Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles.
Interpretation
Self-mastery is more valuable than external victories.
This quote emphasizes the importance of internal growth and self-control over external achievements. It suggests that true success lies in overcoming one's own weaknesses and desires, rather than merely achieving victory over others.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal development.
Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
A kind man who makes good use of wealth is rightly said to possess a great treasure; but the miser who hoards up his riches will have no profit.
There are having flowers in Spring, breezes in Summer, moon in Autumn, snows in Winter. If there is nothing worrying over you, it will be the best seasons at all times.
Make an island of yourself, make yourself your refuge; there is no other refuge. Make truth your island, make truth your refuge; there is no other refuge.
When a wise man is advised of his errors, he will reflect on and improve his conduct. When his misconduct is pointed out, a foolish man will not only disregard the advice but rather repeat the same error.
The tongue like a sharp knife ... Kills without drawing blood.
Some people spend the day in complaining of a headache, and the night in drinking the wine that gives it.
I hear no one boast, that he hath a knowledge of the Scriptures, but that he owneth a Bible written in golden characters. And tell me then, what profiteth this? The Holy Scriptures were not given to us that we should enclose them in books, but that we should engrave them upon our hearts.
A more secret, sweet, and overpowering beauty appears to man when his heart and mind open to the sentiment of virtue.
Knock and it shall be opened.' But does knocking mean hammering and kicking the door like a maniac?
What care I if it be "wild and improbable" and "lacking in literary art"? I refuse to be any longer hampered by such canons of criticism. The one essential thing I demand of a book is that it should interest me. If it does, I forgive it every other fault.
He who knows how to be aggressive, and yet remains patient, becomes a receptacle for all of Nature's lessons.
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