Stranger

A while ago, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.) Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave. More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?.... .. .

We just call him 'TV.'

(Note: This should be required reading for every household!)


He has a wife now....We call her 'Computer.'

Their first child is "Cell Phone".
Second child "I Pod"

THE FASTEST RUNNER

A princess once declared that she would marry the person who defeated her in running a race. She was an accomplished runner and was adamant that her suitor should be a better runner than her. Many princes from near and far came to contest a race with her. One by one, she ran a race with each one of them; but each time she was the winner. She hurt the ego of many a vain and handsome prince.

As news of this peculiar condition for the hand of the princess spread, more and more princes and nobles came to try their luck. But destiny was always tilted in favour of the princess. She was getting more and more famous as the faster runner, here and yonder. But there was one drawback too and that was that she was getting older and her parents feared that she may die an old maid!

One day a handsome young boy asked for an audience with the king. He said, “Lord, I have a request to make. Please give me the finest jewels of your queen, just for a day. I shall return them to you tomorrow, in double. The king was intrigued. He asked his queen to give her best jewels to the boy. Somehow, he found a strange look of serenity on the face of the lad and his gut feeling said that the fellow was not a crook. The boy tied the jewels in a bandana and went out. A few minutes later he sought an audience with the princess. He challenged her to a race. She guffawed at the sight of his bare feet and his bandana bag. But she agreed to race with him.

As soon as they started, the lad took a giant leap forward and dropped the most beautiful pieces of jewellery from his bandana there. As he moved forward in leaps and bounds he kept dropping pieces of precious jewellery on the track. The princess saw the beautiful gold necklace; its diamonds and sapphires sparkling in the sun! She dashed forward to pick it up and ran again. A few steps ahead, she found a lovely jhumka for the ear, but it was only one, where was its pair? She ran further in search of the other one and found it further down the track. She continued to run, collecting the jewellery all along.

The young fellow meanwhile had long since reached his destination. By the time the princess reached, she was loaded with jewels, but she had lost the race!

So, as per the condition, the boy was to marry the princess! Imagine the surprise of the king, when he saw his daughter, wearing all the family jewels, standing beside the familiar face that had cast its spell on the king!

This happens in life too. If we stop at each juncture in life to gather, then our luggage increases and the race of life becomes hard to run. On the other hand if we travel light with an eye only on the goal, then we reach our destination faster.

Her name was Rose

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, 'Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?' I laughed and enthusiastically responded 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze. 'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked. She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids....' 'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. 'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!' she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery.I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me!I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.'
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up... If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.' She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.' She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives...

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

Alexander's Last Words ......

My extempor after a long time

Today, as part of recruitment process, I was asked to write on a topic of my choice. And after writing few lines about this topic, I felt little good.

My topic of choice would be: Our Quest for Knowledge

Each one of us has been gifted some time to spend here in this world. We all are born with a particular specification (genome in biological lingo). We all then spend initial years while learning the ways of this world. And then a time comes when one gets a chance to have a first hand experience of this world. This transition happens quite a many times in our life span it seems. Any such transition. say, from a mother’s lap to the floor, from home to school, school to college, one company to another company, one business to another business, one region to another region, gives us an immense opportunity to learn new things, things which are peculiar to the new environment and hence is new to us. Change is always for the better, be it in short term or long term. And hence I believe that the process of learn, then un-learn and re-learn keeps continuing for us as long as we wish it to continue. And I personally believe that the day we stop this process, our growth would cease. The very belief that each day that I live would give me an opportunity to learn something new or look at something I already know from a different perspective instills energy and motivation within me. I just hope I keep myself among people and in an environment where I can stand upon my belief without any doubt.

I intend to keep it as a record for myself, so that I can come back and look at it every time I feel lost or alone here in my journey in pursuit of happyness.

Speech from Chetan Bhagat to Symbiosis MBA Fresh Batch

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement.

But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday?

They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.



I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you.

But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.

Disappointment's cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release.

Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts , having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you.

In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.

Thank You.

37 lessons to live Life that Matters

1. Discover what matters to you
   Success in the long run has less to do with finding the best idea, organizational structure, or business model, than with discovering what matters to you as individuals.
2. Have the courage to do what matters
   You create enduring success not because you are perfect or lucky but because you have the courage to do what matters to you.
3. Don’t rely on others’ approval
   Successful people don’t rely on the approval of others to pursue their cause or calling. They are more emotionally committed to doing what they love than being loved by others.
4. Redefine success
   The real definition of success is a life and work that bring personal fulfillment and lasting relationships and makes a difference in the world in which they live.
5. Don’t chase money and recognition
   Money and recognition are just outcomes of passionately working often on an entirely different objective that is often a personal cause or calling.
6. Recognize signs of passion
   Builders (the term used by the authors to refer to “enduringly successful people”) become lovers of an idea they are passionate about for years and years. They lose track of the passage of time while doing it. In a real sense, it’s something that they’d be willing to do for free, for its own sake.
7. Worry more about being what you love
   Most of us worry more about being loved than being what we love.
8. Be sure you do what you love
   It’s dangerous not to do what you love. If you don’t love what you’re doing, you’ll lose to someone who does. Passionate people try harder, try more things, and move faster than people who only do things for a living.
9. Check whether you’re on the right track
   You know that you are on the right track when you naturally obsess over what you love. What you love attracts you even when you’re too tired to do anything else.
10. Find your mission in life
    To find your mission in life is to discover the intersection between your heart’s deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger (Frederick Beekner).
11. Find place for your multiple passions
    You do need to find a place for everything that is meaningful to you (your portfolio of passions). When you exclude all other things except a single focus for your life, there is a danger that you might find it impossible to locate the real treasure.
12. Experiment with your other passions
    Carve out a little time each week to experiment in some way with one of your other passions.
13. Never retire from what you love
    Builders’ passions create meaning in their lives that is nothing short of lifelong obsession from which they seek no escape.
14. Have integrity to do what matters to you
    You should have integrity to do what matters to you. Do not waste your time if it doesn’t matter.
15. Be yourself
    You shouldn’t hijack someone else’s value system. To do so would be a violation of integrity to what matters in your life.
16. Listen to that little voice
    Happy endings come from listening to that little voice inside your head - some call it the whisper - about what matters to you.
17. Plug into the cause and get the power
    Whatever Builders are doing has so much meaning to them that the cause itself provides charisma and they plug into it as if it was electrical current. They are lifted up by its power.
18. Do what matters despite political correctness
    Doing things despite the political correctness of the path is the price of admission to almost every enduring life of lasting impact.
19. Do what matters despite popularity
    Builders cling to a personal commitment that’s so compelling to them - something so important to them that they would actually do it for free - that they must do it despite popularity.
20. Have passion, determination, and skill
    Life takes passion, determination, and skill. You can’t skip any of those three and expect to enjoy success built to last.
21. Be greedy to acquire knowledge for your dream
    If you should be greedy about anything, it should be about acquiring “intellectual capital” for your dream. Being your best at what you do is essential to success built to last.
22. Make a difference with your knowledge
    When you have “earned” knowledge, you have an ethical responsibility to “invest” that capital on making a difference.
23. Earn opportunities through expertise
    Opportunity comes from expertise, not just luck, talent, and passion.
24. Recognize when to move
    When Builders found that striving for excellence is unreachable or joyless, they saw it as a message to move onto something else.
25. Have the right attitude toward difficulties
    Having many difficulties perfects the being; having no difficulties ruins the being (Lao Tzu).
26. Make failure your friend
    Many highly accomplished people described themselves as so proficient at making mistakes that, if you didn’t know better, you might think they were losers.
27. Harvest failure
    Enduringly successful people harvest failure. They become more resolute after losing a battle they believe in because they learn from the loss. Losers call it failure; winners call it learning.
28. Always make new mistakes
    When you make mistakes, just be sure to make new ones.
29. Manage your weaknesses
    Builders don’t deny their flaws, nor do they allow them to paralyze action. They manage it, include it, cope with it, and don’t let it stop them.
30. Earn your luck through focus and knowledge
    Builders earn their luck, not simply getting lucky. They earn their luck by focusing on doing work that is meaningful to them and going deep to discover relevant clues along the way. It is focus and knowledge that allows them to observe the subtleties of their path and then take advantage of serendipitous events.
31. Have a prepared mind
    Only a prepared mind and open heart prevails.
32. Have clear goals
    Builders use planning and goals - often big goals - to put themselves into a serendipitous position.
33. Have explorer mentality
    Builders have explorer mentality. They have clear direction, but not the roadmap. What they seek in the long term doesn’t always turn out as expected.
34. Think about your relationships as long term
    If you want success that lasts, then you’re better off if you think about your relationships as being built to last.
35. Surround yourself with “A” players
    Builders spent the largest percentage of their time tracking down, surrounding themselves with, and developing the people who are “A” players.
36. Align your intentions, words, and actions
    Always watch whether your words and actions match your intentions, and are aligned with what you are trying to do.
37. Get the inconsistent stuff out
    Alignment requires that you get out of your life all the stuff that is inconsistent with your passions and goal. That includes people. Choose wisely.

Prayer of Serenity

A Camel In A Cage

A baby camel asked his mother, "Why do we have such large hooves on our feet?" She turned to him. "God made us that way for a very special reason," and she began her explanation. "The big hooves are to keep us from sinking into the sand."

"Oh! So why do we have long eyelashes?"

"It's to protect our eyes from the sand."

"Why the big humps?"

"That is to store fat and have enough energy to go long distances in the hot desert!"

"I see!" The baby camel stretched his neck and looked up at his mother, "The big hooves are to keep from sinking into the sand, the long eyelashes are to keep the sand out of our eyes, and the humps are to store energy to travel long distances--then what are we doing in this cage in the middle of a zoo?"

Like the camel, I had asked the same kind of questions. When my blindness set in, I initially locked myself in a cage of self-pity and bitterness. Weary from pacing within that gloomy cage, something nudged me to see beyond my circumstance and unfortunate plight.

Heavens! What was I thinking? Those bars were self-imposed. But worst of all, I'd supported them with the cold metal of my negative attitude.

Eventually, eagerness to leave my stuffy cell of discontent prompted me to open my ears to hear a reassuring whisper--God had created me for much more.

Itching to break free, I broke down those bars and stepped out into the desert of life. I trudged through the heat with determination and drive. I endured the blistering sun with perseverance and tenacity. I quenched my thirst with fresh inspiration and encouragement. And the hooves of confidence kept me from sinking into the sand of insecurity.

Thinking ahead, I made sure I'd stored a healthy supply of wisdom and positive attitude to take me through the long haul.

Goodness gracious. Each time I reached another point in my journey, my eyes saw a whole new world with opportunities to make a difference. Best of all, I was delighted with the affirmation that I was indeed created for much more! Bars come in all sizes and shapes. Some are physical, others are emotional or even mental. But none can withstand the force of determination that breaks them down. The effort is worth it and the results, simply amazing! So, batting my long eyelashes to keep out the sand of discouragement, I challenge you...

Step back and peek at what bars limit you. Take a deep breath, break them down, and emerge into the freshness of a new life!

What do you feel ??

Deadlock

Boss said to secretary: For a week we will go abroad,
so make arrangement.

Secretary make call to Husband: For a week my boss and
I will be going abroad, you look after yourself.

Husband make call to secret lover: My wife is going
abroad for a week, so lets spend the week together.

Secret lover make call to small boy whom she is giving
private tution: I have work for a week, so you need
not come for class.

Small boy make call to his grandfather: Grandpa, for a
week I don't have class 'coz my teacher is busy. Lets
spend the week together.

Grandpa(the 1st boss ;) ) make call to his secretary: This week I am
spending my time with my grandson. We cannot attend
that meeting.

Secretary make call to her husband: This week my boss
has some work, we cancelled our trip.

Husband make call to secret lover: We cannot spend
this week together, my wife has cancelled her trip.

Secret lover make call to small boy whom she is giving
private tution: This week we will have class as usual.

Small boy make call to his grandfather: Grandpa, my
teacher said this week I have to attend class. Sorry I
can't give you company.

Grandpa make call to his secretary: Don't worry this
week we will attend that meeting, so make arrangement

See how life catchs you from behind :)

Secrets of Success

You will find the eight keys to success right there in your very own room where you are sitting now.

The Fan says BE COOL.
The Roof says AIM HIGH.
The Window says take PAINS.
The Clock says every minute is PRECIOUS.
The Mirror says reflect before you ACT.
The Calendar says be up-to-date.
The Door says push.
The Lamp says illuminate your mind by Education.

Listen to what things around are trying to tell you to achieve greater heights of success.

Thoughts

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are? - Satchell Paige

When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'

Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
- Unknown

Believe those who seek the truth; doubt those who find it.
- Andre Gide

If you aren't going to go all the way, why go at all ??

Self-discipline is when your conscience tells you to do something and you don't talk back.
- W.K. Hope

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Climb up on some hill at sunrise. Everybody needs perspective once in a while, and you'll find it there.

- Robb Sagendorph

You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough, in the second half you give what's left.

- Yogi Berra

If I have learned one thing in this life, it is that God will not tie my shoes without me.

- Doug Boyd

The first sight of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left.

- Chicago Tribune

Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with.

- Mark Twain

The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one.

- Russell Lynes

Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don't.

- Pete Seeger

Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.
- Robert Frost
Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.
- Mark Twain

We must remain as close to the flowers, the grass, and the butterflies as the child is who is not yet so much taller than they are.

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.

-Sandra Carey

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.
- James D. Miles


There are no more hours in a bad day than in a good one!
-Unknown

If you want to be happy for a year, plant a garden; If you want to be happy for life, plant a tree.
- English Proverb

I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells.
- Dr. Seuss

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
- Abraham Lincoln

To be nobody but yourself, in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle that any human being can fight--and never stop fighting.

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.
- Booker T. Washington

Always be nice to people on the way up; because you'll meet the same people on the way down.
- Wilson Mizner

Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Don't wait for your ship to come in. Row out to meet it.

There are years that ask questions, and years that answer.
-Zora Neale Hurston

If a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.
-Edgar Watson Howe

Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth... Tame the dragon and the gift is yours.
-Noela Evans

You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.

-Chinese Proverb

If you don't have the time to do something right, where are you going to find the time to fix it?
-Stephen King

Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can.
-John Wesley

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

-Erin Majors

When you are reluctant to change, think of the beauty of autumn.

Conditions are never just right. People who delay action until all factors are favorable are the kind who do nothing.

-William Feather

Kindly words, sympathizing attentions, watchfulness against wounding men's sensitiveness--these cost very little, but they are priceless in their value.

-F.W. Robertson

Don't regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.

-Unknown

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn.

-Miguel De Cervantes

If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

-Steve Bartkowski

Hope is like a road in the country; there wasn't ever a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.

-Lin Yutang

Don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.
-- General George S. Patton

Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway.
-- Harper Lee

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
-Samuel Johnson Submitted By Lifthimup

Tough times never last, tough people do.

-Robert Schuller

To look at something as though we had never seen it before requires great courage.

-Henri Matisse

The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.

-Gen. Norman Schwarzkoff

If you're not using your smile, you're like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook.

-Les Giblin

Man improves himself as he follows his path; if he stands still, waiting to improve before he makes a decision, he'll never move.
-Paulo Coelho


The farther a man knows himself to be free from perfection,
the nearer he is to it.
-Gerard Groote

Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.
- Rabindra Nath Tagore

Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.

-Ralph Charell

Maturity is the ability to do a job whether or not you are supervised, to carry money without spending it, and to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.

-Ann Landers

Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world.

-Annie Lennox

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs --jolted by every pebble in the road.
-- Henry Ward Beecher

Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth thrown in. Aim at Earth and you get neither.
-- C.S. Lewis

Values are like fingerprints. Nobody's are the same, but you leave 'em all over everything you do.

--Elvis Presley

It’s the things in common that make relationships enjoyable, but it’s the little differences that make them interesting.
-- -Todd Ruthman

Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.
-- Alice Mackenzie Swaim

Aim for the moon...even if you miss you'll land amoungst the stars.
-- Unknown

Often God has to shut a door in our face so that He can subsequently open the door through which He wants us to go.
-- Catherine Marshall

I gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which I must stop and look fear in the face...I say to myself, I’ve lived through this and can take the next thing that comes along.
-- Eleanor Roosevelt

Don't worry that children never listen to you. Worry that they are always watching you.
-- Robert Fulghum

Don't prepare the path for the child, prepare the child for the path.
-- Unknown

Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it's not the end.
-- Unknown

Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing those you hold well.
-- Josh Billings

Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.
-- Estonian Proverb

If you don't run your own life, someone else will.
-- John Atkinson

To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
-- Oscar Wilde

Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. To be happy, rest like a giant tree in the midst of them all.
-- Buddha

Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring and integrity, they think of you.
-- H. Jackson Brown, Jr

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

-- Mother Teresa

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.

-- Henri Bergson

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

-- Albert Schweitzer

We have bigger houses, but smaller families.
More conveniences, but less time.
We have more knowledge, but less judgements;
more experts but more problems;
more medicines but less health.
We have been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour.
We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.
We have become long on quantity but shot on quality.
These are times of fast foods, but slow digestion;
tall men but short character;
steep profits but shallow relationsihps.
It is a time
When there is much in the window, but nothing in the room.
--The Dalai Lama

Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
--William Jennings Bryan

I shall try to handle anything that life throws at me - I may not able to handle it well, or correctly, or gracefully, or with finesse or expediently - but I will handle it. Life may not be the party I hoped for, but while I am here, I might as well dance !!!