Quotes from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“But all this world is like a tale we hear -
Men's evil, and their glory, disappear.”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“I turn to right and left, in all the earth
I see no signs of justice, sense or worth:
A man does evil deeds, and all his days
Are filled with luck and universal praise;
Another's good in all he does - he dies
A wretched, broken man whom all despise.”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“I am deathless, I am the eternal Lord
For I have spread the seed of the Word.”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“Our lives pass from us like the wind, and why
Should wise men grieve to know that they must die?
The Judas blossom fades, the lovely face
Of light is dimmed, and darkness takes its place.”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“And while one is brought up with luxury and caresses, and is thrown bewildered and despairing into a dark pit, another is lifted from the pit and raised to a throne where a jeweled crown is placed on his head. The world has no shame in doing this; it is prompt to hand out both pleasure and pain and has no need of us an our doings.”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“Such is the passing that you must leave,
All men must die, and it is vain to grieve.”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“بیا تا جهان را به بد نسپریم
به کوشش همه دست نیکی بریم
نباشد همی نیک و بد پایدار
همان به که نیکی بود یادگار”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“From moment then to moment their desire
Gained strength, and wisdom fled before love's fire;
Passion engulfed them, and these lovers lay
Entwined together till the break of day.”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“Listen: this story's one you ought to know,
You'll reap the consequence of what you sow.
This fleeting world is not the world where we
Are destined to abide eternally:
And for the sake of an unworthy throne
You let the devil claim you for his own.
I've few days left here, I've no heart for war,
I cannot strive and struggle any more,
But hear an old man's words: the heart that's freed
From gnawing passion and ambitious greed
Looks on kings' treasures and the dust as one;
The man who sells his brother, as you've done,
For this same worthless dust, will never be
Regarded as a child of purity.
The world has seen so many men like you,
And laid them low: there's nothing you can do
But turn to God; take thought then for the way
You travel, since it leads to Judgment Day”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“اگر مرگ داد است، بیداد چیست؟
ز داد این همه بانگ و فریاد چیست؟”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“جهانا سراسر فسوسی و باد
بتو نیست مرد خردمند شاد”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“فریدون فرخ فرشته نبود
ز مشک و ز عنبر سرشته نبود
به داد و دهش یافت این نیکویی
تو داد و دهش کن، فریدون تویی”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“I've reached the end of this great history
And all the land will fill with talk of me
I shall not die, these seeds I've sown will save
My name and reputation from the grave,
And men of sense and wisdom will proclaim,
When I have gone, my praises and my fame.”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“جهانا مپرور چو خواهی درود
چو می بدروی، پروریدن چه سود؟
برآری یکی را به چرخ بلند
سپاریش ناگه به خاک نژند”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“Zahhak reigned for a thousand years, and from end to end the world was his to command. The wise concealed themselves and their deeds, and devils achieved their heart’s desire. Virtue was despised and magic applauded, justice hid itself away while evil flourished; demons rejoiced in their wickedness, while goodness was spoken of only in secret.”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

“A man who has been killed is like one who has died; he”
― Abolqasem Ferdowsi, quote from Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

About the author

Popular quotes

“Explaining why you love something is one of the most important jobs on earth.”
― Caitlin Moran, quote from How to Build a Girl

“I'm sorry,' Finn mumbled, a global apology for everything he was, and everything he was not, and all the ways he couldn't let it go.”
― Laura Ruby, quote from Bone Gap

“I saw it all,” Skye continued. “You should’ve seen the things your brother was doing to her." Deenie felt something crack and twist at her temple. "What? What did you say?"

"Your brother going down on your Lise. Lise’s leg twitching like a dog’s.” Deenie felt her neck stiffen to wood, her hand leaping to it. She couldn’t stop it, or Skye. Why Skye would say—

“She seemed to love it," Skye said, jaw out, her lips white. "She didn’t care who saw. Your brother didn’t either."

"You shut the fuck up. You don’t know what you’re talking about. It wasn’t my brother," Deenie said. "Stop saying that. It wasn’t him.”
― Megan Abbott, quote from The Fever

“I’d prefer a debriefing by the professional,” Matthias said. “Rather than one of the idiot’s exhausting, million-words-in-one-breath babbling explanations.” “Hey,” I said. “That is a rare talent.” “Maybe your only talent.”
― A.E. Kirk, quote from Demons in Disguise

“You can plan for things, work towards them for years, and yet they never materialize. Or you can just happen to be in the right place at the right moment, and everything falls into place. If you want to believe in something like Fate, she's a capricious character. Sometimes she stand there blocking the doorway you were born to pass through, and sometimes she takes you by the hand and leads you through the minute you poke your nose out. And the stars gaze down and keep their counsel.”
― John Ajvide Lindqvist, quote from Little Star

Interesting books

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.