"Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others."

Socrates

"What thou avoidest suffering thyself seek not to impose on others."

Epictetus

"Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself."

Confucious

"Do unto others what you would have them do unto you."

Jesus

"Choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself."

Baha'u'llah

"That which you want for yourself, seek for mankind."

Muhummed

Jesus' version, while commendable, is flawed. Do you really want a masochistic monk to treat you as he likes to be treated? What about your neighbour's cockerels crowing at 5am each morning, want more of that? And if a Moslem seeks martyrdom, should he impose it upon you? All these people meant well but the negative versions are best.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn in Jericho and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have."

Luke 10 verses 25-37

Stangely, Matthew, Mark and John didn't mention the above, but who cares? It is a wonderful tale of compassion that needs to be told and retold.

THROWING STONES

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

King James Version: John 53: 1-11

The above passage from John clearly was not spoken by Jesus because it appears in none of the early manuscripts. It was forged and interpolated centuries after the original 'canon' was closed, but regardless of who wrote it, it remains one of the finest and wisest passages in the entire Bible. This passage, and the above, are ALL that is needed to save life on planet Earth and make life here harmonious and pleasant. Everything else is an also-ran.

GOOD CAUSES and BELIEVERS

"Whoever recommends and helps a good cause shall have a share in its blessings, and whoever helps an evil cause shall be answerable for his part in it. For God watches over all things."

The Qur'an 4:85

"If it had been the will of your Lord that all the people of the world should be believers, all the people of the earth would have believed! Would you then compel mankind against their will to believe?"

The Qur'an 10:99

LOVE, PEACE, TRUTH and COMPASSION

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself."

Leviticus 19:18

The Excellence of Love If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13(New American Standard Bible) Interesting to note that the King James Version doesn't mention love. It speaks of charity but not love.

"All you need is LOVE!"

The Beatles

"All we are saying is Give Peace a Chance!"

The Beatles

"Just Gimmee some Truth now..."

John Lennon

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

Dalai Lama

"Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh, and the greatness which does not bow before children."

Kahil Gibran

Imagine there's no Heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one John Lennon

ZEN

A young girl who became pregnant out of wedlock falsely identified Master Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768) as the father. Hakuin said only "Is that so?" When the child was born Hakuin cared for it as lovingly as if it was his own until the girl finally admitted that she had lied. When the girl's parents apologized and begged forgiveness, Hakuin said, "Is that so?"

"I believe in God, only I spell it Nature."

Frank Lloyd Wright

"To the dull mind nature is leaden. To the illumined mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light."

Thomas Eddison

"The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live."

Elbert Hubbard

"To live is to be born every minute. Death occurs when birth stops."

Eric Fromm

"The aim of Zen training is to attain the state of consciousness which occurs when the individual ego is emptied of itself and becomes identified with the infinite reality of all things."

Anne Bancroft

"What really matters is not eternal life, what really matters is eternal vivacity-y-y-y!"

Nietzsche

"What we call reality is an agreement that people have arrived at to make life more livable."

Louise Nevelson

"Humankind cannot bear very much reality."

T.S. Elliot

"The way that can be told is not the eternal way."

Lao Tzu

"All that we know is nothing, we are merely crammed wastepaper baskets, unless we are in touch with that which laughs at all our knowing."

D.H. Lawrence

"Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."

Albert Einstein

"I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance."

Socrates

"We are here and it is now. Further than that all human knowledge is moonshine."

H.L. Mencken

"Imagination is more important that knowledge."

Albert Einstein

"We know too much and feel too little."

Bertrand Russell

"Penetrating so many secrets, we cease to believe in the unknowable. But there it sits, calmly licking its chops."

H.L. Mencken

"My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure out what I'm doing right."

Charles M. Schulz