Quotes from A Little History of the World

“من يتوقف عن تمنى شئ، فسيتوقف عن الشعور بالتعاسة. إذا ذهبت الشهية، فسيذهب الألم معها.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“كلما تدهورت الأمور وازدادت سوءاً، تعاظم اعتقاد الناس بوقوع معجزة.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“ليس تاريخ العالم، ومع كل أسف، قصيدة جميلة. إنه تاريخ لا يتغير كثيراً، وغالباً فإن ما يتكرر المرة تلو المرة هى الأشياء البغيضة.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“I know a wise Buddhist monk who, in a speech to his fellow countrymen, once said he'd love to know why someone who boasts that he is the cleverest, the strongest, the bravest or the most gifted man on earth is thought ridiculous and embarrassing, whereas if, instead of 'I', he says, 'we are the most intelligent, the strongest, the bravest and the most gifted people on earth', his fellow countrymen applaud enthusiastically and call him a patriot. For there is nothing patriotic about it. One can be attached to one's own country without needing to insist that the rest of the world's inhabitants are worthless. But as more and more people were taken in by this sort of nonsense, the menace to peace grew greater.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“أن تتعلم عن التاريخ من الكتب شئ، وأن تختبره بنفسك شئ آخر.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“It's bad idea to try to prevent people from knowing their own history. If you want to do anything new you must first make sure you know what people have tried before.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“يستطيع الإنسان أن يتعلق بوطنه من دون الحاجة إلى الإصرار على أن بقية سكان العالم لا قيمة لهم.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“قدماء المصريين كان لديهم كتب، حتى فى ذلك الزمن البعيد. بالطبع لم تكن تلك الكتب مصنوعة من وررق مثل كتبنا، ولكن من نوع معين من القصب والذى كان ينمو على ضفاف النيل. الاسم الإغريقى لهذا القصب هو بابيرس papyrus (البردى)، والذى منه تأتى تسميتنا للورق paper.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“But children grow up too, and they too must learn from history how easy it is for human beings to be transformed into inhuman beings through incitement and intolerance.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“لأن المصريين كانوا غاية فى الحكمة والقوة، فقد استمرت إمبراطوريتهم وقتاً طويلاً جداً، لزمن أطول من أى إمبراطورية أخرى عرفها العالم : ما يقترب من ثلاثة آلاف سنة.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“محاولة منع الناس من معرفة تاريخهم ليست فكرة جيدة. إذا أردت فعلاً إنجاز شئ جديد فعليك أولاً أن تعرف ما جربه الناس من الماضى وأنجزوه.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“أحياناً يكون البشر غاية فى القسوة.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“إن أكثر ما أحببت حول العالم هو أنه حقيقى، إن كل الأشياء الاستثنائية التى نقرأ عنها ليست بأقل حقيقية منى ومنك اليوم. الأكثر من ذلك أن ما حدث فى الواقع أكثر إثارة وإدهاشاً بكثير من أى شئ يمكننا أن نحكيه.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“﴿ مُتَّكِئِينَ فِيهَا عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ لاَ يَرَوْنَ فِيهَا شَمْسًا وَلاَ زَمْهَرِيرًا * وَدَانِيَةً عَلَيْهِمْ ظِلاَلُهَا وَذُلِّلَتْ قُطُوفُهَا تَذْلِيلاً * وَيُطَافُ عَلَيْهِمْ بِآنِيَةٍ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَأَكْوَابٍ كَانَتْ قَوَارِيرَا * قَوَارِيرَ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ قَدَّرُوهَا تَقْدِيرًا * وَيُسْقَوْنَ فِيهَا كَأْسًا كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا زَنْجَبِيلاً * عَيْنًا فِيهَا تُسَمَّى سَلْسَبِيلاً * وَيَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمْ وِلْدَانٌ مُخَلَّدُونَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ حَسِبْتَهُمْ لُؤْلُؤًا مَنْثُورًا * وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ ثَمَّ رَأَيْتَ نَعِيمًا وَمُلْكًا كَبِيرًا * عَالِيَهُمْ ثِيَابُ سُنْدُسٍ خُضْرٌ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٌ وَحُلُّوا أَسَاوِرَ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَسَقَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَابًا طَهُورًا * إِنَّ هَذَا كَانَ لَكُمْ جَزَاءً وَكَانَ سَعْيُكُمْ مَشْكُورًا ﴾ [الإنسان: 13- 22].

لك أن تتخيل هذه الجنة الموعودة على شعوب القبائل الفقيرة التى تعيش تحت حرارة الصحراء الحارقة، وكم سيحاربون ويموتون طواعية من أجل بلوغ هذه الجنة.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“أعلى درجات التحصيل للإنسان هى أن يصل إلى نقطة تنعدم عندها كل رغباته. ذلك هو "السلام الداخلى" لبوذا، سعادة داخلية لإنسان لم تعد لديه أى رغبة، إنسان كريم مع الجميع ولا يطلب شيئاً من أحد مطلقاً. كما كانت من تعاليم البوذا كذلك أن الإنسان الذى يصبح سيد رغباته لن يعود للحياة مرة أخرى بعد موته. فقط الأرواح المتعلقة برغبات الحياة هى التى تعاد ولادتها، هكذا آمن أتباع البوذا. فالإنسان الذى لا يعود متعلقاً بالحياة يتحرر من الدائرة الأبدية للولادة والموت، كما يتحرر كذلك على الأقل من المعاناة. يدعو البوذيين هذه المرحلة "النيرفانا".”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“علينا أن نتذكر هؤلاء البشر الأولين بالعرفان والشكر، فقد كانوا أعظم المخترعين على مر العصور.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“إن إعطاء الوعود شئ، وتحقيقها شئ آخر.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“إن الإغريق اتجهوا ليصبحوا أصحاب أعظم قوة فكرية وجدت على سطح الأرض، تلك القوة التى نعرفها بالثقافة الإغريقية.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“مع اختلاط الشعوب على كوكبنا الصغير، يصبح احترامنا وتسامحنا مع بعض ضرورة ملحة، ليس لسبب أقل من أن التطورات التكنولوجية تقربنا أكثر فأكثر من بعضنا بعضاً.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“قد يكون شيئاً مقدراً أن يهزم شارل مارتل العرب فى العام 732، لكنه لم يكن شيئاً سيئاً للغاية أن يؤسس العرب إمبراطوريتهم العظيمة، لأنه عبر فتوحاتهم المختلفة اجتمعت آراء واكتشافات الفرق، والإغريق، والهنود حتى الصينيين، فى إمبراطورية واحدة.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“كم هى ضئيلة الأحداث وصغار هم البشر عند وضعهم فى الإطار النهائى الضخم للتاريخ البشرى المتكامل.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“لمدة تقارب ثلاثة قرون ونصف القرن إضافية، استمر الناس فى وضع المومياوات فى الأضرحة، فى الكتابة بالهيروغلوفية، وفى الصلاة للآلهة ذواتها. بل إنهم استمروا فى عبادة القطط كحيوانات مقدسة. وإذا ما سألتنى، فأنا أعتقد فى هذه النقطة، على الأقل، كان المصريون القدماء على حق.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“تخيل التاريخ وكأنه نهر، ونحن نطير بطائرة على ارتفاع كبير فوقه.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“بالطبع يمكنك أن تتمنى،ويمكنك أن تحلم،ولكن أحيانا إذا أدمنت الاستمرار في التمني والحلم،فستصل بك الحال إلى أن تصدق أن ماتبتغيه قد تحقق.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“Never favour those who flatter you most, but hold rather to those who risk your displeasure for your own good. Never neglect business for pleasure, organise your life so that there is time in it for relaxation and entertainment. Give the business of government your full attention. Inform yourself as much as you can before taking any decision. Make every effort to get to know men of distinction, so that you may call on them when you need them. Be courteous to all, speak hurtfully to no man.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“One of Russia’s tsars, around 1580, was known as Ivan the Terrible, and rightly so. Beside him Nero was mild.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“It’s a bad idea to try to prevent people from knowing their own history. If you want to do anything new you must first make sure you know what people have tried before.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“Their assemblies had taught the Athenians how to discuss all matters openly, with arguments for and against. This was good training in learning how to think.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“if we want to avoid suffering, we must start with ourselves, because all suffering comes from our own desires.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

“so much gold reached Europe from India and America that burghers grew richer and richer as knights and landowners grew poorer and poorer.”
― E.H. Gombrich, quote from A Little History of the World

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