Al-Rabīʿ said: I heard al-Shāfiʿī remark, “I have never seen anyone more willing to bear false witness than the Rāfiḍah.” (1)

He also said, “No man attains distinction in this pursuit until poverty harms him and he deliberately prefers it to everything else.”

Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related: I heard al-Shāfiʿī say, “O Yūnus! Keeping aloof from people breeds enmity, while becoming too familiar with them invites evil companions; therefore, take a position between reserve and openness.” (2)

He further told me, “The approval of people is a goal that can never be reached, and there is no path to complete safety from their censure. Hold fast, then, to whatever benefits you and remain steadfast upon it.” (3)

Al-Shāfiʿī also said, “Knowledge is what benefits; knowledge is not what is merely retained.” (4)

He added, “The truly intelligent, discerning person is the sharp-witted one who overlooks (faults).” (5)

He likewise said, “If I knew that drinking cold water diminished my dignity, I would never drink it.” (6)