Ibn ‘Abbas: ‘A hadith would reach me from one of the companions of the Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam). If I wished, I could’ve sent someone for it and he’d bring it to me. But it was I who went and sought it. I would lean against his (the narrator’s) door until he came out and narrated to me.’

Yahya ibn Sa’eed: I heard Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib say, ‘If I could, I would travel for days and nights in search of a single narration.’

Al-Sha’bi: ‘If a person travelled from the farthest part of al-Sham to the farthest part of Yemen in order to hear a single statement of wisdom, I wouldn’t say that his journey was a waste.’

Malik ibn Anas: ‘It doesn’t befit a person who has knowledge, to abandon learning.’

It was said to ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, ‘Until when will you keep seeking knowledge?’ He said, ‘Until death, insha’Allah.’

Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah was asked, ‘Who needs to seek knowledge the most?’ He said, ‘Those with the most knowledge. Indeed their mistakes are the most unpleasant.’

Ibn Abi Ghassan: ‘You will continue to be knowledgeable so long as you learn. The moment you think yourself to be above learning, you become an ignorant.’

– Jami’ Bayan al-‘ilm wa fadhlihi, by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr