Wisdom and penetration are the fruit of experience, not the lessons of retirement and leisure. Great necessities call out great virtues.
—Abigail Adams (by Benjamin Blyth, public domain)
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Humor Friday
I don’t want to tell you how much insurance I carry with the Prudential, but all I can say is: when I go, they go too. —Jack Benny (in 1964; Public Domain)
Take Stock of What You Say
Words are the voice of the heart. —Confucius (Public Domain) We generally don’t realize it, but our words form a clear pattern for others to see. We have all been around individuals who believe...
Our habitual thoughts form who and what we ultimately become
Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy soul—for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. Dye it then, with a continuous series of such thoughts as these—that where a...
Nobody can define happiness for another; one is as happy as they determine themselves to be
The happy man is not he who seems thus to others, but who seems thus to himself. —Publilius Syrus (Public Domain)
King Solomon on Kindness
Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel. —King Solomon (The Judgment of Solomon, by Rubens; Public Domain)
No Matter Your State of Being, Give Thanks; Live with Sincere Gratitude
To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable. —John Milton (1629; Public Domain)
The Citizen and the Traveler
“Look around you,” said the citizen. “This is the largest market in the world.” “Oh surely not,” said the traveler. “Well, perhaps not the largest,” said the citizen, “but much the best.” “You are...
Will Rogers on Economists
An economist’s guess is liable to be as good as anybody else’s, I reckon. —Will Rogers (1922; Public Domain)
Proactively Seek Out Life’s Experiences—on Your Terms, and with a Clear Purpose in Mind
The person who has lived the most is not the one with the most years but the one with the richest experiences. —Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1753, By Maurice Quentin de La Tour; Public Domain)
The Restorative Influence of Focused Action
I must lose myself in action, lest I wither in despair. —Alfred Lord Tennyson (by George Frederic Watts; Public Domain) I admit it, I much prefer happy, uplifting quotes. But more importantly, I...
Eliot on Perspective
People to whom nothing has ever happened cannot understand the unimportance of events. —T.S. Eliot (Image Licensed)
Advancement: The Conscious Act of Moving Forward
There are certain people and certain things in life which are anathema to one’s happiness and success. They need to be recognized, and then cut from one’s life to the greatest possible degree....
Humor Friday
The backdrop: Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky desperately wanted to become the nominee and win the presidential election of 1840. In an effort to appease both sides on the issue of slavery, he sang...
Don’t Fear Resistance, It Means You are Living
In order to have an enemy, one must be somebody. One must be a force before they can be resisted by another force. A malicious enemy is better than an aloof friend. —Madame Sophie Swetchine (pron...
Vision Means Nothing Without a Strong Work Ethic
If you ask me which is the real hereditary sin of human nature, do you imagine I shall answer pride, or luxury, or ambition, or egotism? No; I shall answer indolence. Who conquers indolence will...
Build What is Good, and that Which is Bad will Wither Away
You will find it less easy to uproot faults than to choke them by gaining virtues. Do not think of your faults, still less of others’ faults. In every person who comes near you look for what is...
Maintain Control Over Your States of Mind
Don’t give up emotional power to circumstances outside of your control; retain the ability to move into a mental state of your own choosing. —Mike Hazell (Image Licensed) I recall being at a...
Humor Friday
I tell you, I get no respect. My uncle’s dying wish – he wanted me on his lap. He was in the electric chair. —Rodney Dangerfield (Public Domain)
True Personal Strength Comes from a Combination of Clarity and Fortitude
The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it. —Thucydides (Greek philosopher, 460 bc – 400...
Virgil on Acceptance & Happiness