The things which . . . are esteemed as the greatest good of all . . . can be reduced to these three headings: to wit, Riches, Fame, and Pleasure. With these three the mind is so engrossed that it cannot scarcely think of any other good.
The world would be happier if men had the same capacity to be silent that they have to speak.
- Topic: Communication, Happiness, Listening, Speech
- Photo: Jeffrey Benjamin
More Quotes from Benedict Spinoza
Man is a social animal.
Peace is not the absence of war, but a virtue based on strength of character.
Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear.
He whose honor depends on the opinion of the mob must day by day strive with the greatest anxiety, act and scheme in order to retain his reputation. For the mob is varied and inconsistent, and therefore if a reputation is not carefully preserved it dies quickly.
Surely human affairs would be far happier if the power in men to be silent were the same as that to speak. But experience more than sufficiently teaches that men govern nothing with more difficulty than their tongues.
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Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes.
Aloha is free.
There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn.
I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
The acceptance of death gives you more of a stake in life, in living life happily, as it should be lived. Living for the moment.
Hope itself is a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords; but, like all other pleasures immoderately enjoyed, the excesses of hope must be expiated by pain.
Nowadays the world is becoming increasingly materialistic, and mankind is reaching toward the very zenith of external progress, driven by an insatiable desire for power and vast possessions. Yet by this vain striving for perfection in a world where everything is relative, they wander even further away from inward peace and happiness of the mind.
You don’t develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.
A really great talent finds its happiness in execution.
Actions are right in proportion as they promote happiness, wrong as the produce the reverse.
Silence is one of the great arts of conversation.
Listen with ears of tolerance, see through the eyes of compassion, speak with language of love.
When there is silence one finds the anchor of the universe within oneself.
I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.
Silence at the proper season is wisdom, and better than any speech.
Meaningful silence is better than meaningless words.
It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably gracious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.
People who know what they’re talking about don’t need PowerPoint.
When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, one hundred.
It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.
The thought of only being a creature of the present and the past was troubling. I longed for a future, too, with hope in it. The desire to be free, awakened my determination to act, to think, and to speak.
Surely human affairs would be far happier if the power in men to be silent were the same as that to speak. But experience more than sufficiently teaches that men govern nothing with more difficulty than their tongues.
Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
