Most of these quotes are serious, others are humorous. Some I agree with, some I disagree with.
Unbelief:
And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, `Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own country.'" And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But passing through the midst of them he went away. - Luke 4:23-30, Revised Standard Version
"He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me." - Luke 10:16, King James Version
Then he proceeded to tell the people this parable. "(A) man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and then went on a journey for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenant farmers to receive some of the produce of the vineyard. But they beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. So he proceeded to send another servant, but him also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. Then he proceeded to send a third, but this one too they wounded and threw out. The owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I shall send my beloved son; maybe they will respect him.' But when the tenant farmers saw him they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him that the inheritance may become ours.' So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and put those tenant farmers to death and turn over the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they exclaimed, "Let it not be so!" But he looked at them and asked, "What then does this scripture passage mean: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls." The scribes and chief priests sought to lay their hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people, for they knew that he had addressed this parable to them. - Luke 20:9-19, New American Bible
Unintended consequences:
" 'It was I,' said the prisoner, 'who forged this chain very carefully. I thought my invisible power would hold the world captive leaving me in freedom undisturbed. Thus night and day I worked at the chain with huge fires and cruel hard strokes. When at last the work was done and the links were complete and unbreakable, I found that it held me in its grip.'" - Rabindranath Tagore
Vanity:
"To be pleased with groundless applause is a proof of the most superficial levity and weakness. It is what is properly called vanity, and is the foundation of the most ridiculous and contemptible vices, the vices of affectation and common lying; follies which, if experience did not teach us how common they are, one should imagine the least spark of common sense would save us from." - Adam Smith
"It is a poor center of a man's actions, himself." - Francis Bacon
Vengeance:
"There is no satisfaction in hanging a man who does not object to it." - George Bernard Shaw
Vice:
"Foul deeds will rise, / Though all the earth overwhelm them, to men's eyes." - Shakespeare, Hamlet, act 1, scene 2
"There is no vice so simple but assumes / Some mark of virtue on his outward parts." - Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, act 3, scene 2
Violence:
"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man." - Genesis 9:6
"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword." - Matthew 26:52
"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." - Salvor Hardin
Virtue:
"He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend." - Proverbs 22:11
"There is but one categorical imperative: 'Act as if the maxim from which you act were to become through your will a universal law.'" -- Immanuel Kant
"Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace / To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not; / Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, / Thy God's, and truth's." - Shakespeare, King Henry VIII, act 3, scene 2
"How far that little candle throws his beams! / So shines a good deed in a naughty world." - Shakespeare, The Merchant Of Venice, act 5, scene 1
"Prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue." "Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set." - Francis Bacon
"To be nameless in worthy deeds exceeds an infamous history." - Sir Thomas Browne
"The pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, an almost fanatical love of justice and the desire for personal independence - these are the features of the Jewish tradition which make me thank my stars that I belong to it." - Albert Einstein, 1934
The seven cardinal virtues of medieval literature: faith, hope, charity, prudence, temperance, chastity, and fortitude
In classical philosophy, the four cardinal virtues were justice, prudence, fortitude, and temperance.
The 4 great virtues of Buddhism: (1) Maitri -- friendliness, good-will, benevolence, love, loving-kindness to all; (2) Karuna -- compassion, pity, sorrow for the sufferings of all; (3) Mudita -- joy in the good of all; (4) Upeksha -- forgiveness, overlooking the faults of all
"The perfume of flowers goes not against the wind, not even the perfume of sandalwood of rose-bay or of jasmine; but the perfume of virtue travels against the wind and reaches unto the ends of the world." - Dhammapada 54
"Two things fill the mind with ever-increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more intensely the mind of thought is drawn to them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me." - Immanuel Kant, Critique Of Practical Reason
"Virtue is the truest nobility." -- Cervantes in Don Quixote
"Good men must not obey the laws too well." - Emerson, Essays xix. Politics
War:
"No State Shall, during War, Permit Such Acts of Hostility Which Would Make Mutual Confidence in the Subsequent Peace Impossible: Such Are the Employment of Assassins, Poisoners, Breach of Capitulation, and Incitement to Treason in the Opposing State.
"These are dishonorable stratagems. For some confidence in the character of the enemy must remain even in the midst of war, as otherwise no peace could be concluded and the hostilities would degenerate into a war of extermination." – Immanuel Kant, "Perpetual Peace"
Wealth:
"Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse." - Proverbs 28:6
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And when the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, "Then who can be saved?" And looking upon them Jesus said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:21-26. New American Standard
"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle." - Proverbs 23:4-5
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.'" He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to (the) poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through (the) eye of (a) needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." - Mark 10:17-27, New American Bible
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, "Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God." (Luke 6:20) "But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation." (Luke 6:24, King James Version)
"I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." - Luke 16:9, New International Version
"No servant can work for two masters. He will hate one and love the other. Or he will obey one and despise the other. You cannot work for both God and money." The Pharisees loved money. They heard all these things. They made fun of him. He said to them, "You try to make men think you are all right. But God knows your hearts. What men think is fine, God hates." - Luke 16:13-15, Worldwide English New Testament
"Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." - Proverbs 30:7-9
"Prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue." "Why should a man be in love with his fetters, though of gold?" "Riches are a good handmaid, but the worst mistress." - Francis Bacon
"Money, it turned out, was exactly like sex, you thought of nothing else if you didn't have it and thought of other things if you did." - James Baldwin
Measure wealth not by the things you have, but by the things you have for which you would not take money.
"God shows his contempt for wealth by the kind of person He selects to receive it." - Austin O'Malley
"Nobody is as bored as the rich, for money buys time, and time is repetitive." - Joseph Brodsky, "In Praise of Boredom"
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, chapter 1
Weariness:
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30
Wickedness:
"The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble." - Proverbs 5:19
"Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith; remove the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness." - Proverbs 25:4-5
Wisdom:
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall." - Matthew 7:24-27
At that time Jesus answered and said, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes." - Matthew 11:25
"Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed. By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew." - Proverbs 3:13-20
"The fear of the Lord -- that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding." - Job 28:28
"Wisdom is knowledge put to the test and practiced." - James McManus
"The true prophet is not he who peers into the future but he who reads and reveals the present." - Eric Hoffer, The Passionate State of Mind
"The wise through excess of wisdom is made a fool." - Emerson, Essays xiv. Experience
"No man was ever wise by chance." - Seneca
"The only infallible criterion of wisdom to vulgar judgments - success." - Edmund Burke
"Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise." - Francis Bacon
"He who in his youth was unwise but who later found wisdom, he sheds a light over the world like the moon when free from clouds. He who overcomes the evil he once did with the good he has afterwards done, he sheds a light over the world like the moon when free from clouds." - Dhammapada 172-3
Wit:
"Brevity is the soul of wit." - Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 2, scene 2
Women:
"The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is 'What does a woman want?'" - Sigmund Freud
"If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning." - Aristotle Onassis
Worry:
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" - Matthew 6:27
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:33-34
"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." - Luke 12:6-7, King James Version
Then turning to his disciples, Jesus said, "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. For life consists of far more than food and clothing. Look at the ravens. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not! And if worry can't do little things like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith! And don't worry about food--what to eat and drink. Don't worry whether God will provide it for you. These things dominate the thoughts of most people, but your Father already knows your needs. He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern." - Luke 12:22-31, New Living Translation
Worship:
"God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." - John 4:24
Writing:
"Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man and writing an exact man." - Francis Bacon
Youth:
"Young men are fitter to invent than to judge, fitter for execution than for counsel, and fitter for new projects than for settled business." - Francis Bacon
I would like to give credit to my Uncle James McManus, who first encouraged me to start a filing system which would allow me to keep facts and quotes in good order. Uncle Jim's files gave me my first batch of quotes, and I've used some of them here.