Teachers open the door but you must walk through it yourself.

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials. Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still. One can easily judge the character of a person by the way they treat people who can do nothing for them. A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion. It is prosperity that gives us friends, adversity that proves them. A mother's heart is always with her children. The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. Children and drunks always speak the truth. If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed. Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people. Some have been thought brave because they didn't have the courage to run away. It is an equal failing to trust everybody, and to trust nobody. If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words. If you want to be happy for a year, plant a garden; If you want to be happy for life, plant a tree. The superior doctor prevents sickness; The mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness; The inferior doctor treats actual sickness; A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will. If an ass goes traveling it will not come home a horse. All criminals turn preachers under the gallows. Look for the good, not the evil, in the conduct of members of the family. He that flatters you more than you desire either has deceived you or wishes to deceive.

Often he who does too much does too little. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Masters who sacrifice for servants will receive the gift of loyalty. The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names. The wise person has long ears and a short tongue. Beauty is the wisdom of women. Wisdom is the beauty of men. Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes. Those that will not hear must be made to feel. The back of one door is the face of another. If you wish for peace be ready for war. Patience when teased is often transformed into rage. Three things drive a man outdoors; smoke, a leaking roof and a scolding wife. The best memory is that which forgets nothing, but injuries. Write kindness in marble and write injuries in the dust. Kind words are worth much and they cost little. When you cease to strive to understand, then you will know without understanding. What the eye does not admire the heart does not desire. Who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet. God gives the nuts, but he does not crack them. Be not deceived with the first appearance of things, for show is not substance. From listening comes wisdom and from speaking, repentance. Even the lion has to defend himself against flies. If you want a thing done, go. If not, send. The shortest answer is doing. Talk doesn't cook rice. Govern a family as you would cook a small fish -- very gently.

Weave in faith and God will find the thread. He who fears to suffer, suffers from fear. Throw a lucky man into the sea, and he will come up with a fish in his mouth. The good fellow to everyone is a good friend to no one. Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you. Loose tongues are worse than wicked hands. A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools. Think of many things, do only one. A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home. Short prayers reach heaven. The man who gives little with a smile gives more than the man who gives much with a frown. He who does not research has nothing to teach. A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month's study of books. The one who wills is the one who can. As the person who has health is young, so the person who owes nothing is rich. With virtue you can't be entirely poor; without virtue you can't really be rich. Do little things now; so shall big things come to thee by and by asking to be done. Never trust the man who tells you all his troubles but keeps from you all his joys. Never put off today what you can put off tomorrow. There are no greater promisers than those who have nothing to give. In the midst of great joy, do not promise anyone anything. In the midst of great anger, do not answer anyone's letter. If you steal something small you are a petty thief, but if you steal millions you are a gentleman of society. Talking without thinking is like shooting without taking aim. He who undertakes to be his own teacher has a fool for a pupil.

The just man may sin with an open chest of gold before him. God helps them that help themselves. If you have money, men think you are wise, handsome, and able to sing like a bird. To understand your parents' love you must raise children yourself. He that does not bring up his son to some honest calling and employment, brings him up to be a thief. Patience is power; with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown. Some men go through a forest and see no firewood. When fortune knocks open the door. Men never moan over the opportunities lost to do good, only the opportunities to be bad. The worst behaved students turn out to be the most pious preachers. Many talk like philosophers yet live like fools. He who allows his day to pass by without practicing generosity and enjoying life's pleasures is like a blacksmith's bellows. He breathes, but does not live. Young people talk of what they are doing; old people of what they have done; and fools of what they have a mind to do. It is easier to guard a sack full of fleas than a girl in love. A hungry stomach has no ears. Sloth is the key to poverty. An army of deer would be more formidable commanded by a lion, than a an army of lions commanded by a stag. When a habit begins to cost money, it's called a hobby. Nothing is more noble than politeness, and nothing more ridiculous than ceremony. Marriage is like a besieged castle; those who are on the outside wish to get in; and those who are on the inside wish to get out. If you are poor, though you dwell in the busy marketplace, no one will inquire about you; if you are rich, though you dwell in the heart of the mountains, you will have distant relatives.

Too much humility is pride. The hardest work of all is to do nothing. He who knows little quickly tells it. Men can acquire knowledge, but not wisdom. Some of the greatest fools ever known were learned men. If you suspect a man, don't employ him, and if you employ him, don't suspect him. The first step toward greatness is to be honest. Good habits result from resisting temptation. Man does what he can, God does what he will. Education begins a gentleman, conversation completes him. Those who foretell the future lies, even if he tells the truth. An ounce of blood is worth more than a pound of friendship.