A Calendar of Wisdom

Beyond his duty to his neighbor, every person has an obligation to himself, as to the Son of God.

The longer mankind exists, the more liberated it becomes from prejudice and the more clearly it perceives the law of life.

Ours is the age of criticism. Religion and law try to escape from criticism, religion by saying that it is divine and law by showing that it is powerful. But some suspicions arise from this escape, because we can respect only those things which stand up in free and public trial.

Study everything, and put intellect first.

Do not be afraid of the way your intellect calls into question old stories and legends. The pure intellect cannot destroy anything without replacing it with the truth: this is one of its essential qualities.

We have misconceptions not because we think illogically but because we live our lives badly.

Ignorance cannot lead to evil, misconceptions lead to evil. It’s not what people do know, it’s what they pretend that they do.

Every misconception is a poison; there are no harmless misconceptions.

One of the evil properties of man is that he loves only himself and wants goodness only for himself. But woe to him who loves only himself!

The fight between the spiritual and material inner nature goes on in everyone. Thus, all people have misconceptions, and many will always mistake them for the truth.

To feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to visit the ill in the hospital - these are acts of mercy, but there is one charitable deed which cannot be compared to them: to free your brother from misconception.

Life consists of numerous invisible, imperceptible changes, changes that began at birth and end with death. It is not possible for us humans to observe them all.

Life is changing all the time, and only the ignorant do not look into the depth of things.

Why are you so afraid of change? Nothing in this world can be done without change. Only one rule should remain constant: do not do anything inhumane to others.

Everything in this world blooms, grows, and returns to its roots. Returning to one’s roots means becoming united with nature; becoming united with nature involves eternity. The destruction of your body holds no danger in itself.

Death is a change to a form with which our spirit is united. You should not confuse the form with those things with which it is united.

It seems so easy to fulfill the law of God that is expressed in the Christian teaching, but we are still so far from this fulfillment!

The law of right living is not immediately clear to the wise man, but it becomes much clearer when he follows it. The law of right living is immediately clear to the ordinary person, but it becomes less obvious when he tries to follow it.

There is only one eternal law. It does not change and it governs all people at all times.

Man’s purpose is to serve all mankind, not to serve only one man while doing harm to others.

For a Christian, the love of one’s motherland can be an obstacle to the love of one’s neighbor.

Lost souls escape their loss of control in patriotism.

Patriotism is not a virtue. Sacrificing your life for an institution which embodies prejudice cannot be your duty.

People do many bad things for selfish reasons; they do worse things for their families. But they do the worst in the name of patriotism, and they are made proud by these crimes: spying, unduly heavy tax collecting, sacrificing lives, and waging wars.

Loving your country and loving your family are both virtues that can become vices when they become overwhelming and damage your love for your neighbor.

One of the worst things possible is to follow the rule: “Be like everyone, follow the crowd.”

One of the major obstacles impeding any positive future change in our lives is that we are too busy with our current work or activity. Levi quit his tax-work, Peter stopped fishing at a lake, Paul ceased being a priest. They all left their jobs because they thought it was necessary.

If a person’s hand is not damaged, then it can withstand the bite of a poisonous snake. Its poison poses no danger to a healthy hand. Evil is harmless for him who is not an evildoer.

False shame is the devil’s favorite emotion; it is even worse than false pride. Pride can support evil, but false shame stops goodness.

There is no evil in the world itself. All evil exists in our souls, and can be destroyed.