Maimonides Quotes

Teach thy tongue to say 'I do not know', and thou shalt progress.

In the beginning we must simplify the subject, thus unavoidably falsifying it, and later we must sophisticate away the falsely simple beginning.

It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent one to death.

For every force charged by God, may He be exalted, with some business is an angel put in charge ...

No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated with any other means.

In finances, be strict with yourself, generous with others.

The being which has absolute existence, which has never been and will never be without existence, is not in need of an agent.

Management [ Providence ], knowledge, and intention are not the same when ascribed to us and when ascribed to God.

Silence is the maturation of wisdom.

In accordance with the divine wisdom, genesis can only take place through destruction.

The first kind of evil is that which is caused to man by the circumstance that he is subject to genesis and destruction, or that he possesses a body.

Work before eating, rest after eating. Eat not ravenously, filling the mouth gulp after gulp without breathing space.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

God cannot be compared to anything. Note this.

God is identical with His attributes, so that it may be said that He is the knowledge, the knower, and the known.

There are eight levels of charity ... The highest is when you strengthen a man's hand until he need no longer be dependent upon others.

Astrology is a disease, not a science.

Astrology is not an art, it is a disease.

God who preceded all existence is a refuge ...

Giving is most blessed and most acceptable when the donor remains completely anonymous.

Hear the
truth from whomever says it

In the realm of Nature there is nothing purposeless, trivial, or unnecessary

Astrology is a sickness, not a science ... It is a tree under the shade of which all sorts of superstitions thrive.

The person who wishes to attain human perfection should study logic first, next mathematics, then physics, and, lastly, metaphysics.

To the totality of purposes of the perfect Law there belong the abandonment, depreciation, and restraint of desires in so far as possible.

He, however, who begins with Metaphysics, will not only become confused in matters of religion, but will fall into complete infidelity.

A wise man is a greater asset to a nation than a king.

Do not imagine that these most difficult problems can be thoroughly understood by any one of us.

Man's shortcomings and sins are all due to substance of the body and not to its form, while all his merits are exclusively due to his form.

You must accept the truth from whatever source it comes.

All forces that reside in the body are angels.

If the whole earth is infinitely small in comparison with the sphere of the stars, what is man compared with all these created beings!

Everyone entrusted with a mission is an angel.

In so far as the soul is a force residing in the body; it has therefore been said that the properties of the soul depend of the condition of the body.

I will destroy my enemies by converting them to friends.

Man's obsession to add to his wealth and honor is the chief source of his misery.

He who does not understand that a dead lion is more alive than a living dog will remain a dog.

It is man's duty to love and to fear God, even without hope of reward or fear of punishment.

If one avoids haughtiness to the utmost extent and is exceedingly humble, he is termed a saint, and this is the standard of saintliness.

Anticipate charity by preventing poverty.

For that which is without a beginning, a final cause need not be sought.

The goal of good health is to enable a person to acquire wisdom.

Your purpose ... should always be to know ... the whole that was intended to be known.

Let nothing which can be treated by diet be treated by other means.

Truth does not become more true by virtue of the fact that the entire world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it.

It is of great advantage that man should know his station, and not imagine that the whole universe exists only for him.

The true work of God is all good, since it is existence.

Inspire me with love for my art and for thy creatures. In the sufferer let me see only the human being.

Lose with truth and right rather than gain with falsehood and wrong.

Nobody is ever impoverished through the giving of charity.

That which is produced with intention has passed over from non-existence to existence.

The whole object of the Prophets and the Sages was to declare that a limit is set to human reason where it must halt.

Actions are divided as regards their object into four classes; they are either purposeless , unimportant , or vain , or good .

Those who grieve find comfort in weeping and in arousing their sorrow until the body is too tired to bear the inner emotions.

All attributes ascribed to God are attributes of His acts, and do not imply that God has any qualities.

There are eight rungs in charity. The highest is when you help a man to help himself.

The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision.

Every man whose character traits all lie in the mean is called a wise man.

A truth does not become greater by repetition.

Those who believe that ... detailed rules originate in a certain cause, are as far from the truth as those who assume that the whole law is useless.

The physician should not treat the disease but the patient who is suffering from it

No form remains permanently in a substance; a constant change takes place, one form is taken off and another is put on.

Hold firmly to your word.

What is lofty can be said in any language. What is mean should be said in none.

Commune with your own heart on your bed and be still.