Quotes

Quotes about Present


The absent are never without fault. Nor the present without excuse.

Benjamin Franklin

Every egg represents 32 hours of jail for a chicken kept in a 3 ft by 1 ft cage, debeaked.

Art Margolis

Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present to live better in the future.

F. M. Wordsworth

Write down the advice of him who loves you, though you like it not at present.

Felix Proverb

In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.

Danny Devito

We live in the present, we dream of the future and we learn eternal truths from the past.

Madame Chiang Kai-shek

Present-moment living, getting in touch with your "now," is at the heart of effective living. When you think about it, there really is no other moment you can live. Now is all there is, and the future is just another present moment to live when it arrives. One thing is certain, you cannot live it until it does appear.

Wayne Dyer

Trials, temptations, disappointments—all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fiber of character but strengthen it. Every conquering temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.

James Buckham

The Ass and His Masters AN ASS, belonging to an herb-seller who gave him too little food and too much work made a petition to Jupiter to be released from his present service and provided with another master. Jupiter, after warning him that he would repent his request, caused him to be sold to a tile-maker. Shortly afterwards, finding that he had heavier loads to carry and harder work in the brick-field, he petitioned for another change of master. Jupiter, telling him that it would be the last time that he could grant his request, ordained that he be sold to a tanner. The Ass found that he had fallen into worse hands, and noting his master's occupation, said, groaning: It would have been better for me to have been either starved by the one, or to have been overworked by the other of my former masters, than to have been bought by my present owner, who will even after I am dead tan my hide, and make me useful to him. He that finds discontentment in one place is not likely to find happiness in another.

Aesop

The Apes and the Two Travelers TWO MEN, one who always spoke the truth and the other who told nothing but lies, were traveling together and by chance came to the land of Apes. One of the Apes, who had raised himself to be king, commanded them to be seized and brought before him, that he might know what was said of him among men. He ordered at the same time that all the Apes be arranged in a long row on his right hand and on his left, and that a throne be placed for him, as was the custom among men. After these preparations he signified that the two men should be brought before him, and greeted them with this salutation: What sort of a king do I seem to you to be, O strangers?' The Lying Traveler replied, You seem to me a most mighty king. And what is your estimate of those you see around me?' These, he made answer, are worthy companions of yourself, fit at least to be ambassadors and leaders of armies. The Ape and all his court, gratified with the lie, commanded that a handsome present be given to the flatterer. On this the truthful Traveler thought to himself, If so great a reward be given for a lie, with what gift may not I be rewarded, if, according to my custom, I tell the truth?' The Ape quickly turned to him. And pray how do I and these my friends around me seem to you?' Thou art, he said, a most excellent Ape, and all these thy companions after thy example are excellent Apes too. The King of the Apes, enraged at hearing these truths, gave him over to the teeth and claws of his companions.

Aesop

The Ant and the Grasshopper In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. Why not come and chat with me, said the Grasshopper, instead of toiling and moiling in that way? I am helping to lay up food for the winter, said the Ant, and recommend you to do the same. Why bother about winter? said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present. But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

Aesop

The Tortoise and the Eagle A tortoise, lazily basking in the sun, complained to the sea-birds of her hard fate, that no one would teach her to fly. An Eagle, hovering near, heard her lamentation and demanded what reward she would give him if he would take her aloft and float her in the air. I will give you, she said, all the riches of the Red Sea. I will teach you to fly then, said the Eagle; and taking her up in his talons he carried her almost to the clouds suddenly he let her go, and she fell on a lofty mountain, dashing her shell to pieces. The Tortoise exclaimed in the moment of death: I have deserved my present fate; for what had I to do with wings and clouds, who can with difficulty move about on the earth?' If men had all they wished, they would be often ruined.

Aesop

The Man and the Lion A man and a Lion traveled together through the forest. They soon began to boast of their respective superiority to each other in strength and prowess. As they were disputing, they passed a statue carved in stone, which represented a Lion strangled by a Man. The traveler pointed to it and said: See there! How strong we are, and how we prevail over even the king of beasts. The Lion replied: This statue was made by one of you men. If we Lions knew how to erect statues, you would see the Man placed under the paw of the Lion. One story is good, till another is told.

Aesop

The Sick Lion A lion, unable from old age and infirmities to provide himself with food by force, resolved to do so by artifice. He returned to his den, and lying down there, pretended to be sick, taking care that his sickness should be publicly known. The beasts expressed their sorrow, and came one by one to his den, where the Lion devoured them. After many of the beasts had thus disappeared, the Fox discovered the trick and presenting himself to the Lion, stood on the outside of the cave, at a respectful distance, and asked him how he was. I am very middling, replied the Lion, but why do you stand without? Pray enter within to talk with me. No, thank you, said the Fox. I notice that there are many prints of feet entering your cave, but I see no trace of any returning. He is wise who is warned by the misfortunes of others.

Aesop

The Vain Jackdaw Jupiter determined, it is said, to create a sovereign over the birds, and made proclamation that on a certain day they should all present themselves before him, when he would himself choose the most beautiful among them to be king. The Jackdaw, knowing his own ugliness, searched through the woods and fields, and collected the feathers which had fallen from the wings of his companions, and stuck them in all parts of his body, hoping thereby to make himself the most beautiful of all. When the appointed day arrived, and the birds had assembled before Jupiter, the Jackdaw also made his appearance in his many feathered finery. But when Jupiter proposed to make him king because of the beauty of his plumage, the birds indignantly protested, and each plucked from him his own feathers, leaving the Jackdaw nothing but a Jackdaw.

Aesop

Jupiter and the Monkey Jupiter issued a proclamation to all the beasts of the forest and promised a royal reward to the one whose offspring should be deemed the handsomest. The Monkey came with the rest and presented, with all a mother's tenderness, a flat-nosed, hairless, ill-featured young Monkey as a candidate for the promised reward. A general laugh saluted her on the presentation of her son. She resolutely said, I know not whether Jupiter will allot the prize to my son, but this I do know, that he is at least in the eyes of me his mother, the dearest, handsomest, and most beautiful of all.

Aesop

The Heifer and the Ox A heifer saw an Ox hard at work harnessed to a plow, and tormented him with reflections on his unhappy fate in being compelled to labor. Shortly afterwards, at the harvest festival, the owner released the Ox from his yoke, but bound the Heifer with cords and led him away to the altar to be slain in honor of the occasion. The Ox saw what was being done, and said with a smile to the Heifer: For this you were allowed to live in idleness, because you were presently to be sacrificed.

Aesop

Now let us thank th' eternal power, convinc'd That Heaven but tries our virtue by affliction: That oft the cloud which wraps the present hour, Serves but to brighten our future days!

John Brown (1)

Ama me fideliter! Fidem meam noto: De corde totaliter Et ex mente tota, Sum presentialiter Absens in remota." Lat: "Love me faithfully!/See how I am faithful:/With all my heart/And all my soul/I am with you/Though I am far away. - Carmina Burana, "Omnia Sol Temperat".

Rob Anonymous

It is disgraceful when the passers-by exclaim, "O ancient house! alas, how unlike is thy present master to thy former one." [Lat., Odiosum est enim, cum a praetereuntibus dicatur:--O domus antiqua, heu, quam dispari dominare domino.]

Cicero (Marcus Tullius Cicero)

Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist's metaphysical value-judgments. An artist recreates those aspects of reality which represent his fundamental view of man's nature.

Marcel Proust

Life a culmination of the past, an awareness of the present, an indication of the future beyond knowledge, the quality that gives a touch of divinity to matter.

Charles A. Lindbergh

Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief she is beautiful. •Sophia Loren Nothing's beautiful from every point of view. •Horace Beauty is the first present nature gives to women and the first it takes away. •George Brossin Méré ...It's a sort of bloom on a woman. If you have it you don't need to have anything else; and if you don't have it, it doesn't much matter what else you have. •James Matthew Barrie In every man's heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty. •Christopher Morley Beauty is power; a smile is its sword. •Charles Reade Beauty is only skin deep, but it's a valuable asset if you're poor or haven't any sense. •Kin Hubbard Beauty is not caused. It is. •Emily Dickinson Beauty is an outward gift which is seldom despised, except by those to whom it has been refused. •Edward Gibbon My heart that was rapt away by the wild cherry blossoms—will it return to my body when they scatter? •Kotomichi Beauty's tears are lovelier than her smile. •Campbell Champagne is the only wine a woman can drink and still remain beautiful. •Mme. de Pompadour Conceit is to nature what paint is to beauty; it is not only needless, but impairs what it would improve. •Pope Delusions are often functional. A mother's opinions about her children's beauty, intelligence, goodness, et cetera ad nauseam, keep her from drowning them at birth. •Lazarus Long Honesty coupled to beauty is to have honey a sauce to sugar. •Shakespeare It is good that the young are beautiful; it is the only advantage they have. •The Duchess of Windsor Love that has nothing but beauty to keep it in good health is short lived, and apt to have ague fits. •Erasmus The beautiful are never desolate, But someone always loves them. •Bailey Beauty, n: the power by which a woman charms a lover and terrifies a husband. •Ambrose Bierce Everything beautiful has its moment and then passes away. •Luis Cernuda Beauty without grace is the hook without the bait. •Ralph Waldo Emerson Plain women know more about men than beautiful ones do. But beautiful women don't need to know about men. It's the men who have to know about beautiful women. •Katherine Hepburn A bachelor never quite gets over the idea that he is a thing of beauty and a boy forever. •Helen Rowland There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness. •Countess of Blessington Truth exists for the wise, beauty for the feeling heart. •Johann von Schiller When a girl ceases to blush, she has lost the most powerful charm of her beauty. •Gregory I The average man is more interested in a woman who is interested in him than he is in a woman, any woman, with beautiful legs. •Marlene Dietrich Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. •John Keats I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin deep. That's deep enough. What do you want, an adorable pancreas? •Jean Kerr The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt. •Anonymous What ever beauty may be, it has for its basis order, and for its essence unity. •Father Andre Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference. •Aristotle I'm not ugly, but my beauty is a total creation. •Tyra Banks Exuberance is beauty. •William Blake Even with all my wrinkles! I am beautiful! •Bessie Delanay As soon as beauty is sought not from religion and love, but for pleasure, it degrades the seeker. •Ralph Waldo Emerson Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. •Kahlil Gibran Beauty is worse than wine, it intoxicates both the holder and beholder. •Immermann Beauty is a short-lived tyranny. •Socrates Beauty is the bait which with delight allures man to enlarge his kind.

Sophia Loren

Beauty is the first present nature gives to women and the first it takes away.

George Brossin Méré

Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind, which are delivered down from generation to generation, as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn.

Joseph Addison

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