Solomon Ibn Gabirol Quotes

As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

A wise man's questions contain half the answer.

Riches bring anxiety; wisdom gives peace of mind.

Plan for this world as if you expect to live forever; but plan for the hereafter as if you expect to die tomorrow.

I am better able to retract what I did not say than what I did.

The Sage was asked to define good manners? to which he replied, To bear patiently the rude ones.

All men have one entrance into life, and the like going out.

Faith is the summit of the Torah.

As long as a word remains unspoken, you are its master; once you utter it, you are its slave.

The beginning of wisdom is to desire it.

Man is wise only while in search of wisdom; when he imagines he has attained it, he is a fool.

Worry over what has not occurred is a serious malady.

Many men hoard for the future husbands of their wives.

Drink poison rather than worry.

Thou hast created me not from necessity but from grace.

Misfortune may become fortune through patience.

My friend is he who will tell me my faults in private.

Your secret is your prisoner; once you reveal it, you become its slave.

A man's mind is hidden in his writings: criticism brings it to light.

Jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire.

If you want to keep something concealed from your enemy, don't disclose it to your friend.

A tiny fly can choke a big man.

Kings may be judges of the earth, but wise men are the judges of kings.

A wise man's question contains half the answer.

One is punished by the very things by which he sins.

The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others.