Tao Te Ching

The Power of Goodness, the Wisdom Beyond Words
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Solomon ibn Gabirol שלמה בן יהודה אבן גבירול

(Avicebron)

1021 – 1070 CE

The greatest poet of his age, a Jew for over 600 years regarded by Moslems as a Muslim and by Christians as a Christian, believed a Christian by William of Auvergne who called him “the noblest of all philosophers;” Gabirol grew up in hardship and wandered for years in such poverty that “a fly could now bear me up with ease.” A huge influence on both Christianity and Islam, he championed reason over faith, compiled a book of proverbs independent from Judaism that included wisdom sayings from China, and wrote one of the greatest poems in all of Hebrew literature.

Eras

Sources

Choice of Pearls

Unlisted Sources

Quotes by Solomon ibn Gabirol (16 quotes)

“How shall one take vengeance on an enemy? By increasing one's good qualities.”

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“The soul of the poet is a most delicate instrument, extremely susceptible to everything that comes in contact with it.”

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“Poetry, philosophy, and science are 3 different manifestations of the same spiritual force searching for the solution to the riddle of existence; science looking from the physical point of view, philosophy from the mental side, and poetry trying to penetrate the mystery with its vision.”

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“Poetry, philosophy, and science are 3 different manifestations of the same spiritual force searching for the solution to the riddle of existence; science looking from the physical point of view, philosophy from the mental side, and poetry trying to penetrate the mystery with its vision.”

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“The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence”

from Choice of Pearls

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“There are three types of friends: those like food without which you can't live; those like medicine which you need occasionally; and those like an illness which you never want.”

from Choice of Pearls

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“At the heart of all understanding is realizing what is and what cannot be, accepting what is not in our power to change.”

from Choice of Pearls

Chapters: 27. No Trace

Themes: Letting Go

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“The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones.”

from Choice of Pearls

Themes: Patience

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“Seek what you need and give up what you need not. For in giving up what you don’t need, you’ll learn what you really do need.”

from Choice of Pearls

Themes: Less is More

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“As long as a word remains unspoken, you are its master; once you utter it, you are its slave.”

from Choice of Pearls

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“Man is wise only while in search of wisdom; when he imagines he has attained it, he is a fool.”

from Choice of Pearls

Chapters: 65. Simplicity: the Hidden Power of Goodness

Themes: Wisdom Illusion

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“Plan for this world as if you expect to live forever; but plan for the hereafter as if you expect to die tomorrow.”

from Choice of Pearls

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“If you want to keep something concealed from your enemy, don't disclose it to your friend.”

from Choice of Pearls

Themes: Inscrutable

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“Worry over what has not occurred is a serious malady.”

from Choice of Pearls

Themes: Here and Now

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“One is punished by the very things by which he sins.”

from Choice of Pearls

Themes: Punishment

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“Many men hoard for the future husbands of their wives.”

from Choice of Pearls

Themes: Greed Marriage

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Quotes about Solomon ibn Gabirol (0 quotes)

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