"What you become inwardly changes your outer reality."
—Socrates
 |
| Lao Tzu 6th to 5th century BC |
"Nature does not hurry; yet everything is accomplished."
"General [Chamberlain], you have the soul of the lion and the heart of the woman."
—General Horatio G. Sickel |
| William Gladstone 4-time UK Prime Minister |
"Mental health is dedication to reality at all costs."
—M. Scott Peck, M.D.
"The American Constitution is, so far as I can see, the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man."
—William Ewart Gladstone
 |
| Jordan R. Jensen, Ed.D. |
"If you live well, you will earn well."
—Jim Rohn
"Be civil to all, sociable to many, familiar with few, friend to one, and enemy to none."
"I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."
Long Live the Cause of FREEDOM!
And God Save the King!*
—Winston Churchill
"Life is pain, Highness!
Anyone who says differently is selling something."
—Wesley
from The Princess Bride
 |
| Mark Twain |
"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."
— Old Quaker Proverb
—Sir Winston Churchill
but there are plenty of perfect moments along the way."
—Dave Willis
"Govern wisely—and as little as possible."
"For of all sad words of tongue or pen
The saddest are these: 'It might have been!'"—John Greenleaf Whittier
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
—Robert Frost
—Michael Jordan
"The political leaders with whom we are familiar generally aspire to be superstars rather than heroes. The distinction is crucial. Superstars strive for approbation; heroes walk alone. Superstars crave consensus; heroes define themselves by the judgment of a future they see it as their task to bring about. Superstars seek success in a technique for eliciting support; heroes pursue success as the outgrowth of their inner values"
—Henry Kissinger
We make a life by what we give."
"I wasn't born here,
 |
| John Donne |
—John Donne
"The more you know, the more you realize how much you don't know!"
—Anonymous
"Who is Rich?
"He that rejoiceth in his portion."
"Your life does not get better by chance.
It gets better by CHANGE."
 |
| John Keats |
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever."
—John Keats
"Success is not one thing.
It's a thousand little things."
"If eyes were meant for seeing,
"Dost thou love life?
Then do not squander time;
"Gratitude is a sign of maturity. It is an indication of sincere humility.
It is a hallmark of civility."*
Train thy warm, impulsive soul.
Do not its emotions smother
But let wisdom's voice control.
 |
| Thomas Huxley |
"Nothing is really hard or easy.
There is only your ability (or lack thereof) to do."
"Things don't change.
We change."
"As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
"Easy choices, hard life.
Hard choices, easy life."
—Jerzey Gregorek
"A burning desire to succeed is not enough [to win in real life]. ... There are two types of burning desire . . . and the one type is phony and hypocritical. This phony type of burning desire is found in the person who is constantly telling his [spouse], his boss, and (worst of all) himself, that he really wants to succeed. [She] reads all the self-help books published and [she] gets her "kicks" from reading about others succeeding just as there are individuals who get their "kicks" from reading pornographic books. Unfortunately for our friends who read either types of these books they never get into action. They live their lives vicariously through their imagined participation in the lives and activities of others. Tomorrow, to this type of dreamer, will be a great day. [The problem is that] tomorrow never comes."
—Og Mandino
Mandino, O. (1972). The Greatest Secret in the World. New York, NY: Bantam Books. Pages 2-3
"Big talkers, little doers.""None preaches better than the ant, and she says nothing."
—Benjamin Franklin
"When you succeed, you tend to party; but when you fail, you tend to ponder."
—Anthony Robbins
"A form more fair, a face more sweet,
"When you fight, you can never get enough;
but when you yield, you get more than expected."
—Nick Saban
—Winston Churchill
 |
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent,
"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in-nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."
— Winston Churchill
"In between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our power to choose our response; and in our response lies our growth and freedom."
— Stephen R. Covey
This statement has been attributed to both Viktor Frankl as well as Covey himself -- due to the commonality with which he quoted it.
"Go to work, do your best ... tell the truth ... [and] don't outsmart your common sense."
— Doug Johnson, Tim James, Timothy A. James (songwriters)
— Theodore Roosevelt
"In every job that must be done
Find the fun and the job becomes a game."
— Mary Poppins
— Jenkin Lloyd George
 |
| Mark Twain |
"The [person] who will not read is no better
than the [person] who cannot read."
— Mark Twain
and an haughty spirit before a fall.
— Proverbs
"When mores are sufficient, laws are unnecessary;
[but], when mores are insufficient, laws are unenforceable."
— Èmile Durkheim
When I was just a boy, my father had me memorize a statement that said, "You cannot think any deeper than your vocabulary will allow you to think." If you really examine anyone who has been authentically successful as an entrepreneur—or in any other field—you will discover they have a large vocabulary. As I reflect back over my career, I attribute much of my success to a love of the English language and my commitment to read deeply and widely, and to study speech and language. Anyone who wants to be successful in this world has got to read books, and lots of them. This requires a willingness to set aside electronic devices, social media, video games, and other distractions, and the discipline to stick to the task of reading—even when it seems boring. In order to learn independently of others and expand your vocabulary, you must pay the price to spend time with good books, including the dictionary. There is no other way. The size of your vocabulary will, to a large extent, determine how much success you enjoy—or don't enjoy—in your life.
Hyrum W. Smith
—Hyrum W. Smith
 |
| Mount Everest |
— Sir Edmund Hillary
"The People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are [usually] the ones who do."
"Life is a grindstone; whether it grinds you down or polishes you up is for you and you alone to decide."
"We all know that something is eternal. And it ain't houses and it ain't names, and it ain't earth, and it ain't even the stars ... Everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you'd be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There's something way deep down that's eternal about every human being."—Thornton Wilder
(From Act III of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Our Town)
— Theodore Roosevelt
from his Citizenship in a Republic speech
 |
| Jordan R. Jensen, Ed.D. |
"Humility is seeing things as they really were, really are, and really will be—and then acting in deferent accordance with that knowledge."
—Dr. JJ
 |
| Elbert Hubbard |
— David Oman McKay
"Don't wish life were easier; wish YOU were better!"
— Jim Rohn
"The reward which life holds out for work is not idleness nor rest,
nor immunity from work, but increased capacity."
— Elbert Hubbard
"Things don't change; we change!"
— Henry David Thoreau
 |
| The Lincoln Memorial; Washington D.C., USA |
But you can't fool all of the people all of the time."
— Abraham Lincoln
"When you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."
— Mark Twain
"Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway."
"Courage is more exhilarating than fear. And in the long run, it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it as not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down."
—Eleanor Roosevelt
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
— John Lennon
 |
| Ralph Waldo Emerson |
today is a gift—that's why they call it the PRESENT."
—Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson
"No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that it is the worst form of government on earth, except for all the others that have been tried from time-to-time."
— Winston Churchill
 |
| Socrates before ingesting the hemlock. |
 |
| Charles Spurgeon |
"Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self."
—Charles H. Spurgeon
Be mindful of your weaknesses and be aware of your strengths.
—A Wise Man Dr. JJ once knew
"A healthy discontent is good."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
"YOU must be the change you wish to see in the world. —Gandhi
"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it."
—Proverbs 22:6
"It is a sign of marked ... weakness ... if the people tend to be carried away by mere oratory, if they tend to value words in and for themselves, as divorced from the deeds for which they are to stand. The phrase-maker, the phrase-monger, the ready talker, however great his power, whose speech does not make for courage, sobriety, and right understanding, is simply a noxious element ... and it speaks ill for the public if he has influence over them. To admire the gift of oratory without regard to the moral quality behind the gift is to do wrong..." —Theodore Roosevelt
"The first condition of freedom is its limitation; make it absolute and it dies in chaos."
—Will Durant
“The only real revolution is in the enlightenment of the mind and the improvement of character, the only real emancipation is individual, and the only real revolutionists are philosophers and saints.”
—Will Durant
"A youth boiling with hormones will wonder why he should not give full freedom to his sexual desires; and if he is unchecked by custom, morals, or laws, he may ruin his life before he matures sufficiently to understand that sex is a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred restraints if it is not to consume in chaos both the individual and the group."
—Will & Ariel DurantFrom: The Lessons of History, Page 35-36.
"Jesus lost a voice vote to a guy named Barabbus. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was put to death. Abraham Lincoln lost more races than he won. How you conduct yourself matters. We are in a society, in a culture, that values winning … [including] cheating to win [and] getting away with committing penalties. I think the way we do things matters. ... I just don’t think winning is the ultimate objective. I think the ultimate objective is to lead an honorable life."
—Trey Gowdy
"YOU must be the change you wish to see in the world. —Gandhi
—Will Durant
—Will Durant
"A youth boiling with hormones will wonder why he should not give full freedom to his sexual desires; and if he is unchecked by custom, morals, or laws, he may ruin his life before he matures sufficiently to understand that sex is a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred restraints if it is not to consume in chaos both the individual and the group."
"We need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed."
—G.K. Chesterton
"There is at the back of all our lives an abyss of light, more blinding and unfathomable than any abyss of darkness; and it is the abyss of actuality, of existence, of the fact that things truly are, and that we ourselves are incredibly and sometimes almost incredulously real. It is the fundamental fact of being, as against not being; it is unthinkable, yet we cannot unthink it, though we may sometimes be unthinking about it; unthinking and especially unthanking. For he who has realized this reality knows that it does outweigh, literally to infinity, all lesser regrets or arguments for negation, and that under all our grumblings there is a subconscious substance of gratitude.
—G.K. Chesterton
Chesterton, G. K. (2008). Geoffrey Chaucer. Cornwall, UK: House of Stratus. Page 15.
"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."
—Henry David Thoreau
“Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, [and] doubters do not achieve.”
—Bryant S. Hinckley
"Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can’t see."
—From the HYMN: Lord I Would Follow Thee
"A man’s suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering is great or little. Therefore the “size” of human suffering is absolutely relative."
—Viktor Frankl
Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man's Search for Meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Page 44.
—Henry David Thoreau
“Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, [and] doubters do not achieve.”
—Bryant S. Hinckley
"Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can’t see."
—From the HYMN: Lord I Would Follow Thee
"A man’s suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering is great or little. Therefore the “size” of human suffering is absolutely relative."
—Viktor Frankl
Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man's Search for Meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Page 44.
 |
| William James |
“Formal education makes you a living; self-education makes you a legend.”
—Habeeb Akande
“Sow a thought, reap an action; Sow an action, reap a habit;Sow a habit, reap a character; Sow a character, reap a destiny.”
—William James
“Sow a thought, reap an action; Sow an action, reap a habit;
Patrick Henry
"Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
—Patrick Henry
 |
| Patrick Henry |
“The secret to happiness is freedom.And the secret to freedom is courage.”
—Thucydides
Know this that every soul is free,To choose his life, and what he’ll be;For this eternal truth is giv’n:That God will force no man to heav’n.
—Anonymous
“In the long run [you] hit only what [you] aim at.”
–Henry David Thoreau
“There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving,and that’s your own self.
–Aldous Huxley
I wanted to change the world,but I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.”
–Aldous Huxley
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others.’”
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others.’”
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
–Pierre Tielhard de Chardin
"It is scary to think that we really don’t know what we’re doing or where we’re going, and that we are intellectual infants stumbling around in the dark. It’s so much more comfortable, therefore, to live in an illusion that we know much more than we actually do. … Were we to wake to the reality of our terrible ignorance, we would either have to think of ourselves as being profoundly stupid or, at the very least, let ourselves in for a lifetime of effortful learning. Since most people don’t like to think of themselves as stupid or let themselves in for a lifetime of effortful anything, it’s just so much more comfortable to live in this nice illusion that we know much more than we actually do."
–M. Scott Peck, M.D.
Peck, M. S. (1993). Further Along the Road Less Traveled: The Unending Journey Toward Spiritual Growth (The Edited Lectures) New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Page 75.
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.”
–William ShakespeareFrom: As You Like It
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.”
“I wouldn’t give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity; [But] I would give my right arm for the simplicity on the far side of complexity.”
–Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
“The reward which life holds out for work is not idleness nor rest, nor immunity from work, but increased capacity, GREATER DIFFICULTIES, MORE WORK.”
is for you and you alone to decide.”
effuse unreturn’d love,
But now I think there is no unrerturn’d love, the pay is certain
one way or another,
(I loved a certain person ardently and my love was not return’d,
Yet out of that I have written these songs.)
“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life if your own.No apologies or excuses.”
–Dan Zadra
–Imelda Shanklin
“Highly proactive people … do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling … [For proactive persons, their] honor becomes greater than [their] moods.”
 |
| Ralph Waldo Emerson |
 |
| Young Winston Churchill |
"It is funny how mortals always picture us [devils] as putting things into their minds; in reality our best work is done by keeping things out."
 |
| Hyrum W. Smith 1943-2019 |
“The major value in life is not what you get…. [It] is what you become.”
–Jim Rohn
“If there be any peace it will come through being, not having.”
–Henry Miller
Plutarch
"For things to change, you must change."
–Jim Rohn
 |
| Plutarch |
“What you become inwardly changes your outer reality.”
“Wisdom is the principal thing;
therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
–Proverbs 4:7
 |
| Winston Churchill in uniform at Sandhurst Military Academy |
“The truth is incontrovertible.
“You become what you think about all day long.”
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
"God helps those who help themselves."
"Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
 |
| Charles Dickens |
 |
| Geoffrey Chaucer |
This fine example to his flock he gave,
That first he wrought and afterwards he taught;
Out of the gospel then that text he caught,
And this figure he added thereunto-
That, if gold rust, what shall poor iron do?
For if the priest be foul, in whom we trust,
What wonder if a layman yield to lust?
And shame it is, if priest take thought for keep,
A shitty shepherd, shepherding clean sheep.
Well ought a priest example good to give,
By his own cleanness, how his flock should live.
He never let his benefice for hire,
Leaving his flock to flounder in the mire…
"The effort to prevent [human evil and organizational corruption & malaise] must therefore be directed toward the individual. It is, of course, a process of education … [and I have a dream that] Children will be taught that laziness and narcissism are at the very root of all human evil, and why this is so. They will learn that each individual is of sacred importance. … And they will finally see it as each individual’s responsibility to continually examine himself or herself for laziness and narcissism and then to purify themselves accordingly. They will do this in the knowledge that such personal purification is required not only for the salvation of their individual souls but also for the salvation of their world.”
Peck, M.S. (1983). People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil. New York, NY: Touchstone. Page 252-253.
 |
| Newton |
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."
“This above all: to thine own self be true,
 |
| Elbert Hubbard |
“Men are under the domain of Natural Law as much as bees.
 |
| Jesus washing the feet of His 12 Apostles |
“If you want to be great, then find a way to serve ... for service ... leads to greatness.”
“I have but one maxim ... Do right and risk the consequences.”
 |
| EMERSON |
“Give me health and a day,
—Nathaniel Hawthorne
—Hyrum W. Smith
 |
| Kennedy on the $US 50 cent piece |
“We do not go to space because it is easy;
 |
| Sir Walter Scott |
“O what a tangled web we weave
 |
| William Godwin |
“There is a reverence that we owe to everything in human shape.”
“A new philosophy, a new way of life, is not given for nothing. It has to be paid dearly for and [is] only acquired with much patience and great effort.”
 |
| Benjamin Franklin |
“Half the truth is often a great lie.”
 |
| Admiral David Farragut |
“No one cares what storms you faced, only did you bring in the ship?”
 |
| Lao Tzu |
“He who conquers himself is mighty.”
“When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
– Anonymous
 |
| Benjamin Franklin |
“He that won't be counseled can't be helped.”
 |
| William James |
“The simple act of commitment is a powerful magnet for help.
 |
| Thomas Carlyle |
“Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance,
 |
| Alfred Lord Tennyson |
“The happiness of a man in this life does not consist
 |
| Siddhartha Gautama The Buddha |
“As an irrigator guides water to his fields,
“We must remember that intelligence is not enough.
 |
| Young Longfellow |
“The world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people.
—Winston Churchill
—David Oman McKay
“Choose you this day.”
"There are no perfect men in this world; only perfect intentions."*
—Azeem to Robin in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
"One man defending his home is worth more than ten hired soldiers."* —Robin Hood to his Merry Men"Do you want to be free? Then we must stop fighting amongst ourselves and face the fact that the price for it may be dear!"*
—Robin Hood to his Merry Men
"Nobility is not a birthright; it is determined by one's actions."*
—Robin to Marian
"I would die for you."*
—Robin to Marian
* Screenplay by Pen Densham & John Watson
"One man defending his home is worth more than ten hired soldiers."* —Robin Hood to his Merry Men
"I meant what I said
And I said what I meant....
An elephant's faithful
One hundred percent!"
—Dr. Seuss
Goethe
"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."—Johann Wolfgang von Geothe
"Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life."
—Jerzy Gregorek
And I said what I meant....
An elephant's faithful
One hundred percent!"
 |
| Goethe |
"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."
—Johann Wolfgang von Geothe
"Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life."
—Jerzy Gregorek
"And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free."
—Jesus
Jesus washes the feet of the Twelve Apostles
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."—Jesus
"He who is greatest among you shall be your servant."
—Jesus
"Nothing useless is, or low; Each thing in its place is best;And what seems but idle show Strengthens and supports the rest."
—Henry Wadsworth LongfellowFrom his poem, The Builders
 |
| Jesus washes the feet of the Twelve Apostles |
—Jesus
"He who is greatest among you shall be your servant."
—Jesus
"Nothing useless is, or low;
 |
| Wordsworth |
"Every great poet is a teacher;
—John Greenleaf Whittier
In the quiet heart is hiddenSorrow that the eye can’t see.
—From the HYMN: Lord I Would Follow Thee
—Theodore Roosevelt
Colonel Roosevelt
Even after he had stepped down
as President of the U.S., Roosevelt
preferred the title "Colonel" to all others.
"The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer. There are many men who feel a kind of twister pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt. There is no more unhealthy being, no man less worthy of respect, than he who either really holds, or feigns to hold, an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty, whether in achievement or in that noble effort which, even if it fails, comes to second achievement. A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticize work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life’s realities - all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority but of weakness. They mark the men unfit to bear their part painfully in the stern strife of living, who seek, in the affection of contempt for the achievements of others, to hide from others and from themselves in their own weakness. The role is easy; there is none easier, save only the role of the man who sneers alike at both criticism and performance.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
"Shame on the man of cultivated taste who permits refinement to develop into fastidiousness that unfits him for doing the rough work of a workaday world. Among the free peoples who govern themselves there is but a small field of usefulness open for the men of cloistered life who shrink from contact with their fellows. Still less room is there for those who deride of slight what is done by those who actually bear the brunt of the day; nor yet for those others who always profess that they would like to take action, if only the conditions of life were not exactly what they actually are. The man who does nothing cuts the same sordid figure in the pages of history, whether he be a cynic, or fop, or voluptuary. There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of great and generous emotion, of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder. Well for these men if they succeed; well also, though not so well, if they fail, given only that they have nobly ventured, and have put forth all their heart and strength. It is war-worn Hotspur, spent with hard fighting, he of the many errors and valiant end, over whose memory we love to linger, not over the memory of the young lord who “but for the vile guns would have been a valiant soldier.”
Even after he had stepped down
as President of the U.S., Roosevelt
preferred the title "Colonel" to all others.
A [person] must be a good patriot before he can be … a good citizen of the world. Experience teaches us that the average man who protests that his international feeling swamps his national feeling, that he does not care for his country because he cares so much for mankind, in actual practice proves himself the foe of mankind. …
Now, this does not mean in the least that a man should not wish to do good outside his native land. On the contrary, just as I think that the man who loves his family is more apt to be a good neighbor than the man who does not, so I think that the most useful member of the family of nations is normally a strongly patriotic nation.
—Theodore Roosevelt
"At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? – Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! – All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the Earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
—Abraham Lincoln
"Not infrequently you hear this: 'What can I do to help world peace? Here I am, one lone, miserable individual. I cannot have any influence. I cannot do anything which will help. I am powerless.'
"That, of course, is just nonsense, for the peace of the world rests upon the collective individuals in the world; it does not rest upon nations; it rests upon the individuals in those nations. Do not think that your lives are unimportant. Do not think for a moment that you can exert no influence because you are young or because you are few.
"We have got to get away from the foolish notion that quantity is the important thing in influence. You know you can go into the laboratories on this campus and you will find that very minute amounts of particular substances can exert tremendous influences. One individual courageously choosing his own conduct in face of all odds, doing right, can exert a tremendous influence. Let us choose so that every event that comes into our lives will be enriching so that we will be bigger than any event, come whatever calamity may. We can so choose that it will not destroy us. [Each of us] can have FREEDOM in his own sphere. Each can contribute importantly to FREEDOM."
—Joseph Fielding Smith(Dr. JJ's Grandad)
"Not infrequently you hear this: 'What can I do to help world peace? Here I am, one lone, miserable individual. I cannot have any influence. I cannot do anything which will help. I am powerless.'
"That, of course, is just nonsense, for the peace of the world rests upon the collective individuals in the world; it does not rest upon nations; it rests upon the individuals in those nations. Do not think that your lives are unimportant. Do not think for a moment that you can exert no influence because you are young or because you are few.
"We have got to get away from the foolish notion that quantity is the important thing in influence. You know you can go into the laboratories on this campus and you will find that very minute amounts of particular substances can exert tremendous influences. One individual courageously choosing his own conduct in face of all odds, doing right, can exert a tremendous influence. Let us choose so that every event that comes into our lives will be enriching so that we will be bigger than any event, come whatever calamity may. We can so choose that it will not destroy us. [Each of us] can have FREEDOM in his own sphere. Each can contribute importantly to FREEDOM."
from a Denzel Washington Graduation Speech
"I've found that nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks; nothing! Nelson Mandela said, 'There is no passion to be found playing small and settling for a life that's less than the one you're capable of living. ..."Do what you feel passionate about; take chances; don't be afraid to fail. ... Don't be afraid to think outside the box; don't be afraid to fail big; to dream big.
"But remember: dreams without goals are just dreams."Reggie Jackson struck out 2,600 times in his career—the most in the history of baseball—but you don't hear about the strikeouts; people remember the home runs. ..."Every failed experiment is one step closer to success. You've got to take risks. ... and I want to talk to you about why that is so important.
"You will fail at some point in your life; accept it, you will lose. You will embarrass yourself; you will suck at something, there is no doubt about it. ... I'm telling you, embrace it because it is inevitable. ..."Early on in my career I auditioned for a part in a Broadway musical—a perfect role for me I thought, except for the fact that I can't sing. I didn't get the job. But here's the thing: I didn't quit. I didn't fall back. I walked out of there to prepare for the next audition and the next audition and the next audition. I prayed; I prayed; and I prayed! But I continued to fail, and fail, and fail; but it didn't matter because you know what, there's an old saying: You hang around the barbershop long enough sooner or later you're gonna get a haircut. So you will catch a break, and I did catch a break. Last year I did a play called Fences on Broadway. But here's the kicker: it was at the Court Theatre—it was at the same theatre that I failed that first audition 30 years prior. ..."Every graduate here has the training and the talent to succeed; but do you have the guts to fail? If you don't fail, you're not even trying. I'll say it again: if you don't fail, you're not even trying! To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did. So imagine you're on your deathbed, and standing around your deathbed are the ghosts representing your unfulfilled potential—the ghosts of the ideas you never acted on; the ghosts of the talents you never used. And they're standing around your bed angry, disappointed, and upset. They said we came to you because you could have brought us to life; and now we have to go to the grave together. So I ask you today: "How many ghosts are gonna be around your bed when your time comes?"
General George Washington
From George Washington's Rules for Civility...
Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules for Life
1. Never put off til tomorrow what you can do to-day.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want, because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.
5. Pride costs more than hunger, thirst and cold.
6. We never repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened!
9. Take things always by their smooth handle.
10. When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, an hundred.
Self-action leaders never give up
"Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict." (1)
"What is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be." (2)
"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!" (3)
"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'" (4)
"You do your worst—and we will do our best." (5)
"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." (6).
"Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone."
"If conscience disapproves, the loudest applauses of the world is of little value."
"To be good, and to do good, is all we have to do."
"Move or die is the language of our Maker in the constitution of our bodies."
"The longer I live, the more I read, the more patiently I think, and the more anxiously I inquire, the less I seem to know. ... Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. This is enough."
—John Adams (1732-1826), 2nd President of the United States
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| Abigail Adams 1744-1818 |
"I've always felt that a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting points of view he can entertain simultaneously on the same topic."
"We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond to them."
"If we mean to have heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, we should have learned women."
"Wisdom and penetration are the fruit of experience, not the lessons of retirement and leisure. Great necessities call out great virtues."
—Abigail Adams (1744-1818), First Lady of the United States
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| Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826 |
"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."
"The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money."
"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; and that His justice cannot sleep forever."
"Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far."
"I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as reason for withdrawing from a friend."
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| Thomas Jefferson on the US $2.00 bill |
"He who knows best knows how little he knows."
—Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), 3rd President of the United States
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| George Washington 1732-1799 |
"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
"To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace."
"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light."
"It is far better to be alone, than in bad company."
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| Washington Monument |
"Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected."
"The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon."
"It is impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being."
—George Washington (1732-1799, 1st President of the United States
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| Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790 |
"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of."
"Love your enemies, for they will tell you your faults."
"He that lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas."
"Well done is better than well said."
"A right heart exceeds all."
"He that can have patience can have what he will."
"The things which hurt, instruct."
"Diligence is the mother of good luck."
"None preaches better than the ant, and she says nothing."
"One today is worth two tomorrows."
"Haste makes waste."
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| Benjamin Franklin on the US $100 bill |
"Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve."
"He that won't be counseled can't be helped."
"He that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night."
"Let thy vices die before thee."
"Search others for virtues, thyself for vices."
"Who has deceived thee so oft as thyself?"
"Tomorrow every fault is to be amended; but that Tomorrow never comes."
"For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned."
"Trust thyself, and another shall not betray thee."
"Fools need advice most, but Wise men only are the better for it."
"At the workingman's house hunger looks in, but dares not enter."
"Wink at small faults—remember that thou has great ones.
"Keep thou from the Opportunity, and God will keep thee from the Sin."
"Are you angry that others disappoint you? Remember that you cannot depend upon yourself."
"The sleeping fox catches no poultry. UP! UP!"
"You may delay, but Time will not."
"The idle Man is the Devil's hireling, whose Livery is Rags, whose Diet and Wages are Famine and Disease."
"Deny self for self's sake."
"Fly pleasures, and they'll follow you."
"He that would live in peace and at ease, Must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees."
"What's more valuable than gold?
Diamonds. Than Diamonds? Virtue."
"A true friend is the best possession."
—Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), Signer of the Declaration of Independence & Constitution
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"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary."
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."
"The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived."
"It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood."
—James Madison (1751-1836), 4th President of the United States
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| Sam Houston General, President, Senator, Governor |
"Govern wisely — and as little as possible."
"I am aware that in presenting myself as an advocate of the [Native Americans] and their rights, I shall stand very much alone."
"Texas is the finest portion of the globe that has ever blessed my vision!"
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| Sam Houston Museum w/ my favorite Texan, Frank McLane. Huntsville, Texas; April 13, 2019 |
—Sam Houston (1786-1863), General (Army of Texas), President of the Republic of Texas, Governor of the State of Texas
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| Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865 |
"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."
"How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? Four. Saying that a tail is a leg doesn't make it a leg."
"The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next."
"I will prepare and someday my chance will come."
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."
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| Statue of Abraham Lincoln Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. |
"My dream is of a place and time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of Earth."
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace for ourselves and for all nations."
—Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th President of the United States
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| Frederick Douglass 1818-1895 |
"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."
"I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs."
"One and God make a majority."
"The soul that is within me no man can degrade."
"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own ridicule."
"The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous."
"A gentleman will not insult me, an no man not a gentleman can insult me."
—Frederick Douglass (1817-1895), Early Civil Rights Leader
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| General/President U.S. Grant 1822-1885 |
"Hold fast to the Bible. To the influence of this book we are indebted for all the progress made in ... civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future."
"Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private school, supported by private contributions. Keep the church and state forever separate."
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| President U.S. Grant on the US $50.00 bill |
"Everyone has his superstitions. One of mine has always been when I started to go anywhere, or to do anything, never to turn back until the thing intended was accomplished."
"Let us have peace."
—Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), Full General of the U.S. Army and 18th President of the United States
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| 1803-1882 |
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
"Life is a journey, not a destination."
"Be silly. Be honest. Be kind."
"Hitch your wagon to a star."
"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."
"To be great is to be misunderstood."
"You become what you think about all day long."
"Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
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| Ralph Waldo Emerson |
"One of the most beautiful compensations in life is that no person can help another without helping themselves."
"Knowledge is the antidote to fear."
"Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods."
"He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life."
"Every person I meet is in some way my superior — in that I learn of them."
"Character is higher than intellect."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Scholar, Philosopher, Essayist, Poet
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| Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862 |
"Rather than love, than money, than fame; give me truth."
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."
"Goodness is the only investment that never fails."
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| Sketch of Thoreau's Cabin near Walden Pond |
"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."
"None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm."
"Life your beliefs and you can turn the world around."
—Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), Philosopher, Essayist, Friend of Emerson's
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| Theodore Roosevelt 1858-1919 |
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
"I am part of everything that I have read."
"To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society."
"Never throughout history has a person who has lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering."
"The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with other people."
"With self-discipline, almost anything is possible."
"Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive."
"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
"The only person who never makes mistakes is the person who never does anything."
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President of the United States.
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"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."
"I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues."
"It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."
"Confidence ... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live."
—Franklin Roosevelt (1884-1945), 32nd President of the United States.
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| Eleanor Roosevelt 1884-1948 |
"You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude."
"No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful."
"Life is what you make it. Always has been, and always will be."
"It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself."
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| Eleanor with her husband, Franklin |
"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1948), First Lady of the United States.
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| Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968 |
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
"Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude."
"Life's most persistent and pressing question is: what am I doing for others."
"Never succumb to the temptation to bitterness."
"Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education."
—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), Civil Rights Leader
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| Ronald Reagan 1911-2004 |
"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."
"Trust, but verify."
"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
"There are no easy answered, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what is morally right."
"The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away."
"They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong."
—Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), 40th President of the United States.
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"I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition."
—Martha Washington (1731-1802), First Lady of the United States
"There ain't no ticks like poly-ticks. Bloodsuckers all."
"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas."
"Remember these words when I am dead. First, be sure you're right; then go ahead."
—Davy Crockett (1786-1836), Soldier, Frontiersman, Soldier
—William Wallace
(As depicted by Mel Gibson in the 1995 Hollywood movie, Braveheart)
"I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his honor and that of his Country; Victory or death."
—William Barrett Travis (1809-1836), Soldier, Army Lieutenant Colonel
"Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost."
—Helen Keller (1880-1968), Political activist, disability rights advocate, author and lecturer
"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent, hinder, or control, the firm resolve of a determined soul."
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919), Poet
"Be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."
—Judy Garland (1922-1969), Hollywood Actor
"I'm a big believer that eventually everything comes back to you. You get back what you give out."
—Nancy Reagan (1911-2004), First Lady of the United States.
"Love and hope can conquer hate."
"The best judge of whether or not a country is going to develop is how it treats its women."
—Barack Obama (1961-Present), 44th President of the United States.
"Always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody says distract you from your goals."
—Michelle Obama (1964-Present), First Lady of the United States
"There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It's why you were born."
—Oprah Winfrey (1954-Present), Billionaire Media Mogul
—Dr. JJ
February 1, 2023
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
Author's Note: This is the 306th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 132nd consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.
Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 305 FF Blog Articles
Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL QUOTES
Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL POEMS
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Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.
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