Reading No one ever reads a book. He reads himself through books. (Romain Roland, 19th-20th century French dramatist) That may strike you as strange but think about it for a minute. If you’re reading fiction, you probably often picture yourself in the story—the...
An Encouraging Word A quotation at the right moment is like bread to the famished. (From the Talmud, Jewish text) It’s often difficult to have just the right words to say when you’re trying to encourage or motivate a friend who is having a difficult time. That’s where...
Knowledge Knowledge leads to conclusions; emotions lead to action. (Craig Groeschel, pastor) All of life is an education. We never stop learning. But, if what we have learned is only knowledge of the facts for ourselves, we miss the value of teaching others. To do...
Happiness Happiness depends upon ourselves. (Aristotle, 4th century BC) In the fast-paced society of modern life we seem to be running helter-skelter in the pursuit of happiness (which is our right according to the Declaration of Independence). Yet neither wealth nor...
Light Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself. (Desiderius Erasmus, 15th-16th century Dutch philosopher) According to the Bible (John 3:19) men often prefer darkness to light because of their evil deeds. The only antidote for evil deeds (the Bible calls...
Keep On Note to self: every time you were convinced you couldn’t go on, you did. (Author unknown) Do you remember a time when you were at wit’s end and felt like there was nothing more you could do? You felt like you just could not take a step further or face another...
Fighting Fight for the things that you care about but do it in a way that will lead others to join you. (Ruth Bader Ginsberg, US Supreme Court Justice) Some things are worth fighting for, but how we fight is really important. Mob rule and violence —even for worthy...
Sorrow Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the over fraught heart, and bids it break. (Shakespeare, Macbeth) Often in times of great sorrow, we are reluctant to grieve. We want to keep our composure and not let our emotions show. Failure to be...
Aging Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art. (Stanislaw Jerzy Lec, 20th century Polish poet) Children can hardly wait to grow up, and many adults wish they could be restored to a youthful age. Learning to be content with your current stage in life is...
Secrets There are two kinds of secrets: those we keep from others and [those] we hide from ourselves. (Frank Warren, British sports promoter) “Cross my heart and hope to die” was a mantra we recited as kids when we promised not to tell a friend’s secret. Fortunately,...
Judging Diagnosis without prescription is a cruel thing. (Mark Buchanan, physicist and author) We all seem to be able to diagnose the troubles of the world. Whether it’s local school issues, national political debates, or our neighbor’s distressing situation—we can...
Music You can cage the singer but not the song. (Harry Belafonte, 20th century pops singer) Music has a way of outlasting its composer, singer, or artist. Tunes and lyrics may remain in our minds or be recalled at odd moments far removed from when they were popular....