April 24

In any struggle true bravery lies within those who know that God is their ally.

Whatever happens, do not lose faith. Nothing bad can happen to you as a human being.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

— John 16:33

Everything is indefinite, misty, and transient; only virtue is clear, and it cannot be destroyed by any force.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

Only a person who renounces his personality becomes truly powerful. As soon as one denies his personality, it is not he but God who acts through him.

Once upon a time, a Roman Empress lost her precious jewelry. It was announced across the empire, that whoever found her lost stones before thirty days would receive a big reward, but any who returned the jewelry after thirty days would he executed. Samuel, a Jewish rabbi, found the precious stones, but he returned them after thirty days had passed "Have you been abroad'?" the Roman empress asked him. "No, I was at home." "Maybe you did not know what was proclaimed?" "No, I knew," said Samuel. "Then why did you not return these things before the expiry of the thirty days? Now you have to be executed." "I wanted to show you that I returned your lost jewelry, not because of fear of your punishment, but because of fear of God." 

April 3

When I die, only one of two things can happen: either this essence which I understand as myself will transform into a different being, or I will stop being a separate individual and become a part of God. Either possibility is good.

Death is the destruction of this body with which I understand the world in this life. It is the destruction of the glass through which I look at the world. And we do not know whether this glass will be replaced by another; or whether the essence which looks through the window will integrate with the world. We cannot know this.

There is a certain limit to the appropriate length of any time in this world. Just as the fruits and vegetables are limited by the seasons of the year, everything should have its beginning, its life, and its ending, after which it should pass away. Wise people willingly submit to this order.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

All I know about God brings me to the following conclusion: all that He did for us were the best things possible.

— After Ralph Waldo Emerson

You should live your life so that you are not afraid of death, and at the same time do not wish to die. 

February 16

The younger and the more primitive a person is, the more he or she believes that life is material and that it exists only in the body. The older and wiser a person becomes, the more he or she understands that all life originates from the spirit.

Look at the sky, and at the earth, and think that all things pass. All of the mountains and rivers you see, and all the forms of life, and all creations of nature, all pass. Then you will understand the truth; you will see what remains, what does not pass.

— Buddhist Wisdom

Remember that you are not mortal; only your body is mortal. What is alive is not your body but the spirit living in your body. An unseen force guides your body, just as an unseen force guides the world.

— After Marcus Tullius Cicero

A person can understand his real destination in life only after he manages to liberate himself from the sensual, material world.

February 12

It is obvious for everyone that death expects us all in the long run; but nevertheless we live our lives as if there will be no death.

If only God is among us, and eternity exists, then everything is different. We can distinguish good from evil, light from darkness, and despair disappears.

— Erasmus

One of the key questions we face is whether our lives end after death. Whether we believe in eternity or not determines our actions. Therefore, it is crucial that we determine what is mortal in us, and what is eternal, and that we cherish those things eternal. Most people do exactly the opposite.

— After Blaise Pascal

The more deeply you understand life, the less you grieve over the destruction caused by death.

Whatever name you give to the origin of man, this spiritual quality of humans to understand, feel and exist, it is holy, it is divine, and, therefore, it should be eternal.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

January 30

When Socrates was asked where he came from, he said that he was a citizen of the  world. He regarded himself as a citizen of the universe.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

When people wanted to kill a bear in the ancient times, they hung a heavy log over a bowl of honey. The bear would push the log away in order to eat the honey. The log would swing back and hit the bear. The bear would become irritated and push the log even harder, and it would return and hit him harder in return. This would continue until the log killed the bear. People behave in the same way when they return evil for the evil they receive from other people. Can't people be wiser than bears?

You should respond with kindness toward evil done to you, and you will destroy in an evil person that pleasure which he derives from evil.

The true teaching of love is strong; it kills evil before evil can grow and become powerful.

December 23

Wisdom is understanding how eternal truth can be applied to life.

 

Socrates was the first who brought philosophy from heaven, distributed it among the people, and enticed them to study the science of life, human morals, and the consequences of good and evil.

 

Science is seldom connected with wisdom. A scholarly person knows many unnecessary things. A wise person knows few things, but all that he knows is necessary both for humanity and for himself.

 

He who understands his soul will understand the divine spark within himself.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

 

Wise people cannot be sufficiently educated and educated people cannot be sufficiently wise.

— Lao-Tzu

 

The goodness given to us by wisdom compares to all other knowledge in the same way that in a desert, a vessel filled with water compares to mountains of gold.

December 8

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.

— Confucius

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

— Marcus Tullius Cicero 

November 7

You can look at life as death, and death as an awakening.

I cannot stop thinking that I was dead before I was born, and at my death I will return to the same state.

— George Lichtenberg

I do not regret that I was born here and that I lived part of my life here, because I lived in a way that I think was useful. When the end comes, I will leave my life in the same way, as if I leave an inn and not my home, because I think that my stay in this life is temporary and that death is only a transfer to another state.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

Even if I err in saying that the soul is eternal, nevertheless I am happy that I made this mistake. And while I am alive, not a single person can take away this assurance which gives me complete calmness and great satisfaction.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

We ask the wrong question when we say, “What shall happen after death?” When we speak about the future, we speak of time, but when we die, we leave time behind. 

October 9

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

— John 3:6-8

 

The souls of wise people look to the future state of their existence; all of their thoughts are concentrated toward eternity.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

 

There is not a single soul that can be good without God.

— Lucius Annaeus Seneca

 

Salvation in all things lies in their spirituality. Evil cannot touch a person who knows his spirituality.

October 6

Illness should be viewed as a natural condition of life.

 

Neglecting your health can prevent you from serving people; and too much attention to your body and its health can bring the same results. In order to find the middle way, you should take care of your body only to the extent that doing so helps you to serve others, and does not stop you from serving them.

 

No illness can prevent a person from what he has to do. If you cannot work, then give your love to people.

Illnesses of the mind are much more dangerous than illnesses of the body.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

 

Do not be afraid of illness, and do not think that being ill frees you from your mortal requirements.

September 12

You cannot serve both god and the devil. Merely tending to the growth of your wealth has nothing to do with the requirements of the truly spiritual life.

It seems to me that the old prejudice that wealth brings happiness has begun to be discredited.

The love of great wealth commends you, "Bring me your soul as a sacrifice," and people will do so.

— Saint John Chrysostom

Excessive dress prevents the body from moving freely. Excessive wealth interferes with the movements of our soul.

— Demosthenes

The desire for wealth can never be satisfied. Those who have it are excited by the wish to have more, and yet more.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

Do not fear poverty, but beware wealth.

If only people who seek wealth could clearly see what they would lose by having it, they would put the same amount of effort into getting rid of this wealth as they now put into acquiring it.

August 2

If you are a material being, then death is the end of everything. But if you are a spiritual being, then the body limits you spiritual being, and death is only a change.

Our body limits the spiritual divine spark which we call our soul. In the way that a vessel gives form to the liquid or gas which is put into it, our body gives form to our spiritual being. If the vessel is broke, that which was in it no longer retains the form it had and flows out. Does it receive a new form? Is it united with other beings? We know nothing of this. After death the soul becomes something different, something indescribable.

Death is one step in a continuous development.

—Theodore Parker

Our last day does not bring destruction, only a change.

—Marcus Tullius Cicero

Death is a liberation of the soul from the material personality in which it existed in this world.

For those who live a spiritual life, there is no death.

April 24

In any struggle true bravery lies within those who know that God is their ally.

Whatever happens, do not lose faith. Nothing bad can happen to you as a human being.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
— John 16:33

Everything is indefinite, misty, and transient; only virtue is clear, and it cannot be destroyed by any force.
— Marcus Tullius Cicero

Only a person who renounces his personality becomes truly powerful. As soon as one denies his personality, it is not he but God who acts through him.

Once upon a time, a Roman Empress lost her precious jewelry. It was announced across the empire, that whoever found her lost stones before thirty days would receive a big reward, but any who returned the jewelry after thirty days would be executed. Samuel, a Jewish rabbi, found the precious stones, but he returned them after thirty days had passed. “Have you been abroad?” the Roman Empress asked him. “No, I was at home.” “Maybe you did not know what was proclaimed?” “No, I knew,” said Samuel. “Then why did you not return these things before the expiry of the thirty says? Now you have to be executed.” “I wanted to show you that I returned your lost jewelry, not because of fear of your punishment, but because of fear of God.”

July 25

Sometimes we cannot see any connection between our suffering and our sin, but this connection definitely exists.

"I was repaid with evil for the goodness which I have done.” But if you love those for whom you did good, then you have already received your reward. Therefore, all that you do with love, you do for yourself.

The reward for virtue is the understanding of the good deed.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

Look for the causes of the evil from which you suffer in yourself. Sometimes this evil is the direct consequence of your activity; sometimes it happens after a lengthy period of transformation of an evil which you committed long ago. But the source is always in you, and salvation from it lies in changes in your actions, your way of life.

July 19

Really true, good, and great things are always simple.

The language of truth is always simple.

— Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Very often the simplest and least educated people can easily and unconsciously understand the meaning of life while the most scholarly people lack this ability, because they have been too educated to understand the simple things that are basic to all people.

The clearest and simplest notions are almost always concealed by sophisticated meditations.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

If you want to find an example to follow, you should look among simple, humble folk. There is real greatness only in those who do not advertise themselves, who do not understand themselves as great.

July 3

A person is enslaved to the extent he believes that his life has only a physical beginning.

Nothing can be done without faith. Hesitation can kill a person, or it can destroy whole nations. Why is it so difficult to give liberation to people? Because when people do not have a deep faith they are not completely sure about their rights.

— F. Robert De Lamennais

They say that the highest good is freedom. And if freedom is goodness, then how can a free person be unhappy? If you see a person who is not happy you should know that he is not a free man; he is a slave of something. In order to he completely free, you should be ready to give to God all those things which you have received from him. You should be ready to unite your will with that of God.

— After Epictetus

When you have no freedom, then your life becomes the life of an animal.

— Giuseppe Mazzini

Human dignity and freedom are our constant necessities. So, let us keep them with us, or let us die with dignity.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

If you feel that you are not free, look for the reason inside you.

June 23

Only he who accepts that the essence or meaning of his life is not material but spiritual can be free.

A slave who is happy with his state is a slave twice over, because not only his body but his soul is enslaved.

Oh God, while I stay on this earth I want to be that which I am.

— Epictetus

Peace is a great blessing if it can be reached, but if peace is reached by slavery, it becomes a misfortune and not a blessing. Peace is the freedom which is based on the acceptance of every person’s rights, and slavery is the negation of rights, and of human dignity. Therefore, we should sacrifice everything to achieve peace, but even more, to get rid of slavery.

— After Marcus Tullius Cicero

Remember that you are more free if you change your opinion and follow those who have corrected your mistakes, than if you are stubborn about your mistakes.

— Marcus Aurelius

There is only one real knowledge: that which helps us to be free. Every other type of knowledge is mere amusement.

— Vishnu Purana; Indian Wisdom

There is no middle way: either be a slave of people or of God.

May 4

Every thought which is expressed by words is a force, and this force is limitless. Good thoughts which originate from the hearts of men are as useful as good examples.

— Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Strong thoughts which are expressed in a powerful way aid the improvement of life.

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

A thought is an intellectual and vital energy of life, and it can be either a curse or a blessing, depending on its quality.

— Lucy Malory

Truth expressed in Words is the greatest force there is in the lives of people. We do not understand this force completely, because its consequences are never seen at once.

Use good thoughts of wise people; if you cannot create similar kind and wise thoughts, then at least do not distribute the false thoughts expressed by you and by others.