What is your favourite quotation ?

[Ron]

Hi Marino

Going back to that beautiful piece of poetry by Primo Levi, I thought you might like to see the paragraph compared, word by word, with the Jewish "Shema"
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

Primo Levi writes:

Consider that this has been:
I command these words to you.
Engrave them on your hearts
When you are in your house, when you walk on your way,
When you go to bed, when you rise,
Repeat them to your children.

Whereas Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says:

And these words, that I command you this day, shall be in your heart.
And you shall teach them diligently to your children
And you shall speak of them when you sit in your home
And when you walk along the way
And when you lie down
And when when you rise up.

Ciao

ron

[PeterG]

A little philosophy inclined man's mind to atheism, but depth of philosophy bringers a man's mind about to religion.

Sir Francis Bacon
Maria aka refolo

Maria

Both Hume and Spinoza, two of the very greatest philosophers, were atheists. So were Bertrand Russell and Ayer and, contrary to what many books trot out and others have come to believe, so was the great Albert Einstein.

I wouldn't place too much weight on what Bacon had to say. He was an original thinker, true, but hardly in the ranks of those I have mentioned.

Peter

[PeterG]

II have only just seen this fascinating thread. Forgive me for returning to 17 January and the original quotation, in particular the first line:

If I am not for myself, then who will be for me?

To me, the quotation has always meant the following:

If I fail to have confidence in myself, why should I expect this of others?

To me that line means:

"If I do not stand up for myself, why should I expect others to stand up for me?"

"aiutati che il Ciel t'aiuta" , quoted by Babatriestina, captures this - but the saying comes from Aesop (550 BC) "The gods help them that help themselves".

Peter

[refolo]

With all the English quotation, the most of which I do remember after
Sir Richard F. Burton translated the 1000 and one nights in English and eventually did as well the Kamasutra?????????? which he turned the English people in turmoil? ( you should see what they made out of it....... a box of chocolate with the complete figurines! it was giving to my husband for his Birthday!)

wearing during the day a Kaftan's- his wife pretending to be Oriental? the
words of infamous sex related? he was accused to be by-sexual?
He introduce very shame full quotation which was suppressed but
very famous Francis Bacon., I think one pinched from the other.

SOME BOOKS ARE TO BE TASTED, OTHERS TO BE SWALLOWED AND SOME FEW TO BE CHEWED AND DIGESTED

Maria aka Refolo

[Larry]

Mine has to be two phrases: What is this life, if full of care.
One has no time to stand and stare.

and : 'Tomorrow will be yesterday the same as yesterday was today when today was tomorrow'.
Don't ask!!!
Larry

[Larry]

PeterG quotes from Aesop ; 'The gods help those who help themselves'. I can recall that phrase from many years ago when I saw it on a notice in a shop. It ran like this:
"God helps those who help themselves but God help you if we catch you helping yourself to something from this shop"
Larry (the lamb who says this should be displayed in everfy shop in England today!!)