Tag Archives: quotes

Right vs Wrong

Posted on by

Many years ago I learned a quote, “You can’t do wrong by doing right.” Today, I learned it was from a recording by Phil Harris in 1949. And doesn’t it just make so much sense when given some thought; maybe it should become a motto for this new year. Trying always to do the right thing instead of the wrong thing could be a first step towards a better world.

Trouble is too many of us think we’re right when we know we’re wrong. There’s a great scripture that reflects on this very thing: Romans 12:2…Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. How many leaders do we know that need to heed this advice? How many of us need to heed this advice? It made a huge difference in my life when I put it into practice in the 1970’s and I’m still working on it.

Here’s another quote that deserves to be taken into consideration…”always show people you care”…is that right or wrong?

Image result for you can't do wrong for doing right

 

 

Listen to Each Other

Posted on by

It came to my attention today that a Scarborough MP recently died of cancer. Arnold Chan was fifty years of age and a well respected and loved politician who was first and foremost a humanitarian who cared deeply for his constituents and fellow Members of Parliament. He was said to be positive, optimistic and full of energy.

After hearing a replay of one of his speeches, this particular sentence stood out for me…”That is the challenge that is going on around the world right now,” he said. “No one is listening. Everyone is just talking at once. We have to listen to each other.”

“We have to listen to each other.” How profound is that? And how timely? And how to the point…whether in politics, families, friendships, relationships, marriages…”We have to listen to each other.”

These words remind me of a line from the famous poem, “Desiderata”: And listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, for they too have their story.

Some people leave this world a better place by the things they have said and done. Arnold Chan was one of those people just by uttering that single sentence…”We have to listen to each other.”

Aristotle on Labour Day

Posted on by

We Canadians are finishing up the last of a September long weekend, known as Labour Day. Some of us are enjoying cottage life, others day trips, and still others just lazing around enjoying not labouring at anything in particular.

Me? I’ve given myself a labour of love today. I love looking up quotes by famous people and today it is Aristotle, the Greek philosopher. Let me share a few:

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.

The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain.

Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.

Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.

And finally:

Image result for Aristotle quotes

 

More Quips and Quotes

Posted on by

The more we read, listen and learn, the more we are able to share with others. Here are some more quips and quotes from various sources:

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Zen Proverb

We are never presented with lessons until we are ready to learn them.

From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. From the hymn, “In Christ Alone”.

There will be an answer, let it be. The Beatles

A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

Live your life with peace, poise and power. From Practical Spirituality

Grudges are a burden too heavy to carry. Our Daily Bread Magazine

I gave in and admitted that God was God. C.S.Lewis

The higher the hurdle the higher we jump. pab

Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain. Mark Twain

Look at situations from all angles and you will become more open. Dalai Lama

Image result for precious quotes

 

 

 

 

 

Quips and Quotes

Posted on by

It makes me happy to find quips and quotes that pertain to life, common sense, and spirituality. Here are a few I came across recently:

Belief…its essence is invisible but it’s power is extraordinary.

Start every day off with a smile and get it over with. – W. C. Fields

Humility is the willingness to become teachable.

Faith is like WiFi, it’s invisible but it has the power to connect you to what you need. Internet

Worry wears a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. A proverb

I am not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens – Woody Allen.

“I don’t know what day I will die but I am not worried about it. I enjoy celestial tranquility.” Fidel Castro

If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Thumper

God wants full custody of his children, not just weekend visits. Internet

The moment we take our last breath on earth, we take our first in Heaven. Billy Graham

Take a moment to be in the moment. Unknown

Everything you can imagine is real – Picasso.

Live in harmony with the still, small voice within you. Stephen Covey

They who apologize are the bravest; they who forgive are the strongest; they who forget are the happiest. November 26/16 sermon

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel – Maya Angelou.

We are all serving a life sentence and our only hope for pardon is good behavior. Douglas Horton

Image result for christian quotes on faith

A Few Days With Charlie Brown – Monday

Posted on by

Who doesn’t like Charlie Brown? Well, okay, some people may not, but I think he and his pals have kept us nicely entertained over the years since his birth in 1947; and good grief, he has certainly given us lots of quotable quotes to dwell on.  A friend (a real friend) sent me a series of Charlie Brown clips and I want to share some of them with you over the next few days.

cid:_com_android_email_attachmentprovider_1_6015_RAW@sec.galaxytab

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 NIV

(Scripture added by pab)

It’s Hard To Be Humble

Posted on by

Just like patience, forgiveness, tolerance, and other virtues, humility needs a lot of work. It’s not always easy to put someone else’s feelings ahead of our own, or to stay quiet when we want to correct someone. It’s definitely difficult for some to acknowledge that the creator of the universe is deserving of a bowed knee, and an outstretched hand.

Here are a few quotes on humility:

True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

There is no respect for others without humility in one’s self. Henri Frederic Amie

It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels. Saint Augustine

Self praise is no recommendation.  Romanian (on flattery and praise) 

Be the change you wish to see in the world. Ghandi    

“A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying in other words that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.” Alexander Pope

…but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

And now for a little humble humor from Mac Davis and the Muppets

 

 

 

 

It’s the Little Things

Posted on by

Sometimes it’s the little things that make our day a little brighter, like today’s photo from Facebook which is accompanied by this quote: “True happiness is found in making others happy!” I can vouch for that because whoever posted this post made me happy.

This is a Hawaiian Cardinal from Wikipedia. I hope it makes you happy, too. Enjoy your day.

 

A New Page in the Book of Life

Posted on by

Each day is a new page in the book of life. Many words may appear on the page but only a few will be meaningful. There are so many instances in which we have to pick and choose our words in order to keep peace in a relationship, make the most of a bad situation, and use words of encouragement when needed. It is up to us how we are going to fill each new page so that any particular day in the book of our life will make a good read for us and those with whom we share our lives.

It is also good to not only write our daily page but to read the pages of others who have gone before us, such as Dr. Frederick “Fritz” Perls (1893-1970) who wrote this as perhaps one way of dealing with relationships strained to the limit:

I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you, and I am I,
and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful.
If not, it can’t be helped.

And then there was this by American Theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971):

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

This one recently caught my eye in Harry Belafonte’s memoir, My Song:

“Not everyone can be who you want him or her to be.”

Whether we are writing our own page, or reading that of another, each new page in the book of life is a challenging experience. It should not only be written well, but lived well, and make good reading for all whose lives touch ours.