I love to read - inspirational works, history, fiction, billboards, bumper stickers - you name it, if it's written somewhere it will capture my attention. So I seek to learn from my exposure to what is placed within my sight. On this page you will find some of the lessons I hope to retain long enough to live by. Citations are attributed when I know the source.
Sometimes you have to listen to the music and not just the words. William Doverspike
The assumption of spirituality is that always God is doing something before I know it. So the task is not to get God to do something I think needs to be done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can respond to it and participate and take delight in it. Eugene Peterson
Kindness is the highest form of wisdom. Don Juan de Palafox y Mendoza
You can either practice being right or practice being kind. Anne Lamott
In the essentials of the faith, we seek unity; in the non-essentials of the faith, we promote liberty; in all things, let us act in love. Thomas Campbell
What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude. Brené Brown
Genuine transformation requires vulnerability. David Benner
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. . . . You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. Marianne Williamson
He that is hard to please may get nothing in the end. Aesop
Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. Joyce Meyer
Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it will always get you the right ones. John Lennon
Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson
But if you are content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself. The Message
The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. Pablo Picasso
Conflict cannot survive without your participation. Wayne Dyer
I have learned to prize holy ignorance more highly than religious certainty and to seek companions who have arrived at the same place. Barbara Brown Taylor
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies within yourself. Tecumseh
Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light. Albert Schweitzer
Be faithful in small things, because it is in them that your strength lies. Mother Theresa
Fear is the gatekeeper of our comfort zone. Rhonda Britten
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end. Leonardo da Vinci
It is more efficient and less painful if you don’t make every mistake yourself, no matter how instructive each might be. Robert I. Sutton
Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness. James Thurber
Above all, remember that the more harm you cause, the more hate you feel. The more kindness you express, the more you come to love those you help. David McRaney
Every skill learned is an investment in the future. Unknown
Forgiveness means letting go of the hope for a better past. Lama Surya Das
The key to self-awareness isn’t found inside our heads; it’s in discovering and accepting how others see us – even when it hurts. Heidi Grant Halvorson
I would rather be able to experience compassion than be able to define it. Thomas a` Kempis
You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. John Wooden
It doesn’t matter what you look at, it matters what you see. Henry David Thoreau
Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. Henri Nouwen
Those who can give thanks for little will always find they have enough. Unknown
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. Friedrich Nietzsche
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Christopher Robin
Stop straining to know what you do not know, to see what you do not see, to understand what you do not yet understand. Trust that being is sufficient. Richard Rohr
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. African proverb
There isn't anyone you can't love once you've heard their story. Fred Rogers
Attentiveness without an aim is the supreme form of prayer. Simone Weil
The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better. Richard Rohr
Always be bigger and more compassionate than you think you can be. Unknown
Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can’t imagine. Kathleen Norris
You can observe a lot just by watching. Yogi Berra
Three decisions that we all control each moment of our lives: what to focus on, what things mean, and what to do in spite of the challenges that may appear to limit us. Tony Robbins
Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see. Schopenhauer
When I let go of what I am I become what I might be. Chinese proverb
He prays well who is so absorbed with God that he does not know he is praying. St. Francis de Sales
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind is a part of ourselves. We must die to one life before we can enter another. Anatole France
Our spiritual task is to discern ways in which our heart is at variance with God's heart. Richard Rohr
If you don’t like what you are reaping, you had better change what you have been sowing. Jim Rohn
Your time is limited; don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Steve Jobs
I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day. James Joyce
Detours of intention, which can be read two ways: sometimes I chose the route, but more often it chose me. Tom Montgomery Fate
The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are. Carl G. Y. Jung
When you change the way you look at things the things you look at change. Wayne Dyer
Listen and silent have the same letters. Monastery sign
If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Mother Teresa
God does not love us if we change; God loves us so that we can change. Richard Rohr
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. Edwin H. Chapin
Meditation is not what you think. Jon Kabat-Zinn
If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. Frank A. Clark
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Confucius
The longer we dwell in our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us. Voltaire
What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. Henry David Thoreau
The healing is in the baring – and bearing – of truth publicly. Richard Rohr
Difficulties strengthen the mind, as well as labor does the body. Seneca
When you are the only one showing up for the relationship, it’s not a relationship. Unknown
The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities. Sophocles
The better I am at self-care, the more genuinely nurturing of others I can be. Karyl McBride
It is not the perfection of the gift that matters to God; it’s the desire to give the gift that pleases God. Richard Rohr
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Socrates
Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible - and suddenly you are doing the impossible. St. Francis of Assisi
Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things. Henry Ward Beecher
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway. Earl Nightingale
When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. Maya Angelou
Be careful never to compromise what you want most for what you want now. Zig Ziglar
Treat others as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being. Johann Wolfgang von Goeth
Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance. Epicurius
Everyone that you will ever meet knows something that you don’t. Bill Nye
Someone who is worthy of your love will never put you in a situation where you feel you must sacrifice your dignity, your integrity, or your self-worth to be with them. Unknown
The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do. Bill Phillips
You tell people how to treat you by what you allow, what you stop, and what you reinforce. Tony Gaskins
The secret to living well and longer is to eat half, walk double, laugh triple, and love without measure. Tibetan proverb
How things are both utterly connected and yet distinct is invariably the question of the serious seeker. Richard Rohr
Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all. Emily Dickenson
Who were you before you put yourself last? Mary Anne Radmacher
Unity is diversity embraced by an infinitely generous love. Richard Rohr
Time... is what keeps everything from happening at once. Raymond King Cummings
The first step to getting what you want is to have the courage to get rid of what you don’t. Zig Ziglar
A good journey begins with knowing where you are and being willing to go somewhere else. Richard Rohr
When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind. Wayne Dyer
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option. Maya Angelou
Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart. Zig Ziglar
Never let me imagine that my satisfaction with life depends on what someone else may do. Linda G
The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are. C. S. Lewis
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. John Wooden
If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present. Lao Tzu
Sometimes the heart should do things without the brain’s permission. Rodney White
Taking good care of YOU means the people in your life will receive the best of you rather than what is left of you. Lorraine Cohen
The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. Vince Lombardi
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. Art Linkletter
The most confused we ever get is when we try to convince our heads of something that our hearts know is a lie. Karen Morning
If you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher fence. Greg Kiernan
Whenever there’s a loss, there’s bound to be a gain somewhere else. You just have to know where to look for it. Laura Lane McNeal
Experience is not what happens to us, it is what we do with what happens to us. Aldous Huxley
Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect. William Paul Young
When you forgive, you in no way change the past, but you sure do change the future. Bernard Meltzer
We live transparently, not to unload our own burdens and thus walk more lightly alone, but to intentionally share the burdens of others and carry them to the same grace that liberated us. Megan Hill
Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. Margaret Mead
If we don’t change the direction we are headed, we will end up where we are going. Chinese Proverb
The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them. Thomas Merton
I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us. Anne Lamotte
One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say. Bryant H. Mcgill
Don’t make the mistake of believing that your future hangs on one big defining moment. Every moment is defining whether you realize it or not. Kerri Weems
You have to be odd to be #1. Dr. Seuss
Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't. Jerry Rice
It’s still magic even if you know how it’s done. Terry Pratchett
You cannot weave truth on a loom of lies. Suzette Haden Elgin
We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. Charles Swindall
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. George Bernard Shaw
Don’t look back; you’re not going that way. Christi Gee
May you receive all that God has planned for you. Virginia Webb
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Mahatma Gandhi
Setting an example for another is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means. Albert Einstein
A negative thinker sees a difficulty in every opportunity. A positive thinker sees an opportunity in every difficulty. Zig Ziglar
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. e.e.cummings
The best way to go on after a failure is to learn the lesson and forget the details. John Mason
Success is not what you have achieved. Success is what you have overcome. Booker T. Washington
When your cup is empty, do not long mourn what is gone. If you do, you miss the opportunity to fill it again. Sarah Addison Alder
The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. Peggy O’Mara
Your value does not decrease based on the inability of others to see your worth. Never let someone else's opinion of you become your reality. Zig Ziglar
You never know the hearts you silently break with the words you never say. Bryant McGill
It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to. W. C. Fields
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. Oscar Wilde
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. Albert Einstein
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt
Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing the monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward. C. S. Lewis
You cannot do everything at once. But you can do something at once. Calvin Coolidge
Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone. Jack Dragon
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. Helen Keller
The assumption of spirituality is that always God is doing something before I know it. So the task is not to get God to do something I think needs to be done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can respond to it and participate and take delight in it. Eugene Peterson
Kindness is the highest form of wisdom. Don Juan de Palafox y Mendoza
You can either practice being right or practice being kind. Anne Lamott
In the essentials of the faith, we seek unity; in the non-essentials of the faith, we promote liberty; in all things, let us act in love. Thomas Campbell
What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude. Brené Brown
Genuine transformation requires vulnerability. David Benner
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. . . . You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. Marianne Williamson
He that is hard to please may get nothing in the end. Aesop
Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. Joyce Meyer
Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it will always get you the right ones. John Lennon
Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson
But if you are content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself. The Message
The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. Pablo Picasso
Conflict cannot survive without your participation. Wayne Dyer
I have learned to prize holy ignorance more highly than religious certainty and to seek companions who have arrived at the same place. Barbara Brown Taylor
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies within yourself. Tecumseh
Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light. Albert Schweitzer
Be faithful in small things, because it is in them that your strength lies. Mother Theresa
Fear is the gatekeeper of our comfort zone. Rhonda Britten
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end. Leonardo da Vinci
It is more efficient and less painful if you don’t make every mistake yourself, no matter how instructive each might be. Robert I. Sutton
Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness. James Thurber
Above all, remember that the more harm you cause, the more hate you feel. The more kindness you express, the more you come to love those you help. David McRaney
Every skill learned is an investment in the future. Unknown
Forgiveness means letting go of the hope for a better past. Lama Surya Das
The key to self-awareness isn’t found inside our heads; it’s in discovering and accepting how others see us – even when it hurts. Heidi Grant Halvorson
I would rather be able to experience compassion than be able to define it. Thomas a` Kempis
You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. John Wooden
It doesn’t matter what you look at, it matters what you see. Henry David Thoreau
Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. Henri Nouwen
Those who can give thanks for little will always find they have enough. Unknown
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. Friedrich Nietzsche
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Christopher Robin
Stop straining to know what you do not know, to see what you do not see, to understand what you do not yet understand. Trust that being is sufficient. Richard Rohr
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. African proverb
There isn't anyone you can't love once you've heard their story. Fred Rogers
Attentiveness without an aim is the supreme form of prayer. Simone Weil
The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better. Richard Rohr
Always be bigger and more compassionate than you think you can be. Unknown
Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can’t imagine. Kathleen Norris
You can observe a lot just by watching. Yogi Berra
Three decisions that we all control each moment of our lives: what to focus on, what things mean, and what to do in spite of the challenges that may appear to limit us. Tony Robbins
Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see. Schopenhauer
When I let go of what I am I become what I might be. Chinese proverb
He prays well who is so absorbed with God that he does not know he is praying. St. Francis de Sales
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind is a part of ourselves. We must die to one life before we can enter another. Anatole France
Our spiritual task is to discern ways in which our heart is at variance with God's heart. Richard Rohr
If you don’t like what you are reaping, you had better change what you have been sowing. Jim Rohn
Your time is limited; don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Steve Jobs
I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day. James Joyce
Detours of intention, which can be read two ways: sometimes I chose the route, but more often it chose me. Tom Montgomery Fate
The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are. Carl G. Y. Jung
When you change the way you look at things the things you look at change. Wayne Dyer
Listen and silent have the same letters. Monastery sign
If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Mother Teresa
God does not love us if we change; God loves us so that we can change. Richard Rohr
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. Edwin H. Chapin
Meditation is not what you think. Jon Kabat-Zinn
If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. Frank A. Clark
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Confucius
The longer we dwell in our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us. Voltaire
What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. Henry David Thoreau
The healing is in the baring – and bearing – of truth publicly. Richard Rohr
Difficulties strengthen the mind, as well as labor does the body. Seneca
When you are the only one showing up for the relationship, it’s not a relationship. Unknown
The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities. Sophocles
The better I am at self-care, the more genuinely nurturing of others I can be. Karyl McBride
It is not the perfection of the gift that matters to God; it’s the desire to give the gift that pleases God. Richard Rohr
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Socrates
Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible - and suddenly you are doing the impossible. St. Francis of Assisi
Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things. Henry Ward Beecher
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway. Earl Nightingale
When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. Maya Angelou
Be careful never to compromise what you want most for what you want now. Zig Ziglar
Treat others as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being. Johann Wolfgang von Goeth
Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance. Epicurius
Everyone that you will ever meet knows something that you don’t. Bill Nye
Someone who is worthy of your love will never put you in a situation where you feel you must sacrifice your dignity, your integrity, or your self-worth to be with them. Unknown
The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do. Bill Phillips
You tell people how to treat you by what you allow, what you stop, and what you reinforce. Tony Gaskins
The secret to living well and longer is to eat half, walk double, laugh triple, and love without measure. Tibetan proverb
How things are both utterly connected and yet distinct is invariably the question of the serious seeker. Richard Rohr
Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all. Emily Dickenson
Who were you before you put yourself last? Mary Anne Radmacher
Unity is diversity embraced by an infinitely generous love. Richard Rohr
Time... is what keeps everything from happening at once. Raymond King Cummings
The first step to getting what you want is to have the courage to get rid of what you don’t. Zig Ziglar
A good journey begins with knowing where you are and being willing to go somewhere else. Richard Rohr
When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind. Wayne Dyer
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option. Maya Angelou
Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart. Zig Ziglar
Never let me imagine that my satisfaction with life depends on what someone else may do. Linda G
The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are. C. S. Lewis
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. John Wooden
If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present. Lao Tzu
Sometimes the heart should do things without the brain’s permission. Rodney White
Taking good care of YOU means the people in your life will receive the best of you rather than what is left of you. Lorraine Cohen
The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. Vince Lombardi
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. Art Linkletter
The most confused we ever get is when we try to convince our heads of something that our hearts know is a lie. Karen Morning
If you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher fence. Greg Kiernan
Whenever there’s a loss, there’s bound to be a gain somewhere else. You just have to know where to look for it. Laura Lane McNeal
Experience is not what happens to us, it is what we do with what happens to us. Aldous Huxley
Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect. William Paul Young
When you forgive, you in no way change the past, but you sure do change the future. Bernard Meltzer
We live transparently, not to unload our own burdens and thus walk more lightly alone, but to intentionally share the burdens of others and carry them to the same grace that liberated us. Megan Hill
Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. Margaret Mead
If we don’t change the direction we are headed, we will end up where we are going. Chinese Proverb
The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them. Thomas Merton
I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us. Anne Lamotte
One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say. Bryant H. Mcgill
Don’t make the mistake of believing that your future hangs on one big defining moment. Every moment is defining whether you realize it or not. Kerri Weems
You have to be odd to be #1. Dr. Seuss
Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't. Jerry Rice
It’s still magic even if you know how it’s done. Terry Pratchett
You cannot weave truth on a loom of lies. Suzette Haden Elgin
We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. Charles Swindall
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. George Bernard Shaw
Don’t look back; you’re not going that way. Christi Gee
May you receive all that God has planned for you. Virginia Webb
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Mahatma Gandhi
Setting an example for another is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means. Albert Einstein
A negative thinker sees a difficulty in every opportunity. A positive thinker sees an opportunity in every difficulty. Zig Ziglar
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. e.e.cummings
The best way to go on after a failure is to learn the lesson and forget the details. John Mason
Success is not what you have achieved. Success is what you have overcome. Booker T. Washington
When your cup is empty, do not long mourn what is gone. If you do, you miss the opportunity to fill it again. Sarah Addison Alder
The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. Peggy O’Mara
Your value does not decrease based on the inability of others to see your worth. Never let someone else's opinion of you become your reality. Zig Ziglar
You never know the hearts you silently break with the words you never say. Bryant McGill
It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to. W. C. Fields
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. Oscar Wilde
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. Albert Einstein
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt
Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing the monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward. C. S. Lewis
You cannot do everything at once. But you can do something at once. Calvin Coolidge
Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone. Jack Dragon
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. Helen Keller
