Many / One

A database of 11,000+ illuminated guiding quotations in 40 categories from 600+ inspired books by our most brilliant and influential authors.
Compiled by JoAnn Kite

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I Ching or The Book of Changes
Richard Wilhelm, translator
From the Foreward by C G Jung: "Like a part of nature, it (the I Ching) waits until it is discovered. It offers neither facts nor power, but for lovers of self-knowledge, of wisdom, it seems to be the right book."

1 "Water flows to unite with water, because all parts of it are subject to the same laws. So too should human society hold together through a community of interests that allows each individual to feel himself a member of a whole."

2 "On the basis of all-embracing wisdom, the regulations springing from a love of the world can be so shaped that all goes well for everyone and no mistakes are made."

3 "Synchronicity takes the coincidence of events in space and time as meaning something more than mere chance, namely, a peculiar interdependence of objective events among themselves as well as with the subjective (psychic) states of the observer or observers." C. G. Jung

4 "The tao [way] of the universe is indeed kindness and wisdom."

5 "In the words and deeds of the past there lies hidden a treasure that men may use to strengthen and elevate their own characters."

6 "That is truly great power which does not degenerate into mere force but remains inwardly united with the fundamental principles of right and of justice. When we understand this point – namely, that greatness and justice must be indissolubly united – we understand the true meaning of all that happens in heaven and on earth."

7 "If one is sincere when confronted with difficulties, the heart can penetrate the meaning of the situation. And once we have gained inner mastery of a problem, it will come about naturally that the action we take will succeed."

8 "The original impulses of the heart are always good, so that we may follow them confidently."

9 "If intellect and will are correctly centered, the emotional life takes on harmony."

10 "Self-knowledge does not mean preoccupation with one's own thoughts; rather, it means concern about the effects one creates. It is only the effects our lives produce that give us the right to judge whether what we have done means progress or regression."

11 "True kindness does not count upon nor ask about merit and gratitude but acts from inner necessity. And such a truly kind heart finds itself rewarded in being recognized, and thus the beneficent influence will spread unhindered."

12 "In the last analysis the world is a system of homogeneous relationships – it is a cosmos, not a chaos. This belief is the foundation of Chinese philosophy, as of all philosophy."

13 "Man is provided with the means of shaping his own nature, so that his inborn potentialities for good can be completely realized."

14 "What is required is that we unite with others, in order that all may complement and aid one another through holding together."

15 "When two people are at one in their inmost hearts, they shatter even the strength of iron or of bronze. And when two people understand each other in their inmost hearts, their words are sweet and strong, like the fragrance of orchids." Confucius

16 "Underlying reality there is a world of archetypes, and reproductions of these make up the real things in the material world. The world of archetypes is heaven, the world of reproductions is the earth: there energy, here matter; there the Creative, here the Receptive. But it is the same tao [way] that is active both in the Creative and in the Receptive."

17 "Experience teaches that at the dawn of consciousness one stands already inclosed within definite, prepotent systems of relationships."

18 "Words go forth from one's own person and exert their influence on men. Deeds are born close at hand and become visible far away."

19 "The benevolent will of God…desires only good and not evil."

20 "Through hardness and selfishness the heart grows rigid, and this rigidity leads to separation from all others. Egotism and cupidity isolate men. Therefore the hearts of men must be seized by a devout emotion. They must be shaken by a religious awe in face of eternity – stirred with an intuition of the One Creator of all living beings, and united through the strong feeling of fellowship."

21 "However men may differ in disposition and in education, the foundations of human nature are the same in everyone. And every human being can draw from the inexhaustible wellspring of the divine in man's nature."

22 "It is only when we have the courage to face things exactly as they are, without any sort of self-deception or illusion, that a light will develop out of events, by which the path to success may be recognized."

23 "Whenever a feeling is voiced with truth and frankness, whenever a deed is the clear expression of sentiment, a mysterious and far-reaching influence is exerted. At first it acts on those who are inwardly receptive. But the circle grows larger and larger."

24 "Whatever a man possesses through the strength of his own nature cannot be lost."

This body of quotes compiled by JoAnn Kite