Knowledge of the ages from respected sages

I hope to broach this subject with the eloquence I believe it deserves. Quotes to me have always been a source of hope, courage, and understanding. Somehow there seems to me a certain magic in the words of great leaders and philosophers. One such quote that had meant a great deal to me personally is what George Henry Lewes said of grief, "The only cure for grief is action." I spent a good number of painful nights without this knowledge, simply resigning myself to certain fates and, I'm not proud to say, taking what comfort I could from self-pity. Having read the previous statement no one should suppose that such is my challenge at present for such is not the case. It seems a simple statement perhaps, but it has, to use an old cliché, changed my life. I know that in my own life real knowledge, applicable knowledge or wisdom is not an easy thing to obtain. So quotes to me represent more than simple advice, but rather a gift made most precious by the difficulty in attaining it. Perhaps I am attributing too much nobility to a very simple matter, but I don't think so. One of my favorite poems, which I include among my quotes is this one.

I walked a mile with Pleasure,
She chatted all the way,
But left me none the wiser,
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But oh! The things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.
~Anonymous