Books are like people in that they’ll turn up in your life when you most need them. (Emma Thompson, British actress and writer) Isn’t it strange how people turn up at unexpected times and you discover a relationship that you had forgotten? Similarly, you may suddenly...
Virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. (George Washington, 1st president of the United States) In the confusion of this election year, we would do well to heed Washington’s advice. It’s often difficult to evaluate public statements offered by...
The only way to have a friend is to be one. (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century American essayist and poet) Sometimes in our very active, fast-paced society it seems very difficult to find a friend—someone we can trust and share very private matters. Many people are...
I’ll always remember how I first met my wife… Beverly shoved the picture of her daughter in my face, “Next time you’re in town you should take out my daughter, Cynthia.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Sure, why not?” I was the Dodge District Manager for...
Circumstances do not make a man, they reveal him. (Wayne Dyer, self-help, best-selling author) Dyer’s observation is worth thinking about. Too often we blame our failures or mistakes on “the circumstances.” Less frequently we credit our successes to “the...
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. (Benjamin Franklin, 18th century patriot, inventor, and writer) Noted both for his wise counsel in political affairs and his practical wisdom as reflected in his writings, Franklin’s comment here is invaluable. Anyone...
It’s a good thing to learn early that other people’s opinions do not matter unless they happen to be true. (Phyllis Bottome, 20th century British novelist and short story writer) How important are other people’s opinions to you? Often we seem to make choices based...
People don’t do what you expect but what you inspect. (Louis V. Gerstner, Jr, American businessman) Many have discovered this truth through bad experiences. We’ve asked someone to do something for us, and we expected them to do it. Asking once, however, is often not...
We praise a man who feels angry on the right grounds and against the right persons and also in the right manner at the right moment and for the right length of time. (Aristotle, 4th century B.C. Greek philosopher) There is such a thing as “righteous indignation,”...
Back in the early ‘80s, Toyota sales were very strong. Most domestic dealers had a 90-day supply of cars and trucks in stock. If a domestic dealer sold 50 units a month he would carry an inventory of 150 units in stock. But Toyota dealers in the Denver region had less...
Those [persons who] are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. (Plato, classical Greek philosopher) A lot of attention is focused on politics during this election year in the U.S., and some are turned off by the...
The most worthwhile things in life often only come to flower over a long period of time. (Alistair Begg, pastor and author) Someone else has said, “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.” When we plant a seed, we’d...