Nothing ever comes to one that is worth having, except as a result of hard work. (Booker T. Washington, 19th-20th century American educator) When you know something of the struggles that Washington had to overcome to become an admired teacher and an advisor to...
It is better to be divided by truth than to be united by error. (Adrian Rogers, church leader) Much has been said about the importance of unity. So much more progress can be made when we work together in community. However, as Rogers points out, there are times when...
Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than they love the truth. (Joseph Joubert, 18th-19th century French essayist) People who are stubborn about their opinions and never seem willing to consider other options are sometimes described as...
The richest people in the world are not those who have the most but those who need the least. (Craig Groeschel, pastor) Groeschel’s statement is contrary to almost everything the world, especially social media, would have us believe. We’re overwhelmed with voices...
Progress always involves risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first. (Frederick Wilcox, late British athlete) Muhammad Ali said, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” Well, it is true, isn’t it, that life...
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. (Sally Berger, author and curator) Inertia is a law of physics that says an item at rest tends to stay at rest until moved by an external force. A person suffering from inertia might be said just to be lazy. (Think of...
Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own. (Henri Nouwen, Dutch theologian) “United we stand, divided we fall” is an adage that is played out the world over. Yet, nations are often divided by widely different...
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. (Walter Winchell, late newspaper and radio columnist) Were you ever deserted by people you thought were friends? That really hurt, didn’t it? “Fair-weather friends” stay with you when things are...
I’m so sick of February. It’s the shortest month but it sure doesn’t feel that way. (Toby Flenderson, TV fictional character) For those of us who live in the northern hemisphere, winter months can seem to drag on forever, especially in the so-called snow belt. Frigid...
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the commonplace simple, awesomely simple, that is creativity. (Charles Mingus, 20th century musician) Have you ever read an article or book and wondered why the author chose to use arcane words (like that one) when...
Silver linings come at the cost of some very dark clouds. (Mary Carver, late TV actress) “Every cloud has a silver lining,” they say, hoping to encourage the person who’s going through a difficult time and doesn’t see any hope. But Eugene Bengtson suggests, “If the...
Tell me the facts and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever. (Native American proverb) More and more is being said today about orality, the increased value of learning by hearing the spoken word,...