founder of Taoism - Lao Tzu. Despite the fact that he lived in Ancient China in the 5th-4th centuries BC. era, but his sayings are no less amazing.

There will certainly be many difficulties along the way if you hope for an easy road.
The human heart is like a snake - always full of poison.
You are controlled by the one who makes you angry.
The voice of truth is disgusting to hear.
The sage avoids all extremes.
He who talks a lot often fails.
Nature is never in a hurry, but always has time.
He who thinks he has comprehended everything knows nothing.
The law of the worthy is to do good and not quarrel.
There is no greater disaster than underestimating your enemy.
If people are not afraid of death, then why frighten them with death?
Be attentive to your thoughts - they are the beginning of actions.
Whoever takes, fills his palms, whoever gives, fills his heart.

Japanese proverbs

Proverbs are a mirror of folk wisdom. It is in them that the spirit of the people, their moral principles, and attitude to life are reflected.

After reading Japanese proverbs and sayings, you can see how similar they are to the wise sayings of the peoples of Russia.

Happiness comes to a house where there is laughter.
When trouble comes, rely on yourself.
Friends in misfortune feel sorry for each other.
Where might is right, right is powerless.
And the wise man is wrong once out of a thousand times.
If a woman wants to, she will pass through the rock.
Heartless children are trashing their father's house.
The same soul at three years old is the same at one hundred years old.
He who feels shame also feels duty.
With those who are silent, keep your ears open.
A false friend is more dangerous than an open enemy.
Ill-gotten gains are not good for future use.
He who is patient does not succumb to poverty.

Arabic wisdom

Age-old wisdom is collected in short but very wise statements. They contain such a deep meaning that after reading them, you will be able to avoid mistakes in life and find a way out of the most difficult situation in life.

An army of sheep led by a lion will defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.
A sensible woman adds sugar to everything a man says and removes salt from everything a man says to her.
With gentle words and kindness you can lead an elephant by a thread.
He who seeks a friend without lack will remain alone.
If you are afraid, don’t say it; if you said it, don’t be afraid.

Arabic wisdom is as endless as the ocean, so you can find the most useful sayings, phrases, and proverbs for yourself.

Top smart quotes, sayings and thoughts

The Universe knows what will be better. Sooner or later she will bring us together with the right people and separate us from the unnecessary ones. - Buddha.
Use the talent that you have: if only the birds that sing best sang in the forest, it would be very quiet there...
The deep river does not even notice that a stone has been thrown at it. So is man. If a person gets irritated, then he is not a river, but a puddle.
We learned to fly in the sky like birds. We learned to swim in the ocean like fish. Now all that remains is to learn to live on earth like people.
Don't call out what's leaving - let it go. Don't wait for the future - let it happen. Don't make it complicated - let what happens happen. - Tilopa.
A true leader must always be behind. Any shepherd will explain this to you.
If they talk about you behind your back, it means you are ahead.
The easiest enemy is the one who comes at you with fists, the most dangerous is the one who swears allegiance.
Your money is waiting for you - be able to take it. Do something for this! Don't wait for the right moment. Take the moment and make it right...
Don't be shy about your feelings and desires. There will be no other life for them! - Erich Maria Remarque.
If you often remember the past, you can lose the future.
There is no relationship without quarrels and resentments. Strong people quarrel, get offended, but stay together! The weak are looking for a replacement.
The strongest excuses are made by people with weak character!
Never regret anything: sometimes troubles happen for good, and dreams don’t come true for the better. - Oleg Roy.
For the first step, faith is enough. You don't have to see the whole staircase to take the first step.
No matter how hard you try, you won’t be good to everyone. So be yourself!
Don't raise children, they will still be like you. Educate yourself...
Any changes bring new opportunities.
If you want someone to stay in your life, never treat them with indifference! - Richard Bach.
Smart thoughts with meaning – Our biggest misconception is that we still have a lot of time.
Don't expect things to get easier, simpler, better. It won't. There will always be difficulties. Learn to be happy right now. Otherwise you won't have time.
A strong person makes demands on himself, a weak person makes demands on others. - Confucius.
When you're right, no one remembers it. And no one will forget how wrong he was.
When we surround ourselves with good people and good thoughts, life begins to change for the better.

Even in a serious quarrel, do not try to touch a person’s nerves. You will make peace, and the words will be remembered for a long time.
It is very easy to be gloomy and incomprehensible. It's hard to be kind and clear.
If life is a zebra, then try to ride it.
If you think that the Universe sits and invents problems and illnesses for you, then you have delusions of grandeur. She simply implements your thoughts.
Wise phrases with meaning - Life is not a zebra of black and white stripes, but a chessboard. It all depends on your move.
A plucked flower must be given as a gift, a poem that has been started must be completed, and the woman you love must be happy, otherwise you shouldn’t have taken on something you can’t do.
If you think that you need a second person to be happy, you are mistaken. You yourself are enough for happiness. A second person is needed in order to share your happiness with him.
Listen to what your enemy says, because only he knows all your mistakes.
We live in a world governed by faith. Whatever you believe will work.
The station saw more sincere kisses than the registry office. And the walls of the hospital heard more sincere words than the church.
Life doesn't have to give us what we expect. We must take what it gives and be grateful for the fact that it is so, and not worse.
The greatest human stupidity is fear. Fear of doing something, talking, confessing. We are always afraid, and that is why we lose so often.
And remember: you will never achieve anything until you learn to determine what is most important to you at the moment. – Robert Heinlein.
You like even the shortcomings in a loved one, and even the advantages in an unloved person irritate you.
Only that which corresponds to your inner state is attracted to you and comes from you. – Eckhart Tolle.
Sometimes it's worth making a mistake, if only to know why you shouldn't have made it.
I'm not afraid of someone who studies 10,000 different strikes. I'm afraid of the one who studies one blow 10,000 times.

Sayings of great people

Great people went down in history not only through useful deeds. Their phrases and statements make you think about life. For example:

The only rule in life that you need to live by is to remain human in all situations. (Aristotle)
Most see a puddle, and a few see the reflection of the Moon in it. (Albert Einstein)
We should not be afraid of death, but of empty life. (Bertold Brecht)
Be self-taught, don't wait for life to teach you. (Remarque)
In a dialogue with life, it is not its question that is important, but our answer. (Marina Tsvetaeva)
The great science of living happily is to live only in the present. (Pythagoras)
Time can heal absolutely everything, just give it time. (L.N. Tolstoy)
There are only two ways to live life. The first is as if miracles do not exist. The second one – it’s like there are only miracles all around! (Albert Einstein)
Life is lost by those who have not prepared themselves for old age. (Coco Chanel)
Everyone sympathizes with the misfortunes of their friends, and only a few rejoice at their successes. (Oscar Wilde)