Expansions for CSS Exam

1. Honesty is The Best Policy

Honesty is a policy that prays in the long run. There is the
story of Lord Alfred Dreyfuss of France who was
convicted for being a spy. He spent years in a jail far away
from his native land and his countrymen hated him. Then
one day the real spy got his story published and the truth
came out. Lord Alfred was restored to his original status
with all honours and the nation was ashamed of the way it
treated him. All through the trial Lord Dreyfuss kept on
saying that he was innocent.
Every religion tells us that we must be honest. No one
likes dishonest people because they cannot be trusted. The
truth is always so simple. Dishonesty is like a web that
has no beginning and no end. Sometimes we are punished
for being honest, but it is nothing compared to the pain
and suffering we cause due to dishonesty. Gandhiji laid
great emphasis on the need to be truthful in words and
deeds. His life throughout was a struggle to uphold the
virtue of truth. A truthful man can speak and act with
moral conviction. He commands respect and reverence in
society.
2. Procrastination is the thief of time.
It has been said, Never put off for tomorrow what you
can do today . Yet there are many people who enjoy
postponing
things. Such people do not realize the dangers of
delaying. Work does not disappear if we postpone it. One
day or the other it has to be done. The more we postpone,
the more the work piles up. Finally we have no choice but
to tackle it. Then the amount of work seems too much. We
then have to work for long hours under great strain and
tension. Finally we do it hurriedly and in a careless
manner. It is as bad as not doing the work at all. Again,

when some work is delayed, the time which would have

been profitably used is wasted. Time wasted is time lost
for ever, Hence procrastination, that is the habit of
postponing things, is rightly called the thief of time.
Precious time wasted means opportunities lost, and lost
forever. by the time we realize how much time we have
wasted and how many opportunities we have missed by
delaying word, it may be too late. And then nothing
remains for us except to regret and repent.
Sometimes a very heavy price has to be paid for delaying
things. The person whi delays insuring his house will
regret it when the house is gutted by a sudden fire. Delay
in the treatment of a disease may make it worse, and may
even result in death. The student who goes on postponing
studies will need to burn the midnight oil for the last
minute preparations.
3. Cut your coat according to your cloth.
If you give a piece of cloth to a tailor to make a coat, the
tailor will first measure the cloth and then decide what
kind of coat has to be made out of it. He will not be able
to make a coat that requires more material than the cloth
provided. The same is the case with our expenses and
income. Our expenses should always be within the limits
of our income. Otherwise, we surely land in debit and
difficulties. The proverb thus tells us not to spend more
than what we earn i.e., to live within our means .
The proverb applies not only to individuals but also to
business establishment. Of course, a company may raise a
loan to
expand or diversify its business. But it must do it
judiciously; otherwise it will be in deep trouble. Even the
government of a country has to keep in mind its total
resources while spending.If it does not do so and goes on
borrowing recklessly from the people and from foreign
countries, it would become bankrupt one day, and come to

grief. So the proverb is of universal application. It teaches

us that our actions should suit the circumstances or
resources. The wisdom of the proverb would guide
everybody to live and work within their means and to
avoid possible shame or punishment resulting from living
beyond their means.
4. One good turn deserves another.
When someone does you a good deed, you must never
forget it. You must look out for the opportunity to do a
good deed to that person. If you do not get that
opportunity then you must pass on the good deed to
someone else. It is quite a strange fact of life, that a good
deed done to another always bring some kind of reward to
the person who has done the good deed. Hence you must
always return good with good.
There is a simple satisfaction in doing good to other.
There is a wonderful poem about a man who helps an old
woman across the street. The woman blesses him for
helping her. At the end of the poem the man expresses the
fond hope that some young man like himself will help his
mother when she is in trouble. Therefore, one should
never hesitate to do good for others. For one good turn
deserves another!
5. As you show, so shall you reap.
If a farmer desires to reap a harvest of wheat, he sows
wheat; if he wants rice, he sows rice. What should we
think of him if he planted wheat and expected to harvest
rice, or the other way round? We would certainly consider
him a mentally unsound person. The law of nature tells us
that we must sow what we wish to reap. If we sow
nothing, we shall reap nothing.
So it is with life. We have always to bear the
consequences of our actions. If we perform good deeds,

we shall be rewarded with good. If we perform bad deeds,

we shall live lives of misery and wretchedness. You
cannot achieve fair ends by using foul means. Even if you
do, it is short-lived. Lasting peace cannot be brought
about by violent means. Good always triumphs over evil.
Man can decide his own future by his present deeds. If he
sows the seeds of vice, corruption and sin, he reaps the
harvest of misery and ruin. If he plants virtue, purity and
goodness, he plucks the golden fruit of success and
happiness. If we want to achieve good, we should do
good, for as we sow, so shall we reap
6. Example is better than precept.
People generally like to give advice, but do not like to be
advised. All of us are natural -born preachers. But when it
comes to practising what we preach, we make up excuses.
Very often giving advance can become sheer nagging. It
can become so irritating that it has no more or even the
opposite effect on the hearer.
Children are keen observers. Even though the elders do
not know it, children are all the while keenly observing
their
behaviour. They are aware of the gulf between the adults
speech and their actual behaviour, between their words
and deeds, between their preaching and practice.
Naturally, they do not pay enough heed to the elders
advise and instruction. By preaching things which they
themselves dont practise, the elders only expose
themselves as hypocrites and succeed in teaching
youngsters a lesson in hypocrisy. The best way to teach is
not to preach but to set and example by actually putting
the preaching into practice. This is because human beings
and especially children, are imitative by nature. In fact,
the instinct to copy is very powerful in human beings. We
should make the fullest use of this instinct to teach
children what we want them to learn. If a father wants his

child to never start the habit of smoking, he should first

give up smoking himself. If parents wants their children
to pick up good manners, they should themselves be
models of good behaviour. In short, we should ourselves
do what we want others to do. This is because example is
better than precept and deeds are more powerful than
words. Actions speak louder than words. An ounce of
practise is more than a ton of precept
7. A friend in need is a friends indeed.
Once it was raining very heavily.It didnt seems that it
would stop.there was no means of transport to my home
coming that way.I wondered how I would reach home.A
classmate happened by in a car,He asked me to get in and
reached me to my home. From that day on he is one of my
best friends.Indeed, a friends in need is a friends Indeed!
I have found that many people talk about friendship, but
when you need them in the time of crises, somehow they
are not to be seen anywhere. It is those who stand by you
when you are really in trouble are your friends.It is these
people whom you must help when they too are in
trouble.Life is all about being there for others.Life is all
about carrying and sharing. Do not be taken in by people
who talk big and fancy words about friendship. Instead
someone who renders you a service is more a
friends,indeed
8. Prevention is better that cure.
A young man sometimes handles a razor blade carelessly,
cuts his finger, allows the cut to go septic and, when the
pain is
unbearable, consult a doctor. The doctor prescribes a
prolonged and costly treatment. Would it not have been
better for him to have taken due precaution while using
the blade? We can always protect ourselves against

common ailments and diseases with proper precautionary,

preventive measure.
But very often, something within us makes us ignore the
possibility of trouble, even after we have seen the first
symptoms of trouble. The result, very often, is that the
trouble is aggravated and we egret our neglect when it is
only too late. A mans lack of foresight often lands him in
serious trouble. Sayings such as Nip the mischief in the
bud , A stitch in time saves nine advise us to take
prompt steps against impending trouble and ward them
off right at the start. But even sounder is the proverb
Prevention is better than cure that advises us to take
precaution so that the trouble is not allowed to affect us at
all. The proverb has universal application. Prevent a
machine, a building, a road, a bridge, and so on from
deteriorating by proper maintenance and timely repairs
and no serious damage will result. Health authorities
should take prompt, quick and effective steps against the
outbreak of epidemics and there will be no epidemics
resulting in mass misery and extensive remedial
measures. Floods and famines must be dealt with
efficiently. Even at the national level, many problems that
we are facing today would have been non-existent has the
government acted firmly, promptly and boldly at the very
start.
9. Slow and steady wins the race.
The famous fable about the tortoise and the hare brings
out the singular truth that slow and steady wins the race.
Haste only make waste, or result in haphazard or shoddy
work.
This is especially true for students.Daily regular study
delivers good results. Those students who wants to
complete their

homework quickly just in order to play a match with their

friends, finally learn little or nothing. This is true even
while
attempting an examination paper. Hasty writing of answer
can lead to the making of careless mistakes, and will only
result in low marks for the students. If a director wishes to
make a film in a hurry, he will have a shoddy product in
his hand. But if he plans the script, the locations and the
cast and takes rehearsals before going to the sets for
shooting,he or she is sure to come out fantastic product.
This is true for all great ventures, including the
construction of a building. It is better to draw the
blueprint first. Then comes the laying of the foundation,
and finally the end result. If a building is constructed i
haste, it might collapse and lead to disaster. So whatever
you do in life, plan every detail carefully, collect the
equipment required for the project, and then go about
performing the act. Then only will you be able to achieve
grand success.
10. Cleanlines is Next to Godliness
An unclean environment is an insult to the Creator.
Everything that God has created is beautiful, and nature
has in it the
power to follow the norms of hygiene and sanitation. It is
only man who makes his environment dirty and, very
often, and for reasons best known to himself, is happy to
keep it that way.
When you go to a place of religious worship, dont you
bathe first ? Dont you put on your clothes? Remember,
this world is our temple and the first norm of cleanliness
that we must follow is that of personal hygiene. This
involves keeping ones body, clothes, belongings and
home clean. This prevents diseases and prolongs life and
its quality. It also makes the mind fresh and open to do
better work. Cleanliness must also extend toward the

neighbourhood and the environment in general. For this,

one must develop clean social and civic habits. It is wrong
to spit on the roads, urinate in public or throw litter
anywhere you please. By doing such things we are
defacing the property that belongs to us -our nation. We
are also spoiling this wonderful place that God has given
us to live on -our earth
11. Actions speak louder than words.
It is our common experience to hear politicians make tall
promise before elections, and to conveniently forget them
after they are elected. Their actions do not match their
words. That is why we do not trust them.
Words sound good. But actions prove the genuineness of
one intentions. In olden times a mans word was a matter
of honour, even unto the point of death. In modern times,
people make all kinds of big promises which they have
little intention of keeping. People like to say nice thing to
give a good impression of themselves. But once they have
left the place they think nothing of what they claim to do.
We can only call such person a cheater or a liar. A person
who says one thing and does something to the contrary is
a highly irresponsible person, and ought not to be trusted.
We too should develop the habit of matching our actions
with words at all times
12. Examination a necessary evil.
Most student dread the word examinations . But this is
something they have to face right from primary school to
higher
centres of learning. They would probably heave a great
sigh of relief if the word was altogether deleted from the
dictionary!. The reasons are not far to seek. the whole
career of a student depends on what he is able to write
during the short course of an examination. If he suddenly

takes ill or is unlucky enough to get a tough questionpaper, he fails, and his future is ruined. Examiners have
no knowledge of his all-round performance during the
academic year. they go just by what is written in the
answer-paper under very tense conditions. Again,
assessment varies from examiner to examiner. It does not,
in any way,reflect the real merit of the students.
Examinations kill students genuine interest in study and
give importance only to cramming. Examinations have
become mere games of chance and guessing.
All this is admitted by everyone. Yet no other method of
testing students on a mass scale has yet been devised. So,
examinations have become a necessary evil! If there were
no examinations, it is likely that the majority of students
would not bother to study at all. We would never be able
to separate the brilliant students from the average ones.
Then whom would we select for higher professional
training?.
13. Health is Wealth
What is the use of having millions and billions in ones
bank account and yet not enjoying good health? A healthy
man can enjoy the benefits of his wealth. But a wealthy
man will always followed by physical complaints if he is
not healthy.
In fact, if you are ever asked to choose between the two,
always opt for good health. because health can give
wealth, but
wealth does not ensure health. very often the desperate
search for wealth makes a man unhappy. It brings along
with it stress , high cholesterol, high blood pressure, ulcer
and diabetes. It deprives a man the necessary physical
exercise. It makes him follow unhealthy food habit in the
name of saving time. As a result he has to spend the later
part of his life in and out of hospitals and undergoing
expensive operations in order to keep himself alive.

Finally he dies a stressful premature death. And all the

wealth he has accumulated is distributed amongst his
heirs. rather he could have enjoyed his wealth while he
had lived if only he had believed in the dictum, Health
is wealth
14. Practice Makes Perfect
You cannot become a world-class musician unless you
take up your instrument and play on it daily for hours
together. You cannot become a Tendulkar merely through
inborn skill. You have to go to the nets every day for
hours to practise. You need a coach to guide you an tell
you where you go wrong. Merit-holders in board
examinations do not achieve their marks by pure
inspiration. They have studied throughout the year and
revised and re-revised and made themselves perfect in
whatever they have set out to study. It is only regular
practice that makes one perfect.
If you dont practise your work regularly, you will, at the
most, be average in your performance. You will not win
prizes or medals or awards. the most difficult task can be
performaed by anyone if they take the trouble to practise
daily and regularly. In fact, you can achieve almost
anything with practice. If you dont practise your work
regularly, you will, at the most, be average in your
performance. You will not win prizes or medals or
awards. the most difficult task can be performaed by
anyone if they take the trouble to practise daily and
regularly. In fact, you can achieve almost anything with
practice.
Five fingers make a hand. A hand makes a handshake. A
handshake extends warmth and friendship and reaches out
to the world. India is a land od diverse people, cultures,
religions, languages and geography. Yet, as long as we are
united, we are strong and no one can do us harm. The
moment we show any sign of division, we will be

vulnerable and enemies will try to take advantage of the

situation. A team in which the individual members play
for their own good cannot win a match. As long as it plays
for the good of the team, it can win. Anything that we do
should be done for the general good, not for the
individual. then only can we achieve victory.
15. Experience is the best teacher.
If you warn a child not o put his hand near the fire, he or
she may not listen to you. But if the child actually touches
the flame out of curiosity, he or she will get burnt. By
actual experience the child will learn that putting ones
hand in fire can actually cause a lot of pain and physical
damage.
Most of our study is based on books. But only be actual ly
making a visit to the Taj Mahal will one actually
experience its grandeur. Direct knowledge gives personal
experience. There are so many skills that mere theoretical
knowledge cannot supply complete information. Practical
knowledge gives us complete, impartial and permanent
information of the thing we are studying. We learn
through our mistakes more than we learn from bookish
knowledge. Learning by doing is the most effective way
of education.
16. God help those who help themselves.
There are students who dont study all through the year
and then one day before the examination they go to the
temple, make offerings and perform pooja and think that
God will answer their prayers and give them a good result
in the examination. Such students will find, much to their
dismay, that God does not help shirkers. He only helps
those who help themselves.
There is the story of a scientist who worked for years in
order to find out the cause of malaria. He had performed

hundreds of experiments and almost given up hope. The

he prayed and fell asleep. The next morning he woke up
with a new idea in his hand. He tried it out and lo and
behold!, he had found the cure for malaria. Thus we see
that God helps only those who helps themselves. This is
because God has given us all talents, attributes and the
thinking power to achieve what we want. After being
given all these, why should we again rely on God to
achieve success? We should rely on the gifts that God has
given us to make progress in life, rather than on God to do
it for us.
17. All that glitters is not gold / A book cannot be
judged by its cover.
Everything is life that appears to be attractive does not
necessarily have a great value. This same fact can be said
in another way : A book cannot be judged by its cover. A
book with a very attractive cover may not have readable
material inside. On
the other hand, a book with a very dull cover may be very
interesting. This is true of everything in life. A show that
is well advertised may be dull and boring. And a movie
that has received very little publicity may be quite
entertaining.
So we must not jump to conclusions about the merits or
demerits of anything purely on the basis of the way it is
packaged. This is the age of advertisement. Makers of
products try to show their product is the best light so that
people will buy them . But this does not necessarily mean
that the product is well worth the money. Even when we
judge people we should not do so by their looks. Gandhiji
wore just a dhoti, but he is still held in great reverence
throughout the world. Abraham Lincoln was not endowed
with good looks. But he is considered by far the greatest
American President. Mother Teresa had a very simple

appearance. But people all over the world remember and

revere her. So it is only fair to say that all that glitters is
not gold.
18. Birds of feather flock together.
You will always notice that people who have the same
interest, hobbies or preference are always found together.
They like to participate in the same kind of activities or
talk about their common pursuits and so you will always
see them together. This is what is meant by the proverb
Birds of a feather flock together
If people like to play tennis, you will always find them on
the tennis court every day. If they like reading you will
find them in the library. If they like cricket you will find
them on the cricket field. It is only natural that they will
congregate at the place where they find their common
activity or pursuit as part of their daily activity. They
would like to discuss the adventures of their experiences.
They naturally like to be in the company of people who
have the same interest as they have.
19. Where there is will ,there is a way
When we read the biographies of great men and women,
right from Albert Einstein to Edmund Hillary,we find that
it is their strong will which made them overcome great
difficulties or setbacks and find a way to march towards
success. Similarly, a student may think to secure a first
class in an examination is beyond his or her capacity. But
if the student makes a firm resolve to achieve his or her
goal and works towards it wholeheartedly, he or she is
almost certain to achieve success.
There was a time when lying in the air, travelling in space
and sending messages and pictures over the air were all
regarded as flights of fancy. But today we see that these
seemingly impossible things have become possible.The

aeroplane, the spaceship, the radio, the television, the

mobile phone and the internet are now realities. How have
these impossibilities been achieved ? By mans willpower,determination and dedication. The doer is never a
pessimist or a defeatist.he is an optimist confident of
ultimate success.Nothing can deter him from his purpose.
He has the will to win and achieve, and so he finds out
ways and marches to ultimate victory. So let us cultivate a
strong will, a keen desire and the determination to achieve
our goals.If there is no way we will create one.Victory is
then bound to be ours. Thats why its right said :-where
there is a will, there is a way
20. Eye donation is the best donation.
Science has made it possible for people to donate their
eyes for transplantation into the eyes of those who are
blind. What
more wonderful gift of our bodies after death?. Is
Aishwariya Rai Bachchan can pledge her eyes, why not
we? All one has to do is to approach an eye donation
centre and pledge ones eyes after ones death. Imagine,
even after our death, our bodies will be of use to
someone. Some unfortunate person will get the gift of
eyesight and he will be able to see the world through our
eyes. Even though we die, our eyes will live on and see
the world!
We all know how important vision is for carrying out dayto-day activities. With the help of our eyes, some blind
person will be able to get that gift. Indeed, eye donation is
one of the best donations that we can ever make. It is the
most humanitarian of acts that we can commit during our
lifetime. So why wait? Lets one and all go to the nearest
eye donation centre and pledge our eyes as a gift to
mankind!

21. Knowledge is power.

A person who has knowledge is equipped with power.
Here power does not mean the power of money or brute
force or the power wielded by money. rather it means the
power to understand, discriminate between what is right
or wrong and the power to make right or wrong choices.
The illiterate person has limited choices of opportunity
and advancement .
Knowledge makes a man resourceful. When he is faced
with a difficult situation, he is able to tackle it better. His
mind is able to come up with many ways to solve a
problem. He is not bogged down by paucity of thoughts.
he can even think up new ways of doing things.The world
is moving faster each day. No one can afford to remain
illiterate. Everyone has to keep up with the knowledge of
the times.
22. Travel broadens the mind.
If you live all your life in the same place, you are like the
proverbial frog in a well who believes that the well is the
whole world. You become narrow-minded. You may read
books, magazines and newspapers, and still not know
what the world outside is truly like. There is no doubt that
travelling broadens the mind and enlivens the spirit.
Apart from viewing of natural and historical sights,
travelling enables a person to meet different people and
study their
customs, modes of dressing, culture and languages at
close quarters. Meeting different people makes a person
board -minded and tolerant. traveling brings people
closer. Their outlook becomes progressive. Travelling
removes prejudices and helps a person to becomes a
citizen of the world in the true sense. Therefore, never
loose an opportunity to travel. It will be an experience

well worth the time and money spent on it. The world is a
book and he who stays at home reads only one page.
23. Pride goes before a fall.
Everyone know the story of the deer who was proud of
his beautiful horns and ashamed of his lean legs. But
when the deer was in danger, it was his legs that helped
him run swiftly, and his horns that got entangled in the
branches and led to his death. hence we should never be
proud of our possessions. We should quietly acknowledge
our skills and use them for our progress and the service of
others. If we are excessively proud of what we own, the
very thing we brag about will bring about our downfall.
Nothing in this world belongs to us in the final reckoning.
So why should we be proud? Whatever wealth we
accumulate
during our lifetime should be used for the benefit of
others. The tree in the forest is not proud of its products.
Instead it freely gives its produce to the birds, the animals,
the insects and man. It is only man who is vain, who loves
to boast and show off his worldly possessions to
others.Ultimately, however, he has to leave everything
behind, while his body is left to burn or decay. To be
proud is to be foolish. To be humble is to be wise.
24. Strike when the iron is hot (make hay while the sun
shine)
When life presents opportunities you must seize them and
not let them go. Everyone in their lifetime gets some
chances to move forward. They must avail of them and
make use of them. These are god -sent occasions when
someone is helping us to move forward in life. Something
or the other or some person makes it easy for us to get
along in life. That is what the proverb means. We must
strike when the iron is hot. In other words, we must make

hay while the sun is shining. In any sport, the winner is

the one who looks for opportunities to overcome his
opponents by taking advantage of his weakness.
It is also true that once we miss that opportunity it will
never come our way again. And then we will live all our
life to regret the missed chance. We must also put in our
efforts. But never lose out on that chance that comes our
way. At right moment when opportunity presents itself we
must seize it and see to it that we use it to help us to go
even further in life. Then only can we be successful.

25. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

Life presents us with many beautiful things. This may be
a beautiful scene or a flower or a lonely night walk on a
beach that fill us with peace or a beautiful picture. We
should store these pretty memories in our minds. When
we are not feeling so good, or are lonely or depressed we
should remember the beautiful sights that we have seen or
experienced. This will make us happy.
William Wordsworth has put forward this point in his
beautiful poem Daffodils . Once he saw a sight of
beautiful golden
daffodils. This sight remained with him throughout his
life. In the later years, Whenever he was in vacant or in
pensive mood, he recollected the scene of the daffodils
and this gave him great solitude and filled his heart with
pleasure.Life is full of simple, beautiful things. It is for us
to make good use of them to our advantage. We dont
have to spend money on luxurious holidays and expensive
pastimes in order to bring happiness to ourselves. We can
do so with simple memories that we have collected during
the good times of our lives, when we have experienced
beautiful things. Because such experience will never be
erased fro our memories.

26. A rolling stone gather no moss.

It is not good to keep on changing ones place of
residence or workplace or routine. Such a habit causes a
lot of insecurity
and instability. You are not able to acquire steady thoughts
or the confidence in order to carry your day to day
schedule.
When one stays in one place for a long time, one gets
familiarized with ones surroundings and is able to go
about ones work with the correctness that is required for
the job. Also people around know and recognize you and
so you get help required when necessary. A person who
keeps on changing his regular schedule frequently is
known as a rolling stone. He cannot cultivate any true
friendship or relationships. frequent change of jobs and
homes affects ones financial prospects negatively. He or
she will not get people to help him or her when he or she
is in trouble, because no one will know him or her well
enough.
Hence it is better to stay in one place and reap the benefits
that the environment has to offer one. This is preferable to
changing ones location or job every now and then.
27. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand of the mother.
The proverb therefore implies that the very same mother
who rocks the cradle to put her child to sleep, also rules
the world.How is this so?
The world rule in the proverb does not necessarily
means to govern . It is used in a wider sense i.e., to
influence people, to guide and direct them and to lead
them. It is the mother who moulds the character of the
child. The child then grows up to be an important
personality, perhaps someone who guides the destinies of
the people of states or countries. What they have been
taught on their mothers lap will then be the guiding force

behind the decisions they make. No wonder it was that

Abraham Lincoln said, All that I am or hope to be I owe
to my angel mother. We have an example of Jijamata
who inspired Shivaji Maharaj as a child with stories of
great heroes. It was this inspiration that led him to lead
the battle for Hindavi Swaraj and to establish the Maratha
kingdom
You may not turn out to be a great ruler, but what you
have been taught by mother during childhood will be the
guiding force in all that you do during your lifetime
28. Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
One of the characters in a play by Shakespeare gives this
advice to his son who is about to travel abroad : Neither a
borrower nor a lender be. In other words, one should
neither borrow money from other, nor should one lend
money to other. Simply put, one should be careful in
money matters. When you give money to someone, you
are sure to spoil relationships with the person because the
person in all likelihood is not going to repay you the
amount. Neither should you borrow. If you dont have
enough money, make do with what little you have, rather
than spoiling relationships with someone by borrowing
money
from him. The advice given in this proverb is full of
practical wisdom. Money gets in the way of healthy
relationships. So dont let money spoil relationships.
Give your friends your time, your advice, your practical
help in their times of crisis. But dont give them money.
And expect the same treatment in return

29. Handsome is as handsome does.

Everyone is attracted by a person endowed with good

looks. But this does not mean that the person will behave
as
charmingly as his or her looks indicate. Handsome is as
handsome does. The action of a person makes the person
more
attractive than he or she looks. People like Abraham
Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi or Mother Teresa would not
have scored over others by the standards of conventional
good looks, but they are remembered all over the world as
people who glowed with an inner light of beauty.
We expect a handsome person to behave in a genteel way.
We are pained and surprised when such person turns out
to be rude and mean. On the other hand, a person with
plain, simple, ordinary looks can behave quite
endearingly and you can learn to love and respect that
person more than you would a stunningly attractive
person. So, never judge a book by its cover, but by its
content.
30. A little learning is a dangerous thing.
We have heard of quack doctors in the villages who try to
cure serious diseases by their so called magical remedies.
This is an example of a little learning being a dangerous
thing, Finally when the patient dies they shift the blame
on some supernatural powers and wash their hands of the
tragedy.
Sometimes children try to imitate dangerous scenes from
films little realising the danger they could lead to.
Learning Yoga from someone who is not an expert at it
could be dangerous. Certain asanas should not be tried
unless the trainer is an expert. Listening to the advice of
someone who is less educated than you can lead to wrong
choices in life. Remember Lord Buddhas teaching :
Travel not with a foll. He further goes on to say that if the
people you are travelling with are less clever than you or

equal in cleverness to you, it is better to travel alone. In

other words, it is better to have no friends than to have
one who has little knowledge.
Some people try to repair domestic appliances on their
own thinking that they can do the job themselves. Without
sufficient knowledge they only spoil the appliance. They
would do well to call the technician or the expert to do the
job.
31. Impossible is a word in the dictionary of fools.
It was Napoleon Bonaparte, the great conqueror, who
said, Impossible is a word to be found only in the
dictionary of fools . Come to think of it, there is so much
truth in this quote. How often we have thought that a
particular plan is impossible. But then the situation
changes and the plan becomes easy and possible. Those
who think that something can never be done are not fools,
I wonder rather say they are lazy, unimaginative,
unambitious and weak of heart.
If Sherpa Tenzing ha said, Climbing Mount Everest is
impossible , his name would not have been in the history
books today. If Wilma Rudolf has listened to her doctor
and never got off bed, being paralytic, she would never
have won three Olympic gold medals. Doing and
achieving depends on the strength of the mind and heart.
Life keeps on testing us at every twist and turn. We come
across hundreds of obstacles on your upward journey. It is
for us to say, No matter, I can overcome this roadblock
as well. It is from such an attitude that all achievements
and all successes originate. So instead of shedding tears
when things become too difficult, let us like Walt Disney
say, Its kind of fun to do the impossible .

32. God made the country and man made the town.

People in the city only know of the hustle and bustle and
hurry and the flurry of modern, mechanical urban life.
They are
always surrounded by crows and noise and pollution.
Indeed whenever man has tried to establish a settlement,
he has brought with it innumerable problems. in order to
construct a buildings, he does away with all elements of
nature that make life so
beautiful. And he fills his surroundings with stone and
mud and dirt and smoke, creating massive concrete
jungles, unfit for human habitation.
On the other hand, people in the countryside live in the
soothing silence of the countryside, breathe fresh air, eat
plain but wholesome and nourishing food, work hard in
healthy conditions, and are happy and content. In fact, it
is only these simple rural folk who know what true
exertion is, what true appetite is, what true interfere with
their environment. They live in harmony with nature.
Blesses indeed are they who enjoy the simple pleasures of
village life
33. To err is human, to forgive divine.
In one of Shakespeares plays one of the characters says,
The quality of mercy is divine . Indeed to be able to
forget the evil that others have done to you and to forgive
them is divine. Jesus Christ, even on the cross, during his
last moments, was able to say this about the people who
had put him to death : father, forgive them for they know
not what they are doing. Lord Rama showed no rancour
against his stepmother, Kaikeyi, for sending him to the
forest for sending him to the forest for fourteen years so
that her son, Bharat, could be the king.
All of us are humans. We all have our weaknesses.No
human being is prefect. So when someone does a wrong
to us, why cant we forgive them? When someone hurts
us it is because that person is human and little understands

the harm that he or she is causing. Forgiving that person

brings out the god-like nature that lies in man.It is not
very easy to do, but once we do it, we will feel an inner
peace and the spirit of reconciliation
34. Charity begins at home.
It is very easy to show the whole world that you are doing
good deeds. Many people do this just to impress others.
But when it comes to treating people who are near them
well, they are very sadly lacking. They treat their
children, family members, servants and people who are
closely connected with them very badly.
If you really want to be good to others, it has to spread to
all walks of life, and should begin we treat those who are
not so close to us. Treating others well should be a habit
with us . It should not be an attitude that we display only
to gain name or fame. It should be the same when treating
the smallest and the closest as well as treating the greatest
and the farthest
35. Failures are stepping stones to success.
When you take part in some competition or activity,
always take part from the point of view of participation,
not from the
point of view of winning. Taking part is more important
that winning. It teaches you how to avoid the errors that
will help to better yourself the next time. It also gives you
mental strength to accept defeat in the right spirit.
Everyone cannot win in a competition. Some has to win,
someone has to lose. You also learn to be humble.
respectful of someone elses skill and maintain your spirit
of learning. You play in the spirit of true sportsmanship.
The Olympic motto is stronger, higher and further .
That is what you should aim for life. Dont worry about
the failures. They are only stepping stones to success. All

you have to do is try, try and try again. Then only will you
achieve success.
36. Empty vessels make the most sound.
You will always find that a person with very little learning
loves to jabber all the while and laugh and joke and make
a lot of noise. Because the person doesnt really have any
substantial matter in the head and so hides this fact with a
lot of meaningless chatter. But the person of real
substance looks around, observes and when he or she
speaks it is to say something really meaningful. that is
what is meant by this proverb.
Hence when we are in a conversation we should only take
a fair share of the conversation and not keep prattling on
as if no one else peoples opinions and wish to hear them
out too. It would also give the impression that we are not
big mouthed who really bore the others with our pompous
talk.