Quotes from Solomon Ibn Gabirol

I am better able to retract what I did not say than what I did.

A wise man's questions contain half the answer.

And when I was born, I drew in the common air, and fell upon the earth, which is of like nature; and the first voice which I uttered was crying, as all others do.

The Sage was asked to define good manners? to which he replied, To bear patiently the rude ones.

Misfortune may become fortune through patience.

The test of good manners is to be patient with the bad ones.

As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

Your secret is your prisoner; once you reveal it, you become its slave.

My friend is he who will tell me my faults in private.

If you want to keep something concealed from your enemy, don't disclose it to your friend.

A wise man's question contains half the answer.

Kings may be judges of the earth, but wise men are the judges of kings.

Thou hast created me not from necessity but from grace.

As long as a word remains unspoken, you are its master; once you utter it, you are its slave.

The beginning of wisdom is to desire it.

As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

Jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire.

A wise man's question contains half the answer.

The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others.

There are three types of friends: those like food without which you can't live those like medicine which you need occasionally and those like an illness which you never want.

My friend is he who will tell me my faults in private.

A wise man's questions contain half the answer.

The Sage was asked to define good manners? to which he replied, To bear patiently the rude ones.

A man's mind is hidden in his writings: criticism brings it to light.