What fates impose,
that men must needs abide;

It boots not to resist
both wind and tide.

Shakespeare (1564-1616)

What does it avail you,
if of many thorns
only one be removed?

Horace (B.C. 65-8)

Adversity breaks
the inferior man's will

but only bends
the superior man's spirit.
Outward influence is denied
the great man.

I Ching (B.C. 1150?)

Holding a grudge is like
being stung to death
by ONE bee.

(Confucious?)

Falsehood is never so successful
as when she baits her hook with truth,
and no opinions so fastly mislead us
as those that are not wholly wrong,

as no timepieces so effectually deceive the wearer
as those that are sometimes right.

Colton (1780-1832)

(One of my favorites)

The man who never
alters his opinion
is like standing water,
and breeds reptiles of the mind.

William Blake (1757-1828)

For the world was built in order
And the atoms march in tune;
Rhyme the pipe, and Time the warder,
The sun obeys them, and the moon.
Emerson (1803-1882)

When you sit with a nice girl for two hours,
you think it's only a minute.

But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute,
you think it's two hours.


Now that's relativity.
Einstein (1879-1955)

Idleness is emptiness;
the tree in which
the sap is stagnant,
remains fruitless.
Hosea Ballou (1771-1852)

An enterprise,
when fairly once begun,
should not be left
till all that ought
is won.
Shakespeare (1564-1616)

(one of my favs)

If a fool be associated
with a wise man
even all his life,

he will perceive the truth
as little
as a spoon perceives
the taste of soup.
If an intelligent man be associated
with a wise man
for only one minute

he will soon
perceive the truth,
as the tongue perceives
the taste of soup.

The Dhammapada (c. B.C. 300)

To know that we know
what we know,
and that we do not know
what we do not know,
That is true knowledge.

-- Confucious

Nothing is more common than for
great thieves to ride in triumph
when small ones are punished.
Seneca (B.C. 3-65 A.D.)

"To see what is right
and not to do it
is cowardice."

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly;
it is dearness only that gives everything its value.

I love the man that can smile in trouble,
that can gather strength from distress
and grow brave by reflection.

'Tis the business of little minds to shrink;
but he whose heart is firm,
and whose conscience approves his conduct,
will pursue his principles unto death.

Thomas Paine

This guy has a few very good books...

Nearly all men can stand adversity,
but if you want to test
a man's character,
give him power."

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

..it does not require a majority to prevail,
but rather an irate, tireless minority
keen to set brush fires in people's minds.."

Samuel Adams

Endeavor to become a man of value,
rather than success

Albert Einstein

Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm;
it moves stones,
it charms brutes.

Enthusiasm
is the genius of sincerity
and truth accomplishes
no victories without it.

Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873)

For him who has conquered the mind,
the mind is the best of friends;
but for one who has failed to do so,
his mind will be the greatest enemy.


Bhagavad Gita (c. B.C. 400)