citta dṛḍha hañā lāge mahimā-jñāna haite ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.2.118)
“The mind becomes firmly attached because of knowledge of greatness [i.e., the mind becomes firmly attached to an object when it the greatness of the object is known].”
anyān parivadan sādhur yathā hi paritapyate |
tathā parivadann anyāṁs tuṣṭo bhavati durjanaḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: 1.69.11; cited in Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1792)
“As a sādhu is certainly pained by speaking ill of others, so the wicked become pleased by speaking ill of others.”
mātā garīyasī loke mātṛto’py adhikaṁ khalaḥ |
mātā punāti hastābhyāṁ khalās tu jihvayā malam ||
(Unknown source)
“In this world, a mother is great, but a scoundrel is even greater [i.e., far inferior (as a pun)] than a mother. A mother wipes up refuse with her hands [when she cleans a child who has soiled itself], but scoundrels wipe it up with their tongue [when they speak of others’ defilements].”
loṣṭham-ardī tṛṇa-cchedī nakha-khādī ca yo naraḥ |
sa vināśaṁ vrajaty āśu sūcako’śucir eva ca ||
(Manu Smṛti: 4.71)
“A person who is a crusher of clods, a tearer of grass, or a nail-biter soon meets with ruin, as does an informer [i.e., one who recounts the faults of others, esp., with the aim of defamation] and one who is impure.”
yad adharma-kṛtaḥ sthānaṁ sūcakasyāpi tad bhavet |
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.17.22)
“A performer of adharma’s future destination [i.e., Naraka] shall become that of an informer as well [i.e., even one who only speaks about another person performing an act of adharma also gets a share of the reaction for performing that act of adharma even though one has only spoken of the performer of it and not performed the action oneself].”
para-vācyeṣu nipuṇaḥ sarvo bhavati sarvadā |
ātma-vācyaṁ na jānīte jānann api ca muhmati ||
(Unknown source)
“Everyone is always expert in regard to the faults of others [alt., in commenting on or criticizing others]. They are unaware of their own faults, or, even if they are aware, they are mistaken [about them, as they don’t know how to analyze themselves properly].”
