The Good Book_ A Secular Bible - A. C. Grayling [213]
8. Who delays, gathers.
Chapter 51: Desire
1. Desire has no rest.
2. First deserve, then desire.
3. They begin to die who cease to desire.
4. Desire often outlives performance.
5. The fewer desires, the more peace.
6. We live in our desires, not in our achievements.
7. People are led by their desires like a horse in halter.
8. There is no desire for what is unknown.
9. We most desire what we ought not to have.
Chapter 52: Despair.
1. Despair is an evil counsellor.
2. Despair and boldness both banish fear.
3. Despair ruins some, presumption ruins many.
4. To despair of winning is to assure defeat.
5. Despair doubles strength.
6. Despair often wins battles.
Chapter 53: Difficulty
1. Who accounts all things easy will have many difficulties.
2. Everything is difficult before it is easy.
3. Difficulty is the daughter of idleness.
4. A difficulty is a light; an impossibility is the sun.
5. Many things difficult to design are easy in performance.
6. Nothing is too difficult to a willing mind.
7. It is difficulties that show what men are.
8. Even easy things become difficult when done reluctantly.
9. The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory.
Chapter 54: Disease
1. Diseases are the tax on ill pleasures.
2. A disease will have its course.
3. Each season has its own disease.
4. Who was never ill dies the first fit.
5. Sickness comes on horseback, but goes away on foot.
6. Sickness is felt, health not at all.
7. There is no curing the sick who believe themselves well.
8. No one is ever untouched by disease and sorrow.
9. Meet the disease on its way.
10. To hide disease is fatal.
11. The beginning of health is to know the disease.
Chapter 55: Doubt
1. An honest person can never surrender an honest doubt.
2. Who doubts nothing knows nothing.
3. The wise are prone to doubt.
Chapter 56: Dreams
1. All men of action are dreamers.
2. Foolish people have foolish dreams.
3. Love’s dreams seldom come true.
4. None thrive for long on the happiest dreams.
5. The more people dream, the less they believe.
Chapter 57: Drunkenness
1. Liquor talks loud when it escapes the jug.
2. The best cure for drunkenness is to see a drunk.
3. A drunkard can soon be made to dance.
4. Let drunkards alone and they will fall by themselves.
5. What is in the sober person’s heart is on the drunkard’s tongue.
6. Drunkenness is voluntary madness.
Chapter 58: Eating
1. One must eat though every tree were a gallows.
2. Better bide the cook than the doctor.
3. More have been killed by suppers than cured by doctors.
4. Eat, and welcome; fast, and heartily welcome.
5. Eat enough, and it will make you wise.
6. Who feasts every day never makes a good meal.
7. The laziest are never lazy at board.
8. It is good to be merry at meat.
9. The sincerest love is the love of food.
10. To lengthen life, lessen meals.
11. Stop short of your appetite.
12. Unquiet meals make unquiet digestions.
13. We never repent at eating too little.
14. Who would eat the kernel must break the shell.
15. Who eats too much does not know how to eat.
16. The rich eat when they will, the poor when they can.
Chapter 59: Education
1. People may be educated beyond their intelligence.
2. Better build schoolrooms for the child than prisons for the adult.
3. Genius without education is like silver in the moon.
4. There is nothing so worthwhile as an instructed mind.
5. The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil.
6. What sculpture is to marble, education is to the mind.
7. Nature is stronger than education.
8. Too much education can hinder as greatly as too little.
9. Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.
10. The foundation of society is the education of youth.
11. Only the educated are free.
12. Education leads to treasure.
13. Only the ignorant despise education.
Chapter 60: Enemies
1. No one is without enemies.
2. An enemy’s mouth seldom speaks well.
3. Even from a foe one may learn wisdom.
4. The wise dread their enemies.
5. One enemy