A jewelry box of quotations

The first one could be my motto! The last three to chuckle over.

"The pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens."
Author Unknown

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."
Proverbs 31:10 (New International Version)

"Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels."
Song of Solomon 1: 10 (New International Version)

"You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace."
Song of Solomon 4:9 (New International Version)

"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without."
Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)
Chinese philosopher and reformer

"Dive into the sea of thought, and find there pearls beyond price."
Moses ibn Ezra (~1055-1138)
Jewish/Spanish philosopher, linguist and poet

"Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with."
Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)
Scottish essayist, satirist, and historian

“Sweet are the uses of adversity,which like the toad, ugly and venomous,wears yet a precious jewel in his head.”
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
English poet and playwright

“Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever.”
Horace Mann (1796 – 1859)
U.S. education reformer

"And these gems of Heav'n, her starry train."
from Paradise Lost by John Milton (1608-1674)
English poet

"In diving to the bottom of pleasure, we bring up more gravel than pearls."
Honore de Balzac
French novelist (1799-1850)

"There are many sham diamonds in this life which pass for real, and vice versa."
William Makepeace Thackeray
English writer (1811-1863)

“The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear.”
Daniel Defoe (c. 1659- 1731),
English writer

"Each day is a gem, different in kind, size, and colour and yours to polish!"
Carolanne Reynolds,
Canadian "Grammar Goddess"
http://www.grammarinfo.ca/

"Praise, like gold and diamonds, owes its value only to its scarcity."
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
English poet, essayist, biographer and lexicographer

"We shall find peace. We shall hear the angels, we shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds."
Anton Chekhov (1860-1904)
Russian physician and writer

"There is in them a softer fire than the ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the amethyst, and the sea green of the emerald - all shining together in incredible union. Some by their splendor rival the colors of the painters, others the flame of burning sulphur or of fire quickened by oil." (about opal)
Pliny the Elder (23-79)
Roman author, naturalist, naval and military commander

"I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, while character comes from within."
Titus Maccius Plautus lived in ~2nd century BCE
Roman comic playwright

"Let us not be too particular; it is better to have old secondhand diamonds than none at all."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
American writer

"The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant."
Salvador Dali (1904-1989)
Spanish surrealist painter

“A diamond is a chunk of coal that is made good under pressure.”
Henry Kissinger (1923-)
Political scientist, diplomat, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

"The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom."
James Allen (1864-1912)
English writer

"All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster's autobiography."
Federico Fellini (1920-1993)
Italian filmmaker

“Wit must be foiled by wit, cut a diamond with a diamond.”
William Congreve (1670-1729)
English playwright and poet

"In Beverly Hills, they have real jewelry and fake people. In West Virginia, we have fake jewelry but real people."
Cecil B. Roberts, President of the Mine Workers of America in reaction to CBS's plans for a new reality show called "The Real Beverly Hillbillies."

"Jewelry takes people's minds off your wrinkles."
Sonja Henie (1912-1969)
Norwegian figure skater, Olympic gold medallist and actress

"I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond."
Mae West (1893-1980)
American actress

“Kissing your hand may make you feel very good, but a diamond lasts forever.”
Anita Loos (1888-1981)
author of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

"Opportunity knocks for every man, but you have to give a woman a ring. "
Mae West (1893-1980)
American actress

"I have always felt a gift diamond shines so much better than one you buy for yourself."
Mae West (1893-1980)
American actress

"No gold-digging for me; I take diamonds! We may be off the gold standard someday."
Mae West (1893-1980)
American actress

Also see Gem-inspired Phrases and Sayings

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