The religious desire and effort of the soul to relate itself and all its interest to God and his will, is prayer in the deepest sense. This is essential prayer: uttered or unexpressed, it is equally prayer. It is the soul's desire after Go...

Anybody can cut prices, but it takes brains to produce a better article....

OUSPENSKY, P. D. Petyr Dem'ianovich Uspenskii (1878–1947) was a Russian philosopher, mathematician, teacher, and mystic. He is known as a conveyor and interpreter of the teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff (1866–1949), but wa...

The true source of cheerfulness is benevolence....

In science as in love, too much concentration on technique can often lead to impotence. No matter what, no matter where, it's always home, if love is there. -P. L. Berger....

The author of ten books featuring the character Mary Poppins, P. L. Travers still prefers to use initials instead of her chosen name of Pamela Lyndon. Born Helen Lyndon Goff, she adopted this nom de plume to bring herself as close as possi...

Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810-1891), America's greatest showman of the 19th century, instructed and amused a nation with his museum and later his circus. Speaking of his youth, P. T. Barnum said, "I was always ready to concoct fun, or lay pl...

There is no adequate defense, except stupidity, against the impact of a new idea. It is the merest truism, evident at once to unsophisticated observation, that mathematics is a human invention....

American physician who with J. A. Strong was the first to show that Klinefelter's syndrome was caused by a genetic defect on one of the sex chromosomes. This, along with Turner's syndrome, was among the first diseases to be l...

Through a remarkably varied and productive authorship of novels, plays, and essays, Per Christian Jersild, who debuted in 1960 with a collection of short stories, became one of the major Swedish authors of the last half of the twentieth ce...

Peter Fredrick Strawson (born 1919) was regarded as one of the most prominent philosophers of the 20th century. He was especially active in the movement known as ordinary language philosophy. Sir Peter Fredrick Strawson was born November 2...

Percival James PattersonPrime Minister (pronounced "PURR-sih-vull JAYMZ PAT-er-son") "Jamaica is ready for the bold march into the new era of a borderless world economy." With an area of 10,990 sq km (4,243...

P. N. Furbank has written three literary biographies: lives of Italo Svevo, E. M. Forster, and Denis Diderot. The first has made a neglected Italian writer more widely known; the last has clarified the myriad complexities of a famous Frenc...

P.S. Longer Letter Later was a book written by Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin in 1998. It is a novel in letters and is wriiten as a year-long correspondence between two twelve-year-old girls, Tara*Starr and Elizabeth. They are best friend...

Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973) was one of the greatest distance runners of all time. Known as "The Flying Finn" and "The King of Runners," he dominated long-distance running throughout the early part of the twentieth century, setting 25 world rec...

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was perhaps the greatest Spanish poet of the 20th century. The poet known as Pablo Neruda was named Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto at his birth in 1904. He signed his work "Pablo Neruda" (although he did not...

The Spanish painter, sculptor, and graphic artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was one of the most prodigious and revolutionary artists in the history of Western painting. As the central figure in developing cubism, he established the basis f...

Intelligence, practical shrewdness, vital energy, and persistence were the predominant qualities associated with Desmond Pacey. These were displayed in his own writing and editing, in his family and community life, and in academic administ...

d. 1471 Inca Emperor Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui was not only the first Inca emperor whose dates and existence are firmly established in history; he is also widely considered the greatest Inca ruler—if not one of the greatest leaders i...

Along remote paddies and in the heart of Tokyo, neon lights pulse. Inside, day and night, thousands test their luck and skill at what could be called Japan's national pastime: pachinko. Pachinko is an electric pinball game modeled a...

The pachucos were Latino street rebels of the 1940s who innovated a style and attitude that expressed their defiance of mainstream America. Dressed to kill in zoot suits and with pompadour haircuts they hung out on the streets of East Los ...

The Pacific Islands region of the South Pacific Ocean is called Oceania when Australia and New Zealand are included. There are approximately 25,000 islands, atolls and islets in Oceania. Within the Pacific Islands region are the subregion...

Whether or not it becomes a Broadway smash with its offbeat oriental setting and treatment, "Pacific Overtures" may move to be a step forward in American musical theatre creativity…. The show has the ingenuity, intelligence and taste of â...

Pacific Vortex is a thriller that opens with the main character, Dirk Pitt, lying on a beautiful Hawaiian beach. Gazing out over the sea, he spots something glistening in the waves. He swims out to retrieve the item, which turns out to be a...

Pacifier An artificial nipple designed for infants to suck, and which has a soothing effect. Infants have a strong desire to suck, which may not be entirely fulfilled while feeding. Both the newborn and older infant are often soothed by su...