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Arabian Wisdom, by John Wortabet, [1913], at sacred-texts.com


Cheerfulness

God loves a cheerful man.

A main part of friendship is cheerfulness.

p. 45

Cheerfulness denotes a generous nature, as a flower denotes fruit.

The first duty of a host is cheerfulness.

He who is sparing in cheerfulness is more sparing in doing a kindness.

A cheerful countenance is a presage of good.

A bright face and bright eyes are a greater boon than a rich inheritance.

The expression of the eyes shows what is in the heart.

An expression of the face may be more eloquent than that of the tongue.

The face of an enemy betrays his secret thoughts.

No one has ever harboured a secret which may not be discovered by a slip of the tongue or an expression of the face.

Hope for good from one who has a beautiful face.

A gloomy look is an omen of ill, and a bright face is good news.

Life has no cloud to an ignorant man, to one who heeds not past or future events, and to him who deceives himself and constrains his soul to seek and hope for what is impossible.


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