The Good Book_ A Secular Bible - A. C. Grayling [224]
5. They that will steal an egg will steal an ox.
6. Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape.
7. To make thieves honest, trust them.
Chapter 139: Thought
1. A moment’s thinking is an hour in words.
2. A thought can take you prisoner.
3. If people thought more they would act less.
4. Think today, speak tomorrow.
5. There is no harvest of thought without a seed-time of character.
6. Our thoughts are often worse than we are.
7. A human is merely a reed, the weakest in nature; but a thinking reed.
Chapter 140: Time
1. Time subdues all things.
2. An inch of time cannot be bought by an inch of gold.
3. There is a time to fish, and a time to dry nets.
4. A little time is enough to hatch a great mischief.
5. As well have no time as make no good use of it.
6. Present time lost is all time lost.
7. Lost time is never found.
8. Nothing treads so silently as the foot of time.
9. In time the savage bull bears the yoke.
10. Time flies but leaves its shadow.
11. Time has a taming hand.
12. Time heals sorrow.
13. Time is the rider that breaks youth.
14. Time wasted is existence, time used is life.
15. To choose time is to save time.
16. Those who use time worst most complain of its brevity.
17. Time is the wisest of all counsellors.
18. There is no appeal from time past.
Chapter 141: Truth
1. Truth is often paradoxical.
2. Better suffer for truth than prosper by falsehood.
3. To withhold truth is to bury gold.
4. All great truths begin as blasphemies.
5. A truth-teller finds all doors closed.
6. A lie travels round the world while truth is still tying its shoes.
7. Not all truths should be told.
8. Craft needs clothes, but truth loves to go naked.
9. Face to face the truth comes out.
10. Half the truth is often a great lie.
11. He who finds a truth lights a torch.
12. Truth gives wings to strength.
13. The truth explains everything.
14. In too much disputing the truth is lost.
15. To fool the world, tell the truth.
16. Truth is heavy; few can bear it.
17. Truth may languish but can never perish.
Chapter 142: Virtue
1. Where there is no virtue there is no liberty.
2. Virtue is not hereditary.
3. Virtue never grows old.
4. Virtue and sense are one.
5. In justifying itself virtue debases itself.
6. Virtue is sufficient for happiness.
7. Conquer by virtue.
8. Virtue is praised, and starves.
9. Virtue overcomes envy.
10. Poverty does not destroy virtue, nor does prosperity bestow it.
Chapter 143: War
1. War can only breed war.
2. The first blow is as much as two.
3. Few die well who die in battle.
4. There was never a good war or a bad peace.
5. War is death’s feast.
6. To die or conquer are the terms of war.
7. War devours the brave and spares the coward.
8. War seeks its victims among the young.
9. There is little reason in arms.
10. War is sweet to those who have not experienced it.
11. When war rages, the laws are dumb.
12. After a war many heroes present themselves.
Chapter 144: Wisdom
1. A flow of words is no proof of wisdom.
2. The doors of wisdom are never shut.
3. It is sometimes wisdom to seem a fool.
4. Wisdom asks fruit, folly asks flowers.
5. Wisdom does not always go by years.
6. The wise seek wisdom, the fool has found it.
7. The wise hide their wisdom, the fool displays his folly.
8. One’s chief wisdom consists in knowing one’s weakness.
9. In youth and beauty wisdom is rare.
10. The wise are beyond harm.
11. All countries are home to the wise.
12. They are wise enough who have enough wit for their own affairs.
13. They seem wise who thrive.
14. We are wiser than we know.
15. No one is wise all the time.
16. It is easier to be wise for others than for oneself.
17. The wise are strong.
18. The wise learn many things from their foes.
19. No one is wise enough alone.
20. No one is the only wise one.
Chapter 145: Youth
1. Green wood makes a hot fire.
2. Youth is the fever of reason.
3. Youth is drunkenness without wine.
4. Reckless youth makes rueful age.
5. If youth knew; if age could.