Wise Sayings of "The Master of Believers," Ali ibn Abi Talib
To seek counsel is to go to the fountain of guidance
He who does not know his own worth is doomed to destruction Lead such a life, that, when you die, the people may mourn you, and while you are alive they long for your company.
A man's worth depends upon the nobility of his aspirations
Knowledge enlivens the soul
The learned lives, although he dies
The sum total of excellence is knowledge
To respect the learned is to respect God
Generosity hides shortcomings
People are asleep as long as they are alive; they are awakened when they die
A man's behavior is the index of his mind
Courtesy costs nothing but buys everything
Jealousy devours virtue as fire devours fuel
The tongue pierces deeper than the spear
He who purifies his heart from doubt is a believer
Silence is the best reply to a fool
The best speech is one that is short and reasonable
Speech is like a medicine, a small dose of which cures but an excess of which kills
He that has no courage has no religion
His grief is long whose hope is short
The right of freedom of speech consists in speaking the truth
To assist the wrong is to oppress the right
Right is the best argument
As a man's wisdom increases, so his desire to speak decreases
The greatest sin is the sin that the sinner considers to be ordinary
Contentment is the asset which is never exhausted
Governments are a trial for men
He who fights against the truth, the truth will defeat him
Finding fault in others is one's greatest fault
The best investment is one with which duties are performed
When God wants to humiliate a person He deprives him of knowledge
When your power increases, decrease your desires accordingly
Patience is to faith, what head is to the body, when patience goes, faith goes, when
head goes, the body goes
A good disposition is the best companion
Wisdom is the best friend
He who is aware of his own faults is oblivious of the faults of others
The advice of old men is dearer than the bravery of young men
Whatever harm accrues of silence can be remedied but whatever harm is done because
of speech cannot be remedied
He who does not take the middle course strays
He who trusts the world, the world betrays him
The one, who knows himself, knows his creator
The fear of God makes one secure
How can you rejoice this life that grows shorter each hour?
A world wide reputation can be undone by an hour's degradation
The best man among us is he who is most helpful to his fellow men
He who never corrects himself will never correct another
Listen and you will teach yourself: remain silent, and you risk nothing
Beware of backbiting it sows the seed of bitterness, and separates you from God and
man
The sin that displeases you is better in the view of Allah than the virtue that makes you
proud
The best truth is the keeping of promises
If you discipline a child, leave him room to turn away from his wrong action so that you
do not leave him with stubbornness as his only way out
The best response to a fool is silence.
