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Quote by Sydney J. Harris

“Why do so many people yearn for an eternal life when they don't even know what to do with themselves in this brief one?”

Quote by Sydney J. Harris

Book:Majority of one

Work

Majority of one

This book delves into the complexities of personal identity and the influence of societal norms on individual choices and beliefs. more

Author

Sydney J. Harris

Sydney J. Harris was an American journalist renowned for his wit and incisive commentary. Born on September 14, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois, he passed away on December 8, 1986. Harris was a prominent figure in journalism, particularly for his newspaper columns. more

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“What the ordinary person means by a 'miracle' is some gross distortion or suspension of the laws of nature... but life itself strikes him as commonplace, when in truth a blade of grass or a neuron in the brain is a greater miracle.”

Mean Persons Law Brain Greater Ordinary Miracle Strikes Grass Gross Blades Laws Of Nature Commonplace Distortion Neurons Suspension Blades Of Grass Ordinary Person

Book:Best of Sydney J. Harris

Source: Best of Sydney J. Harris

“Any creed whose basic doctrines do not include respect for the creeds of others, is simply power politics masquerading as philosophy.”

Philosophy Doctrine Creeds Power Politics

Book:Best of Sydney J. Harris

Source: Best of Sydney J. Harris

“We truly possess only what we are able to renounce; otherwise, we are simply possessed by our possessions.”

Able Possession Possessed Renounce

Book:Best of Sydney J. Harris

Source: Best of Sydney J. Harris

“Western civilization has not yet learned the lesson that the energy we expend in 'getting things done' is less important than the moral strength it takes to decide what is worth doing and what is right to do.”

Important Done Energy Moral Civilization Lessons Western Priorities Things Done Western Civilization Getting Things Done Moral Strength

Book:Best of Sydney J. Harris

Source: Best of Sydney J. Harris

“The loner may be respected, but he is always resented by his colleagues, for he seems to be passing a critical judgment on them, when he may be simply making a limiting statement about himself.”

May Seems Solitude Judgment Critical Statements Passing Passings Colleagues Loner

Book:Clearing the ground

Source: Clearing the ground

“Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament is something you are born with and can only slightly modify.”

Character Born Temperament

Book:Clearing the ground

Source: Clearing the ground

“It is faith, and not reason, which impels men to action... Intelligence is content to point out the road, but never drives us along it.”

Men Reason Action Faith

Author:Alexis Carrel

“Essays, entitled critical, are epistles addressed to the public, through which the mind of the recluse relieves itself of its impressions.”

Mind Criticism Critics Critical Impression Entitled Essays Recluse

Book:Margaret Fuller: Essays on American Life and Letters

Source: Margaret Fuller: Essays on American Life and Letters

“Proximity to the crowd, to the majority view, spells the death of creativity. For a soul can create only when alone, and some are chosen for the flowering that takes place in the dark avenues of night.”

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Book:A Passion for Truth

Source: A Passion for Truth

“God is everywhere or nowhere, the father of all people or of none, concerned about everything or nothing. Only in His presence shall we learn that the glory of humankind is not in its will to power but in its power of compassion.”

People Father Compassion Glory Concerned Humankind Will Power Helpfulness

Author:Abraham Joshua Heschel