Jewish Sayings

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For over 2,000 years, Jewish sayings have imparted wisdom and inspired and guided Jews along their pathways in life. Providing insights, truths, and posing and answering questions about the meaning of existence, the essence of Judaism, the nature of mankind, reward and punishment, suffering, righteousness, heaven and earth, and many more burning issues, Jewish sayings have served as a solid foundation of facts, advice, sagacity, and learned opinions concerning Jewish tradition, Jewish ethics, and the ways of the world.

Jews and non-Jews alike will benefit from the collection of famous Jewish sayings provided below. These quotations - taken from the Torah, Talmud, Mishna, and Rabbinical commentaries - are nuggets selected from a vast treasure chest of renowned Jewish aphorisms and words of wisdom that have influenced and continue to influence individuals in their quest for self-improvement and for understanding Judaism and the evolution of history and mankind.

It can be said that the words of the Jewish sages are not merely a collection of clever proverbs and prose, but have rather shaped the Jewish people's character and response to the events surrounding them in every generation.

As you read through this selection of influential Jewish sayings, ask yourself what they mean to you, how they might be relevant in your life today, and you might apply these ethics and maxims in your daily interactions.

• Charity outweighs all other commandments - Talmud, Bava Batra



• One man's candle is light for many - Talmud, Shabbat



• If a man means to kill you, strike first! - Talmud, Berakhot



• It is all for the best - Talmud, Ta'anit



• Do not reproach your neighbor with a fault which is also yours - Talmud, Bava Metzia



• Who saw not Jerusalem in its glory has never seen a beautiful city - Talmud, Sukkah



• It is easier to give advice to others than to oneself - Rebbe Nachman of Breslov



• Every change is for the better - Traditional Proverb



• Every beginning is difficult - Mekhilta (Midrashic Proverb)



• He who guards his mouth preserves his life - Proverbs 13:3



• Choose life! - Deuteronomy 30:19



• Love thy neighbor as thyself! - Leviticus 18:19



• You shall not put a stumbling-block before the blind - Leviticus 19:14



• Let your neighbor's honor be as dear to you as your own! - Ethics of the Fathers 2:12



• Who is honored? He that honors mankind - Ethics of the Fathers 4:1



• If I am not for myself, who is for me? - Ethics of the Fathers 1:14



• Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion - Ethics of the Fathers 4:1



• By three things is the world sustained: Justice, truth and peace - Ethics of the Fathers 1:17



• Separate not yourself from the community! - Ethics of the Fathers 2:4



• Condemn not your fellow until you stand in his place! - Ethics of the Fathers 2:4



• Say little and do much! - Ethics of the Fathers 1:15



• Better an hour of repentance and good deeds in this world than a lifetime in the world to come - Ethics of the Fathers 4:17

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