Wise Counsel Quotes

Do not spend the day in gathering flowers by the way side, lest night come upon you before you arrive at your journey's end, and then you will not reach it. ~ Isaac Watts

I don't have many friends, not the living, breathing sort at any rate. And I don't mean that in a sad and lonely way; I'm just not the type of person who accumulates friends or enjoys crowds. I'm good with words, but not spoken kind; I've often thought what a marvelous thing it would be if I could only conduct relationships on paper. And I suppose, in a sense, that's what I do, for I've hundreds of the other sort, the friends contained within bindings, pages after glorious pages of ink, stories that unfold the same way every time but never lose their joy, that take me by the hand and lead me through doorways into worlds of great terror and rapturous delight. Exciting, worthy, reliable companions - full of wise counsel, some of them - but sadly ill-equipped to offer the use of a spare bedroom for a month or two. ~ Kate Morton

I will ever be grateful for the wise counsel of a strong and inspired father when he taught, "If you always say no to the first temptation, you will not have to worry if you will be able to say no to the second one." ~ Harold G. Hillam

For there is much truth in the saying that it is easy to give just and wise counsel - to others! - but hard to act justly and wisely for oneself. ~ Albert Einstein

And of course you believed their wise counsel," said Elizabeth lightly, "because people who have never met me are always the best judge of my character. ~ Jennifer Chiaverini

Nothing is impossible for those who act after wise counsel and careful thought. ~ Thiruvalluvar

That man is best who sees the truth himself. Good too is he who listens to wise counsel. But who is neither wise himself nor willing to ponder wisdom is not worth a straw. ~ Hesiod

Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances. ~ Eugene H. Peterson

A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel. PROVERBS 1:5 ~ Stormie O'martian

Young sisters, be modest. Modesty in dress and language and deportment is a true mark of refinement and a hallmark of a virtuous Latter-day Saint woman. Shun the low and the vulgar and the suggestive. . . .

Don't see R-rated movies or vulgar videos or participate in any entertainment that is immoral, suggestive, or pornographic. And don't accept dates from young men who would take you to such entertainment. . . .

Also, don't listen to music that is degrading. . . .

Instead, we encourage you to listen to uplifting music, both popular and classical, that builds the spirit. Learn some favorite hymns from our new hymnbook that build faith and spirituality. Attend dances where the music and the lighting and the dance movements are conducive to the Spirit. Watch those shows and entertainment that lift the spirit and promote clean thoughts and actions. Read books and magazines that do the same.

Remember, young women, the importance of proper dating. President Kimball gave some wise counsel on this subject: "Clearly, right marriage begins with right dating. . . . Therefore, this warning comes with great emphasis. Do not take the chance of dating nonmembers, or members who are untrained and faithless. A girl may say, 'Oh, I do not intend to marry this person. It is just a "fun" date.' But one cannot afford to take a chance on falling in love with someone who may never accept the gospel" (The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 241–42).

Ou ~ Ezra Taft Benson

Unfortunately, Christians can speak in the same generalities. Again, it's not that we are saying false things (not usually). We just aren't digging deep enough to see what makes the true advice true. "Give it over to God" may be wise counsel, but what does that mean? How exactly do we give something over to him? Or someone else may tell you to "believe in the promises of God." Yes, that's true, but which promises? And how do those promises help me do the right thing right now? ~ Kevin DeYoung

There are moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make choices that go against reason, against common sense and the wise counsel of people we trust. But we lean forward nonetheless because, despite all risks and rational argument, we believe that the path we are choosing is the right and best thing to do. We refuse to be bystanders, even if we do not know exactly where our actions will lead.
This is the kind of passionate conviction that sparks romances, wins battles, and drives people to pursue dreams others wouldn't dare. Belief in ourselves and in what is right catapults us over hurdles, and our lives unfold.
"Life is a sum of all your choices," wrote Albert Camus. Large or small, our actions forge our futures and hopefully inspire others along the way. ~ Howard Schultz

We shall not fail - if we stand firm, we shall not fail. Wise counsels may accelerate, or mistakes delay it, but, sooner or later, the victory is sure to come. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Not by vows nor by womanish prayers is the help of the
gods obtained; success comes through vigilance, energy,
wise counsel. ~ Sallust

Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom. ~ Elizabeth Gaskell

Do not say, 'But it is hypocritical to thank God with my tongue when I don't feel thankful in my heart.' There is such a thing as hypocritical thanksgiving. Its aim is to conceal ingratitude and get the praise of men. That is not your aim. Your aim in loosing your tongue with words of gratitude is that God would be merciful and fill your words with the emotion of true gratitude. You are not seeking the praise of men; you are seeing the mercy of God. You are not hiding the hardness of ingratitude, but hoping for the in-breaking of the Spirit.

Thanksgiving with the Mouth Stirs Up Thankfulness in the Heart

Moreover, we should probably ask the despairing saint, 'Do you know your heart so well that you are sure the words of thanks have no trace of gratitude in them?' I, for one, distrust my own assessment of my motives. I doubt that I know my good ones well enough to see all the traces of contamination. And I doubt that I know my bad ones well enough to see the traces of grace. Therefore, it is not folly for a Christian to assume that there is a residue of gratitude in his heart when he speaks and sings of God's goodness even though he feels little or nothing. To this should be added that experience shows that doing the right thing, in the way I have described, is often the way toward being in the right frame. Hence Baxter gives this wise counsel to the oppressed Christian:

'Resolve to spend most of your time in thanksgiving and praising God. If y ~ John Piper

He who can take advice is sometimes superior to him who can give it. ~ Erica Jong

Without stratagems would a people fall, and deliverance is in a wise counsel. ~ Michael Bar-Zohar

He told me not to seek revenge, but to seek the Buddha,' said the fox spirit, sadly.
'Wise counsel,' said the fox of dreams. 'Vegeance can be a road that has no ending. You would be wise to avoid it. And ... ?'
'I shall seek the Buddha,' said the fox, with a toss of her head. 'But first I shall seek revenge. ~ Neil Gaiman

That night was the first time I understood the covering. The covering is the fire. It is the strength, courage, and power Yahweh equips us with. It girds a man's loins when he needs it and lets a man know that Yahweh forgives him when he fails. It snaps our legs when we need it. It speaks Yahweh's wise counsel ... It comes only from Yahweh, who alone is the shepherd that we need. ~ Cliff Graham

Mix a little lunacy in your wise counsel sweet it is to be mad sometimes

Written as
Misce stultitiam in consilis brevem dulce est desipere in loco ~ Horace - A Roman Poet

If you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people. If you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you.
(Isaac Jaffe, Sports Night) ~ Aaron Sorkin

How easy it was to give out morsels of wise counsel, and yet how hard to act on them. ~ Geraldine Brooks

Whenever temptation comes, remember the wise counsel of the Apostle Paul, who declared, 'There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it' (1 Corinthians 10:13). ~ Thomas S. Monson

Isn't it strange how wise counsel can cool the hottest head? ~ Robin Hobb

Often God will send us what we need in a package we don't want. Why? To let us know He's God and we cannot second-guess Him. We cannot search for answers merely with our heads; we must seek Him and His provision with our hearts. Scripture cannot be interpreted from our limited human mental understanding. There must be a breath of the Spirit of God. He alone gives wise counsel and correct application. ~ John Bevere

He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other. ~ Francis Bacon

If not us, then who?
If not now, then when? ~ John E. Lewis

Nothing proves better the irreparable decay of the party system than the great efforts after this war to revive it on the Continent, their pitiful results, the enhanced appeal of movements after the defeat of Nazism, and the obvious threat of Bolshevism to national independence. The result of all efforts to restore the status quo has been only the restoration of a political situation in which the destructive movements are the only "parties" that function properly. Their leadership has maintained authority under the most trying circumstances and in spite of constantly changing party lines. In order to gauge correctly the chances for survival of the European nation-state, it would be wise not to pay too much attention to nationalist slogans which the movements occasionally adopt for purposes of hiding their true intentions, but rather to consider that by now everybody knows that they are regional branches of international organizations, that the rank and file is not disturbed in the least when it becomes obvious that their policy serves foreign-policy interests of another and even hostile power, and that denunciations of their leader as fifth columnists, traitors to the country, etc., do not impress their members to any considerable degree. In contrast to the old parties, the movements have survived the last war and are today the only "parties" which have remained alive and meaningful to their adherents. ~ Hannah Arendt

Do not have as friends harmful people, the wise person does not associate with the worst of people. Have as friends virtuous people, the wise person associates with the best of people. ~ Gautama Buddha

As a wise man once said, "April Fools Day is for amateurs. You NEVER need an excuse to mess with people's heads." ~ Al Yankovic

Don't let your victories go to your head, or your failures go to your heart. ~ Bill Cosby

You may have access to the best information; you may build up the most positive attitude but, to get the wisest experience, your hands and legs must work! ~ Israelmore Ayivor

Any sin we commit is outside the body accept sexual act. ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Laughter exists to teach us to be stronger than pain.
Tolerance exists to teach us to be stronger than injustice.
Conviction exists to teach us to be stronger than doubt.
Compassion exists to teach us to be stronger than anger.
Mercy exists to teach us to be stronger than vengance.
Reason exists to teach us to be stronger than ignorance.
Need exists to teach us to be stronger than want.
Confidence exists to teach us to be stronger than hesitation.
Fate exists to teach us to be stronger than chance.
Destiny exists to teach us to be stronger than luck.
Courage exists to teach us to be stronger than danger.
Contentment exists to teach us to be stronger than desire.
Patience exists to teach us to be stronger than bitterness.
Understanding exists to teach us to be stronger than resentment.
Hope exists to teach us to be stronger than grief.
Life exists to teach us to be stronger than death.
Love exists to teach us to be stronger than fear.
Virtue exists to teach us to be stronger than temptation.
God exists to teach us to be stronger than evil.
Light exists to teach us to be stronger than darkness. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

The greatest bridge you can cross in life is the one that leads to your destiny. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

Since time immemorial wise people have been saying that all comparisons are odious. When we compare, we set up a winner-loser dynamic. If my crisis is greater than yours, then yours is belittled and insignificant. I say that's nonsense. Each crisis has its own power, its own unique reality. ~ Tavis Smiley

Be compassionate with all people. Give them the chance to change. ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Life means Live in faith existence. ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

I pray God that whoever will lead our country may be, in his heart, as much Pashtun as Tajik, as much Uzbek as Hazara. That his wife may counsel and assist him; that he may choose advisors of great character and wisdom. That books may replace weapons, that education may teach us to respect one another, that our hospitals may be worthy of their mission, and that our culture may be reborn from the ruins of our pillaged museums. That the camps of famished refugees may disappear from our borders, and that the bread the hungry eat be kneaded by their own hands.

I will do more than pray, because when the last talib has put away his black turban and I can be a free woman in a free Afghanistan, I will take up my life there once more and do my duty as a citizen, as a woman, and, I hope, as a mother. ~ Latifa

My writing just kind of exists out there in the air-it's all sort of intended as spoken, or sung, word. So, to commit them to the page ... that way was kind of intimidating to me, yet intriguing, to try to reflect the rhythms and connotations and emotions that you can deliver, speaking-wise, on a page. ~ Ani DiFranco

The wise man belongs to all countries, for the home of a great soul is the whole world ~ Democritus

Words are the counters of wise men, and the money of fools. ~ Thomas Hobbes

Being truly biblical means that my counsel reflects what the entire Bible is about. The Bible is a narrative, a story of redemption, and its chief character is Jesus Christ. He is the main theme of the narrative, and he is revealed in every passage in the book. This story reveals how God harnessed nature and controlled history to send his Son to rescue rebellious, foolish, and self-focused men and women. He freed them from bondage to themselves, enabled them to live for his glory, and gifted them with an eternity in his presence, far from the harsh realities of the Fall. ~ Paul David Tripp

We relied on the slave labor of African peoples to build the levees that protected our homes and farmland, to harvest and cook our food, to care for our children, to chop, and hoe, and sweat, and sew, and nurse us back to health, while we aspired to be persons of leisure, or at least to leave the really brutal work to them. ~ Tim Wise

Xenophilius Lovegood," he said, extending a hand to Harry. "My daughter and I live over the hill, so kind of the Weasleys to invite us. I think you know my Luna?" he added to Ron.
"Yes" said Ron. "Isn't she with you?"
"She lingered in that charming little garden to say hello to the gnomes, such a glorious infestation! How few wizards realize just how much we can learn from the wise little gnomes - or, to give then their correct names, the Gernumbli gardensi."
"Ours do know a lot of excellent swear words," said Ron, "but I think Fred and George taught them those. ~ J.K. Rowling

Be merry if you are wise. ~ Martial

I could hardly get a boy to look at me. All right, they'd look, they'd even take me out, but no one asked for a second date. I was too nasty, a real wise guy, and all the boys could tell what my rotten disposition was. Deep down, I wanted a commitment with a capital C. To get anywhere with me, a boy would have to sign his undying loyalty with his own blood. ~ Alice Hoffman

When intelligence shuts a door, wisdom opens a window. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

The "No bullshit" version of who you are can work with a compass. Your ego needs a map because it does not quite understand the wise words of Paul Jarvis, "Nobody is successful because they took somebody else's roadmap and copied it. ~ Srinivas Rao

Could I love less, I should be happier now. ~ Philip James Bailey

I believe that we're going to find out that America made a lot of mistakes diplomatically, economically, militarily, intel-wise. But, I also think we're going to find out the U.S. has done a lot of good things too. ~ John McCain

If we would find God amid all the religious externals we must first determine to find Him, and then proceed in the way of simplicity. Now as always God discovers Himself to "babes" and hides Himself in thick darkness from the wise and the prudent. We must simplify our approach to Him. We must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be blessedly few). We must put away all effort to impress, and come with the guileless candor of childhood. If we do this, without doubt God will quickly respond. ~ A.W. Tozer

After reading between the lines, I can secretly hear Socrates screaming: 'I'm the wisest man to ever live in the world. Anyone who will claim that title after me he's fake! ~ Mwanandeke Kindembo

Are you ready ?" she asked, spinning the chamber.
Kell gazed through the gate at the waiting castle. "No."
At that, she offered him the sharpest edge of a grin.
"Good," she said. "The ones who think they're ready always end up dead. ~ V.E Schwab

The laws is not meant to destroy us. But our disobedience leads to our own destruction. ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Be happy, cried the Nightingale, be happy; you shall have your red rose. I will build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with my own heart's-blood. All that I ask of you in return is that you will be a true lover, for Love is wiser than Philosophy, though she is wise, and mightier than Power, though he is mighty. Flame-coloured are his wings, and coloured like flame is his body. His lips are sweet as honey, and his breath is like frankincense. ~ Oscar Wilde

Indeed if fish had fish-lore and Wise-fish, it is probable that the business of anglers would be very little hindered. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight ... the truly wise person is colorblind. ~ Albert Schweitzer

We need books ... because we are all, in the private kingdoms of our hearts, desperate for the company of a wise, true friend. ~ Steve Almond

Sufism is the spiritual tradition of the dervishes. Its teachers never strive to show how wise they are, and their disciples go into a trance by performing a kind of whirling dance. ~ Paulo Coelho

Never close your circle. We all have room for growth. Every person you meet is not out to destroy you. Blessings can come from connecting with the right people. That's why wireless service providers are always accepting new customers. When you set limits on your relationships, you block the possibility of gaining new opportunities. So instead of closing your circle, screen those you let in it. ~ Bianca McCormick-Johnson

I learned from my illiterate but wise mother that all rights to be deserved and preserved came from duty well done. Thus the very right to live accrues to us only when we do the duty of citizenship of the world. From this one fundamental statement, perhaps it is easy enough to define the duties of Man and Woman and correlate every right to some corresponding duty to be first performed. Every other right can be shown to be a usurpation hardly worth fighting for. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible? ~ Queen Elizabeth II

Beating children will not make them wise. They will grow wilder and wilder and the cane will feel like paper on their skins. ~ Michael Bassey Johnson

One must be a wise reader to quote wisely and well. ~ Amos Bronson Alcott