Sedulia's Quotations

Jiri Kratochvil: We are all emigrants from the Kingdom of Heaven

We are all emigrants.... Emigrants from the Kingdom of Heaven, and we all run the devil knows where, while God sets the hounds of His Godly will on us, blocks our way with the barbed wire barricades of His grace, and shoots at us with the machine guns of His Godly love.

       --Czech writer Jiri Kratochvil in German translation of his book Uprostered Nocai Zpe'ev, Inmitte der Nacht Gesang [Song in the middle of the night], cited in English by Anita Desai in The Writing Life: Writers On How They Think And Work (2003), ed. Maria Arana

Alle sind wir Emigranten....Emigranten aus dem Reich Gottes, und alle laufen wir weiss der Teufel wohin, während Gott die Schäferhunde Seiner Gottlichen Absichten hinter uns herjagt, uns die Stacheldraht-Barrikaden Seiner Gnade in den Weg stellt und aus der Maschinenpistole Seiner Gottlichen Liebe auf uns schiesst.

The future lies before us-- a fair page

Past and Future

The past is lost to us—the book is sealed,

By mortal ne'er to be unclosed again;

The past is gone—beyond all human power

To change the record of but one short hour,

Though since repented of in tears and pain.

The future lies before us—a fair page,

Whereon 'tis ours to write whate'er we will!

Then let us pause in case our careless hand

Shall make a stain which will forever stand,

Through endless time a silent witness still.

'Tis not enough to keep the pages pure,

And let them ever but a blank remain;

Each leaf in turn should on its surface bear

Some writing that shall stand out clear and fair,

To prove our lives have not been spent in vain.

 

        --Anonymous

Natalia Vodianova: Money can't buy happiness, but only rich people know that.

Money can't buy happiness, but only rich people know that.

       --Natalia Vodianova (1982- ), Tatler, March 2010

Prayers from King's College Chapel, Cambridge University

O Lord Jesus Christ, who hast created and redeemed me, and hast brought me into that which now I am; thou knowest what thou wouldst do with me; do with me according to thy will, for thy tender mercy's sake. Amen.

      --Prayer of King Henry VI of England, founder of King's College, Cambridge University

Let the light of truth, and the help of grace, be vital principles of action in us; that we may, in the time of life, attain the ends for which we live; and that our religion, which begins in knowledge, may proceed in action, settle in temper, and end in happiness: that we may make it the work and business of our lives, to reconcile the temper of our spirits to the rule of righteousness; and to incorporate the principles of religion into the complexion of our minds; that what we attribute to God, as his moral excellencies and perfections; we may propose to our selves, as matter of practice and imitation; (s)o that what is our best employment in this world, and will be our only employment in the next, may be our free choice, and our transcendent pleasure. Amen.

   --Prayer of Benjamin Whichcote (1609-1683), provost 1644-1660

O Lord and King, who art full of compassion, God of the spirits of all flesh, in whose hand are the souls of the living and the dead, receive, we beseech thee, in thy great loving-kindness the soul of our brother who hath been gathered unto his people. Have mercy upon him; pardon all his transgressions; for there is none righteous upon the earth, who doeth only good, and sinneth not. Remember unto him the righteousness which he wrought, and let his reward be with him, and his recompense before him. Shelter his soul in the shadow of thy wings. Make known to him the path of life: in thy presence is fulness [sic] of joy; at thy right hand, bliss for evermore.

O Lord, who healest the broken-hearted and bindest up their wounds, grant thy consolation unto the mourners. Strengthen and support them in the day of their grief and sorrow; and remember them for a long and good life. Put into their hearts the fear and love of thee, that they may serve thee with a perfect heart; and let their latter end be peace. Amen.

    --"A Hebrew Prayer for the Dead"

Welsh proverbs

A ddarleno ystyried.

Let him who reads reflect.

A ddialo air hagr, rhoed ated têg.

To revenge a harsh word, give a gentle reply.

A ddwg angeu nid adfur.

What death takes it will not restore.

A ddywedo pawb, gwir yw.

What everyone says is true.

A elwir yn gall a gais fod yn gall.

He who is called wise will seek to be wise.

A fo gâr iddo ei hun a gaiff pob un arall yn gâr iddo.

He who is his own friend will have the friendship of others.

A fo ysgawn galon, ef a gân.

The light-hearted will sing.

A fyno barch, bid gadarn.

A fyno Duw derffid.

A fyno ei fodd porthed amynedd.

A fyno wrandaw, bid gymhan.

A fyno flaenori, bid wybodgar.

A fyno glod, bid farw.

A fyno iechyd, bid lawen.

A gano yn y gwely, a gria cyn cysgu.

A garer ac a gasêir a welir o bell.

A ystyrio, gwnaed.

Adail dedwydd yn ddiddos.

Adar o'r unlliw a hedant i'r unlle.

Adar y nos.

Adfyd a bair i rai edrych o'u dentu.

Adfyd a phall a wnant ddyn yn gall.

Adwaen laeth can nis dyfnwyf.

Addaw y môr a'r mynydd.

Addef y tewi.

Ail natur yw greddf aferiad.

Allan o olwg, allan o feddwl.

Am y tywydd goven tewi.

Aml bai lle ni charer. 

Aml gnoc a dyr y garreg.

Amlwg câs a chariad.

Ammod a dyr ddefod.

Anaml lles o rodio'r nos.

Angen a dyr ddeddf.

Anghwanegid mefl mawrair.

Ar ddiwedd y mae barrui.

Ar ni roddo a garo, ni chaiff a ddymano.

Arf glew yn ei galon

Arglwydd gwan gwae ei was.

Asgre lân diogel ei pherchern.

Ateb araf gan ddysgedig.

Blwyddyn o eira, blwyddyn o lawndra.

Bo tynaf bo y llinyn cyntaf y tyrri.

Bum gall unwaith, hyny oedd llefain pan ym ganed.

I was wise once, that was in crying when I was born.

Byr ei hun, hir ei hoedl.

       --I copied these proverbs from an old book many years ago at Sterling Library. The book was at least a hundred years old then. Unfortunately I did not write down its name, or have time to write down all the translations. If anyone knows the rest of the translations, could you send them in? They would be much appreciated. 

The letters in red are the ones I was not sure of when reading my old handwriting.

Manzoni: The most careful and innocent behavior is not enough to keep troubles away

"I have learned," [Renzo] said, "not to get involved in riots; I have learned not to preach in the square; I have learned to watch whom I speak with; I've learned not to drink too much; I've learned not to lift the doorknocker when there are people inside with hot heads; I've learned not to kick a doorbell before thinking what could happen;  and a hundred other things."

But Lucia, although she did not find this doctrine wrong in itself, was not satisfied; it seemed to her, although confusedly, as if something were missing. After hearing the same song repeated, and wondering every time-- "And I?" -- she said one day to her moralist, "What do you think we have learned? I did not go looking for trouble; it's trouble that came for me. Unless I mean," she added, smiling softly, "that my mistake was to love you, and promise myself to you."

After a long debate and thinking it over together, they concluded that troubles come rather often, because there are causes for them; but that the most careful and innocent behavior was not enough to keep them far away; and that when they come, with or without fault, the faith in God makes them easier to bear, and makes them useful for a better life. This conclusion, although found by poor people, seems so fair that we have decided to put it here, as the juice of the the entire story.

     --Renzo and Lucia, the hero and heroine, after going through many perils and hardships, at the end of The Betrothed [I Promessi Sposi] by Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873)

Ho imparato, - diceva, - a non mettermi ne' tumulti: ho imparato a non predicare in piazza: ho imparato a guardare con chi parlo: ho imparato a non alzar troppo il gomito: ho imparato a non tenere in mano il martello delle porte, quando c'è lì d'intorno gente che ha la testa calda: ho imparato a non attaccarmi un campanello al piede, prima d'aver pensato quel che possa nascere -. E cent'altre cose.

Lucia però, non che trovasse la dottrina falsa in sé, ma non n'era soddisfatta; le pareva, così in confuso, che ci mancasse qualcosa. A forza di sentir ripetere la stessa canzone, e di pensarci sopra ogni volta, - e io, - disse un giorno al suo moralista, - cosa volete che abbia imparato? Io non sono andata a cercare i guai: son loro che sono venuti a cercar me. Quando non voleste dire, - aggiunse, soavemente sorridendo, - che il mio sproposito sia stato quello di volervi bene, e di promettermi a voi.

Dopo un lungo dibattere e cercare insieme, conclusero che i guai vengono bensì spesso, perché ci si è dato cagione; ma che la condotta più cauta e più innocente non basta a tenerli lontani; e che quando vengono, o per colpa o senza colpa, la fiducia in Dio li raddolcisce, e li rende utili per una vita migliore. Questa conclusione, benché trovata da povera gente, c'è parsa così giusta, che abbiam pensato di metterla qui, come il sugo di tutta la storia.

John Demos: Beyond a certain point... they'll call you a witch

It's good or evil, it's black and white, it's either you're with us or you're against us....A defining attribute of witch-hunting is the way the momentum builds. It's very hard to stop beyond a certain point-- because beyond a certain point, if you say "Stop!" they'll call you a witch.

    --John Putnam Demos, in an interview about his book The Enemy Within: 2,000 Years of Witch-hunting in the Western World

       

Li Shimin: When you use antiquity as a mirror, you can see prosperity and decline

When you use bronze as a mirror,  you can straighten your clothes and hat. When you use antiquity as a mirror, you can see the waxing and waning. When you use a person as a mirror, you can know if you grasp things or not. Wei Zheng is gone;  I have lost my mirror.

     --Li Shimin 李世民, who became Tang dynasty emperor Taizong 唐太宗 (599-649), about his minister Wei Zheng 魏徵 (580-643). Tang Taizong is considered among the greatest rulers in Chinese history.

人以銅為鏡，可以正衣冠，以古為鏡，可以見興替，以人為鏡，可以知得失。魏徵沒，朕亡一鏡矣。

De Quincey: Children look with more searching gaze than adults

Into all the elementary feelings of man, children look with more searching gaze than adults.

  --Thomas De Quincey (1785-1859) in Suspiria de Profundis (1845)

Anderson Cooper on the real privilege

I grew up in a privileged environment, but to me the greatest privilege was at a very early age realizing that what a lot of people think they want, what a lot of people are aiming for-- ultimately, they will be just as miserable as everybody else. Once you realize that, it's sort of freeing.

     --Anderson Cooper (1967- )in Outside magazine, May 2008, interviewed by Patrick Symmes