The better part of one's life consists of his friendships. (Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States) Abe Lincoln, who was born on this date in 1809, is known for a lot of things, especially his honesty and persistence in learning. His writing and oratory...
Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will. (Vernon Howard, late teacher and author) Even if they act like it, there probably aren’t many people who really “know-it-all.” Most of us have learned that no matter how much we know there’s...
Be the change you want to see in the world. If we want to see positive change, we must engage and be a part of it. (Jim Hines, physician and gubernatorial candidate) Instead of lamenting that things aren’t like you think they should be and asking, “Why doesn’t...
There are better things ahead than any we leave behind. (C. S. Lewis, late literary critic) We have just said good bye to a year packed full of many surprises, and we greet an as-yet-unknown 12 months. We shouldn’t spend too long looking back; we must forget the hard...
At some level, there will be discomfort in getting from where you are to where you need to be. (Bart Blair, minister) Reaching a desired goal or achieving some great accomplishment doesn’t just happen. As Blair suggests, we’ve all discovered that life is not that...
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. (Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize winning author) Many people think, plan, and strategize for where they want to be in ten years, five years, one year. But, as Dillard reminds us, we live life one day at a...
The choice to take action to accomplish what you want or what you deserve is entirely up to you. (Catherine Pulsifer, author) There it is again: the necessity to make choices. When we’re faced with a decision to do or not to do, to go or not to go—we may seek advice...
How old do you have to be to know what’s going on? (Calvin and Hobbs cartoon) Children live in their own little world, knowing little—and caring less—about what’s going on outside in the larger world. Teens live in a different world, often with immature reasoning and...
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. (Henry Stanley Haskins, 20th century author) If you’re nostalgic, the memories of yesterday may be bitter or sweet. But if you like to concentrate on the future; it may be...
The world needs a little more giving and a little less taking. (Kary Oberbrunner, motivational writer and speaker) Have you forgotten the joy of giving that you felt just a few weeks ago at Christmas? What would life be like if we practiced giving through the whole...
Liberty is not the power to do what we like, but the right to do what we ought. (John Dalberg-Acton, 19th century English historian) Most people cherish their freedom. They are pleased that they have liberty to express themselves freely and to pursue goals of their...
It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. (Herman Melville, 19th century American writer) King Solomon lamented, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” And today, TV sitcoms and movies, with their cookie cutter plots, are so much alike that you...