The Jewish Wisdom Database

In seeking wisdom the first step is silence, the second: listening, the third: remembering, the fourth: practicing, the fifth: teaching others.

My friend is he who will tell me my faults, in private.

The test of good manners: to bear patiently with bad ones.

Let not a thousand friends seem too many in your eyes.

The fewer a man's words, the fewer his mistakes.

It is a serious disease to worry over what has not occurred.

A man without friends is like a left hand without a right.

A man who hates men is hated by them.

I find humility a greater help to me than all my fellow men.

Live as if you expect to live forever, but plan as if you expect to enter the hereafter tomorrow.

The beginning of wisdom is to desire it.

There is no truer index to intelligence than the way one acts at the table.

A tiny fly can choke a big man.

Your secret is your prisoner; once you reveal it, you become its slave.

A man of good sense guards his tongue and attends to his own affairs.

You may regret your silence once, but you will regret your speech twice.

Guard your tongue as you treasure your wealth.

If you bring suspicion on yourself, don't condemn anyone who thinks ill of you.

A man's ear belongs to himself; his tongue belongs to others.

You may regret your silence once, but you will regret your talk twice.

The most effective defense against temptation is this: Shut your eyes.

Visiting is like rain: prayed for when absent, but tiresome when overdone.

Wealth brings anxiety, but wisdom leads to peace of mind.

Poverty cannot disgrace the wise man, nor can lust enslave him.

No man is wise unless he possesses three qualities: never to scorn one less learned who seeks wisdom; never to envy someone who is richer; and never to accept a fee for his learning.