Quotations

"We hurt ourselves; our pain is self-inflicted! Why should others be the object of our anger?"

— Shantideva, 8th-century Indian Buddhist monk

"Unruly beings are as (unlimited) as space: They cannot possibly all be overcome, But if I overcome thoughts of anger alone This will be equivalent to vanquishing all foes."

— Shantideva, 8th-century Indian Buddhist monk

"Haul up the flag, you mourners, not half-mast but all the way; the funeral is done and disbanded; the devil's had the final say."

— Karl Shapiro, American poet, born 1913

"The body, what is it, Father, but a sign to love the force that grows us, to give back what in Thy palm is senselessness and mud?"

— Karl Shapiro, American poet, born 1913

"In my experience, sinning against God is like trying to punch a wave: no matter how hard you strike, you can’t do any damage. Think in terms of swimming in the ocean. If you swim with the current, the ocean works with you. If you swim against it, the ocean works against you. While this matters greatly to you, it matters not at all to the ocean. And regardless of which way you choose to swim, you are always in the ocean. I believe God is like this as well. You can live godly or ungodly, but God is unchanged. If you are “swimming” in an ungodly manner, you aren’t sinning against God or separate from God. You are simply working against your own best interest. No separation is possible; no return is necessary."

— Rami Shapiro, American rabbi, born 1951

"Many people who have been near death find themselves drawn to a light of unending love that welcomes them home. Drawing near to this love and then returning to earth makes people live more lovingly. You don't have to die to benefit from this idea; all you have to do is live more lovingly here and now."

— Rami Shapiro, American rabbi, born 1951

"Be as joyous as possible and as sad as necessary."

— Rami Shapiro, American rabbi, born 1951

"They tried their best to find a place where I was isolated. But all the resources of a superpower cannot isolate the man who hears a voice of freedom, a voice I heard from the very chamber of my soul."

— Natan Sharansky, Ukrainian-Israeli politician, born 1948

"In dictatorships you need courage to fight evil; in the free world you need courage to see evil."

— Natan Sharansky, Ukrainian-Israeli politician, born 1948

"Will dissent be permitted? The answer to that question will determine whether the society is a free society or a fear society."

— Natan Sharansky, Ukrainian-Israeli politician, born 1948

"My father chose my name, and my last name was chosen by my ancestors. That’s enough, I myself choose my way."

— Ali Shariati, Iranian sociologist, born 1933

"I don't know what sex appeal is. I don't think you can have sex appeal knowingly. The people who seduce me personally are the people who seem not to know they're seductive, and not to know they have sex appeal."

— Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor, born 1932

"If Charlton Heston can have a constitutional right to carry a rifle, why can't grandma have a constitutional right to health care?"

— Al Sharpton, American political activist, born 1954

"You don't need any indictment in order to arrest someone; probable cause is sufficient to arrest civilians, so it must be enough to arrest police."

— Al Sharpton, American political activist, born 1954