Self-Respect

 

That you may retain your self-respect,

 it is better to displease the people

 by doing what you know is right,

 than to temporarily please them by

 doing what you know is wrong.

~William J. H. Boetcker~

Obedience

 

It is necessary to

 distinguish between 

the virtue and the vice

 of obedience. 

 ~Lemuel K. Washburn~

Thinking

 

Thinking is like loving and dying. 

Each of us must do it for himself. 

~Josiah Royce~

Inconceivable

 

What sunshine is to flowers,

 smiles are to humanity. 

These are but trifles, to be sure;

 but, scattered along life’s pathway,

 the good they do is inconceivable.
~Joseph Addison~

Illusion

 

 Normal is an illusion.

 What is normal for the spider

 is chaos for the fly.

 ~ Morticia Addams~

Each and Every

 

Be kind,

 be all sympathy,

 for each and every 

human being

 is forced to fight 

against himself.

 ~Sri Chinmoy~

May Lead

 

Do not go where the path may lead, 

go instead where there is no path

 and leave a trail.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Which Way

 

You don't need a weather man

 To know which way

 the wind blows 

~Bob Dylan ~

Bow to You

 

Painful though parting be,

 I bow to you

 as I see you off

 to distant clouds. 

~Emperor Saga~

 

You will be so very missed

Big Buddy.

We Love you.

Sunshine

Some people

 are so much sunshine

 to the square inch.

 ~Walt Whitman~

GPS

 

Feelings are really your GPS system for life.

 When your supposed to do something,

 or not supposed to do something,

 your emotional guidance system

 lets you know.   

 ~ Oprah Winfrey~

Extraordinary

 

    The purpose of life is to live an ordinary life

 in an extraordinary manner.  

~Vikrant Parsai ~

Don't Wait

 

Infuse your life with action.

 Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen.

 Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love.

 And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator,

 not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high,

 but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself,

 right now, right down here on Earth. 

~Bradley Whitford~

Produce

 

If we do not permit the Earth 

to produce beauty and joy, 

 it will in the end 

not produce food either.

 ~ Joseph Wood Krutch~

Motivation

 

Motivation is a fire from within. 

If someone else tries to light that fire under you, 

chances are it will burn very briefly.

~Stephen R. Covey~

Dreaming

 

Dreaming permits each and every one of us

 to be quietly and safely insane

 every night of our lives.  

~William Dement~

I Live

 

With arms outstretched I thank.
With heart beating gratefully I love.
With body in health I jump for joy.
With spirit full I live.
~Terri Guillemets~

Proactive

 

Happiness,

 like unhappiness,

 is a proactive choice.

~Stephen Covey~

Perches

 

Hope is the thing with feathers,

that perches in the soul,

and sings the tune without words,

and never stops at all.

~Emily Dickinson~

Dreaming

Never stop dreaming 

of moonbeams and fairy dust,

 shiny stars and the wonder of the heavens,

 a happier life and a better world.

~ James J. Gormley~

Kaleidoscopic

 

A tangerine and russet cascade
Of kaleidoscopic leaves
Creates a tapestry of autumn magic
Upon the emerald carpet of fading summer.
~ Judith A. Lindberg~

Special Person

 

I love being married.

 It’s so great to find one special person 

you want to annoy for 

the rest of your life.

~Rita Rudner~

 

15 years

 My Monkey

I Love you more

each day.

 

Goofy Stuff

You're never too old 

to do goofy stuff.  

~ Ward Cleaver~

Soul Food

 

Vegan food is soul food in its truest form.

 Soul food means to feed the soul. 

And to me, your soul is your intent.

 If your intent is pure, you are pure.

~Erykah Badu~

 

Rhythms

Summer ends, and Autumn comes,

 and he who would have it otherwise would have

 high tide always and a full moon every night;

 and thus he would never know

 the rhythms that are at the heart of life. 

~Hal Borland~

Apple Tree

 

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces,

 I would still plant my apple tree.

~Martin Luther~

Is For

 

This life is for loving, sharing, learning,

 smiling, caring, forgiving, laughing, hugging,

 helping, dancing, wondering, 

healing, and even more loving.

 I choose to live life this way.

 I want to live my life in such a way

 that when I get out of bed in the morning,

 the devil says, 'aw shit, he's up!

~Steve Maraboli~

Education

 

Education is the kindling of a flame,

 not the filling of a vessel.

~Socrates~

Don't Worry

 

Flowers don't worry about how they're going to bloom. 

They just open up and turn toward the light

 and that makes them beautiful. 

~Jim Carrey~

Style

 

My mission in life is not merely to survive,

 but to thrive; 

and to do so with some passion,

 some compassion, 

some humor,

 and some style.

~Maya Angelou~