Teamwork That which is not in the interest of the hive is not in the interest of the bee. (Marcus Aurelius, 2nd century Roman emperor) It’s an ancient thought but what a great metaphor it is for the 21st century as well as the 2nd century. Bees and the bee hive are...
Hypocrisy While it's easy to spot hypocrisy in others, it's much harder to see it in ourselves. (Michael Lockstampfor, creative media pastor) If we’re honest, we’ll probably agree with the quotation. But, why is that true; why do we make such unfair judgments?...
Honesty Golf is a game in which you yell "fore," shoot six, and write down five. (Paul Harvey, late radio commentator) It’s a clever play on words that golfers will understand immediately. “Fudging” on your golf score may be an accepted practice when you’re just...
Opportunity I will study and prepare, and someday my opportunity will come. (Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States) They say that opportunity knocks only once. Whether that is true or not, the two key words in Honest Abe’s quote are study and prepare. A...
Waiting Let there be silence. Silence is the training wheels of a good deep discussion. (Jack Brown, pastor) Brown says, “Sometimes an awkward amount of time is required. But without it, some may never speak up.” It’s awkward, isn’t it, when the teacher asks a...
Character It must happen IN you before it can happen THROUGH you! (Timothy Kight, Elementary school teacher) This is an important lesson for adults as well as children. After all, what you ARE is more important than what you DO. Why? Because what you are determines...
Planning By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail. (Benjamin Franklin) Some folks really like to be spontaneous; they don’t like to plan too far ahead. Life is more exciting, they think, when you don’t know exactly what’s coming up next. Sometimes, however,...
Balance The amazing activity of the cat is delicately balanced by his capacity for relaxation. (William Lyon Phelps, 19th-20th century author and critic) You might often see a cat lazing in the sun’s rays while all kinds of activity may be going on around it. At other...
Comparison Comparison is the thief of joy. (Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President) It’s a simple statement, but certainly conveys an important and practical lesson. It can work both ways. Do you lose your joy when you see someone doing so much better than you do? Or...
Freedom Nothing is more wonderful than the art of freedom, but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom. (Alexis de Tocqueville, 19th century French historian) Americans are proud of their liberty, which was gained for them by the heavy price of war and the...
Ideals It is your responsibility . . . not just to be zealous in the pursuit of your ideals, but to be sure that your ideals are the right ones . . . (Antonin Scalia, late Supreme Court Justice) Scalia completes the sentence, “. . . —not merely in their ends but in...
Hard Work Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard. (Kevin Durant, pro athlete, quoting Tim Notke, basketball coach) Pro athletes have great talent, of course, but as Durant said, “Working hard is better than having talent and not putting effort or work in...