I wrote some of the worst poetry west from the Mississippi River, but I wrote. And I finally sometimes got it right. (Maya Angelou, 20th & 21st centuries American poet) Very few artists achieve instant success and fame. A writer may produce numerous short stories,...
God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves. (Joni Eareckson Tada, radio host) “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Books have been written on this subject, but here is an answer that is succinct and enlightening. Paralyzed from a diving accident in...
Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers. (Pope Francis) We are surrounded by voices, all clamoring for our attention. In addition to personal interaction (e.g. conversations, speeches, or sermons) there is input from radio, TV, the Internet, ad...
If you don't sacrifice for what you want, what you want will be what you sacrifice. (Keith Minier, clergyman) It may take a little thought to understand Minier’s statement. Perhaps he’s suggesting that if you aren’t willing to “pay the price” (whether it’s financial,...
I truly believe that the privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. (Viola Davis, American actress and producer) We most often think of other people as privileged if they are born into wealth or have some unusual natural ability. In some societies there are various...
Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. (Babe Ruth, early baseball slugger) Baseball fans know that Babe was the longtime homerun hitter whose 60 homeruns in a single season set the record for many years. Many will not remember, however, that he was also...
Success without successors is failure. (Hans Finzal, author and speaker) We probably all know of businesses or charitable ventures that reached great success until the founder/leader died or retired. The successors were never capable of maintaining the growth, and the...
There’s no point to living life unless you make history . . . and the best way to make history is to help others. (Ben Platt, American actor) It’s not surprising, perhaps, that an actor would seek to make history. He may wish to win an Oscar or perform so well that he...
The only certain means of success is to render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be. (Og Mandino, late American author) Too many of us are satisfied with less than our best effort. We try to do well, but we may have fallen...
There comes a special moment in everyone's life; a moment for which that person was born. (Winston Churchill, World War II British prime minister) Some would argue that Churchill, indeed, was born for the day when he assumed leadership in England and led the nation...
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. (John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States) To have an attitude of gratitude is to do more than just say “Thank You,” although we...
You must master your time rather than becoming a slave to the constant flow of events and demands on your time. (Brian Tracy, Canadian-born American self-improvement author) Although life spans will differ, we are all given the same number of days in a week, hours in...