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Famous Anonymous Quotes

“Whenever we talk about a pilot who has been killed in a flying accident, we should all keep one thing in mind. He called upon the sum of all his knowledge and made a judgment. He believed in it so strongly that he knowingly bet his life on it. That his judgment was faulty is a tragedy, not stupidity. Every instructor, supervisor, and contemporary who ever spoke to him had an opportunity to influence his judgment, so a little bit of all of us goes with every pilot we lose.”

“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and especially from the unfortunate habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject and at every opportunity. Release me from the idea that I must straighten out other peoples' affairs. With my immense treasure of experience and wisdom, it seems a pity not to let everybody partake of it. But thou knowest, Lord, that in the end I will need a few friends. Keep me from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point. Grant me the patience to listen to the complaints of others; help me to endure them with charity. But seal my lips on my own aches and pains -- they increase with the increasing years and my inclination to recount them is also increasing. I will not ask thee for improved memory, only for a little more humility and less self-assurance when my own memory doesn't agree with that of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong. Keep me reasonably gentle. I do not have the ambition to become a saint -- it is so hard to live with some of them -- but a harsh old person is one of the devil's masterpieces. Make me sympathetic without being sentimental, helpful but not bossy. Let me discover merits where I had not expected them, and talents in people whom I had not thought to possess any. And, Lord, give me the grace to tell them so. Amen”

“ما يصيب المسلم من نصب ولا وصب ولا همّ ولا حزن ولا أذى ولا غمّ - حتى الشوكة يشاكها - إلا كفّر الله بها مِن خطاياه No fatigue, disease, sorrow, sadness, hurt or distress befalls a Muslim - not even the prick he receives from a thorn - except that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 70, #545)”

“আমি অবশ্যই তোমাদেরকে পরীক্ষা করবো কিছু ভয়-ভীতি ও ক্ষুধা-অনাহার দ্বারা এবং জান-মাল ও ফল-ফসলাদির (ব্যবসা বাণিজ্য, চাকুরী ইত্যাদি) ক্ষতি দ্বারা। এরূপ অবস্থায় (যারা ধৈর্য্যর সাথে এসকল পরীক্ষায় উত্তীর্ণ হবে) তুমি সেই সব ধৈর্য্যশীলদের (জান্নাতের) সুসংবাদ দাও। (সূরা আল-বাকারা, ২ঃ১৫৫)”

“I could tell you a story. I could tell you a tale. I could spin my life, And make it sound so well. But then you wouldn’t understand my being. You wouldn’t catch my meaning. You wouldn’t understand what I was seeing. You wouldn’t see the beauty. The hurt, the smile, the love. You wouldn’t see it truly. So I’m not going to lie. I’m just going to let the time go by. Eventually you’ll get it. You’ll stop asking why. I’m not trying to be mean. I just want you to see what I’ve seen. Like watching it on a movie screen. Scene by scene. Tear by tear. Each and every fear. All of it, I want you to hear. Does this make me mad? Does it make me bad? Does it make you sad? Am I annoying you now? Would you like me to tell you how, It came to be this way? Sorry, but I don’t really think I should say. Because then you wouldn’t understand my being. You wouldn’t catch my meaning. You wouldn’t understand what I was seeing. You wouldn’t see the beauty. The hurt, the smile, the love. You wouldn’t see it truly. So I’m not going to lie. I’m just going to let the time go by. Eventually you’ll get it. You’ll stop asking why.”

“On top of old Smokey, All covered in snow, I lost my true lover By courting too slow. On top of old Smokey, I went there to weep For a false-hearted lover Is worse than a thief. For a thief he will rob you, And take what you have, But a false-hearted lover Will put you in your grave. They'll hug you and kiss you And tell you more lies Than cross ties on the railroad Or the stars in the skies. So come all you young maidens And listen to me: Never place your affections On a green willow tree, For the leaves they will whither And the roots will die, And you'll all be forsaken And never know why.”