Quotes by William Sage

“To live content with small means.To seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion.To be worthy not respectable, and wealthy not rich.To study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars, birds, babes, and sages with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never.In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.This is to be my symphony.””

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common – this is my symphony.””

“One impulse from a vernal wood May teach you more of man, Of moral evil and of good, Than all the sages can.””

“I am monarch of all I survey,My right there is none to dispute,From the centre all round to the sea,I am lord of the fowl and the brute.O solitude! Where are the charmsThat sages have seen in thy face?Better dwell in the midst of alarms,Than reign in this horrible place.””

“...To study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly ... to listen to stars and buds, to babes and sages, with open heart; await occasions, hurry never ... this is my symphony.””

“For the Stoics, however, the near impossibility of becoming a sage is not a problem. They talk about sages primarily so they will have a model to guide them in their practice of Stoicism. The sage is a target for them to aim at, even though they will probably fail to hit it. The sage, in other words, is to Stoicism as Buddha is to Buddhism. Most Buddhists can never hope to become as enlightened as Buddha, but nevertheless, reflecting on Buddha's perfection can help them gain a degree of enlightenment.””