Truth A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good just because it’s accepted by the majority. (Booker T. Washington, 19th-20th century educator) We are living in an upside-down world today where Washington’s comment may be...
Work Hard The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. (H. Jackson Brown, inspirational author) We’ve often been counseled not to put off to tomorrow what we can do today. Procrastination has been the downfall of a lot of people who just can’t seem to...
Legacy No legacy is so rich as honesty. (Shakespeare) We surely want to leave for our children and grandchildren a legacy of generosity and humility (as noticed in previous comments). Those two, however, will probably not be passed on if we don’t recognize...
Legacy It is more important to be generous than to be wealthy. (Paraphrase of Neil Cole, speaker and author) More and more Americans are becoming millionaires. For some it’s because of their success as athletes or entertainers. Others have achieved that status because...
Words Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place but leave unsaid the wrong thing. (Benjamin Franklin) It’s probably true that every living person has said something they immediately regretted. Unfortunately, we recognize our faux pas just after it’s...
Words The raw material of language is to the mind what chewing gum is to the jaw. (Paraphrase of Antonin Scalia, late Supreme Court justice) Words, words, words! We’re besieged with text messages, blogs, podcasts, and “talking heads.” It’s more than the mind can...
Experience Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson afterwards. (Oscar Wilde, 19th century playwright) We might wish it weren’t true, but we have to admit that experience is often the best teacher. Unfortunately, as Wilde...
Adversity It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, German airline executive) They say that in every life a little rain must fall. Rain is a necessary element, but we often see it as...
Family The web of this nation is made from the thread spun in the home. (Billy Sunday, late evangelist) In his time, Sunday preached against alcohol, drugs, and immorality with a strong voice and wide acceptance. Today when the traditional family is under attack, his...
Others If all men knew what each said of the other, there would not be four friends in the world. (Blaise Pascal, 17th century French philosopher) Pascal’s observation is not very encouraging, is it? Could what he thought of 17th century society be true in the 21st?...
Live with Joy Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. (Satchel Paige, late baseball player) Paige isn’t encouraging hypocrisy—pretending to be something you’re not. He’s proposing that we live our lives with...
Father’s Day One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. (George Herbert, 17th century Welsh poet) Fatherless homes have become a major cause of unhealthy child development. The single-parent family must depend more now than ever on outside help. School teachers...