Quotes from the greatest minds

[weimy froob]

a new chapter--should be a good one. joy and happiness

"i find ecstasy in living; the mere sense of living is joy enough."- emily dickinson

"if you are joyful, it will shine in your eyes and in your look, in your conversation and in your countenance. you will not be able to hide it because joy overflows."- mother teresa

"do anything, but let it produce joy."- walt whitman

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joy and happiness cont'd.

"grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with."- mark twain

"joy is very infectious. we will never know just how much good a simple smile can do. be faithful in little things. smile at one another. we must live beautifully."- mother teresa

"joy is being willing for things to be as they are."- charlotte jake beck

"there is a very simple secret to being happy. just cease your demand on this moment."- buddha

"happiness is a state of mind. with physical comforts if your mind is still in a state of confusion and agitation. it is not happiness happiness means calmness of mind."- dalai lama

"the basic root of happiness lies in our minds; outer circumstances are nothing more than adverse or favorable."- matthieu ricard

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joy and happiness cont'd.

"but i don't think of the future, or the past, i feast on the moment. this is the secret of happiness, but only reached now in middle age."
- virginia woolf

"it is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness."- viktor e. frankel

"why not seize the pleasure at once? how often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!"- jane austen

"happiness is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day."
- benjamin franklin

"our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits."- thomas jefferson

"happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. we are happy when we are growing."- william butler yeats

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joy and happiness cont'd.

"you will never be happy i f you continue to search for what happiness consists of. you will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."
- albert camus

"the meaning of life is just to be alive. it is so plain and so obvious and so simple. and yet, everybody rushes around to a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves."- alan watts

"the summit of happiness is reached when a person is ready to be what he is."- erasmus

"yes, there is a nirvanah: it is leading your sheep to a green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem."
- kahlil gibran

"by engaging in a delusive quest for happiness, we bring only suffering upon ourselves. in our frantic search for something to quench our thirst, we overlook the water all around us and drive ourselves into exile from our lives."- sharon salzberg

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joy and happiness cont'd.

"the foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet."- james oppenheim

"happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony." thomas mertens

"three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."- joseph addison

"i have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health."- voltaire

"a sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of a happy state in this world."- john locke

"there is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. by being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world."
-robert louis stevenson

[weimy froob]

the last page of joy and happiness.

"if you want others to be happy, practice compassion. if you want to be happy, practice compassion."- dalai lama

"derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us."- henri matisse

"dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. give yourself peace of mind. you deserve to be happy. you deserve delight."
- hannah arendt

"thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. happiness is never decreased by being shared."- buddha

"there is no way to happiness, happiness is the way."- thich nhat hanh

[weimy froob]

a new chapter--family and friendship

"the family is one of nature's masterpieces."- george santayana

"we are linked by blood, and blood is memory without language."- joyce carol oates

"in every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future."- alex haley

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family and friendship cont'd.

"if you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. all of them are alive in this moment. each is present in your body. you are the continuation of these people."- thich nhat hanh

"you don't choose your family. they are God's gift to you, as you are to them."- desmond tutu

"i sustain myself with the love of family."- maya angelou

"the ideal that marriage aims at is that of spiritual union through the physical. the human love that it incarnates is intended to serve as a stepping stone to divine or universal love."- mahatma gandhi

"what greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life--to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories."
- george eliot

"children make you want to start life over."- muhammad ali

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family and friendship cont'd.

"genuine love not only respects the individuality of the other but actually seeks to cultivate it, even at the risk of separation or loss. the ultimate goal of life remains the spiritual growth of the individual, the solitary journey to peaks that can be climbed only alone."- m. scott peck

"the most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. when mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."
- thich nhat hanh

"children always challenge me to live in the present. i marvel at their ability to be fully present to me. their uninhibited expression of affection and their willingness to receive it pull me directly into the moment and invite me to celebrate life where it is found."- henri nouwen

"parents must provide not only outer warmth for their child but also inner warmth. they must create an atmosphere with a sense of security in which the child feels love and acceptance."- dalai lama

"childrearing is above all an ethical responsibility."- steven pinker

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family and friendship cont'd.

"how would i have turned out, i sometimes wonder, had i grown up in a house that stifled enterprise by imposing harsh and senseless discipline? or in an atmosphere of overindulgence, in a household where there were no rules, no boundaries drawn? my mother certainly understood the importance of discipline, but she always explained why some things were not allowed. above all, she tried to be fair and to be consistent."
- jane goodall

"govern a family as you would cook a small fish--very gently."- chinese proverb

"when you have children, you realize how easy it is to not see them fully, and perhaps miss all those early years. if you are not careful, you can be too absorbed in work, and they will be only too happy to tell you about it later. being a parent is one of greatest mindfulness practices of all."
- jon kabat-zinn

"even as we enumerate their shortcomings, the rigor of raising children ourselves makes clear to us our mothers' incredible strength. we fear both. if they are not strong, who will protect us? if they are not imperfect, how can we equal them?"- anna quindlen

"respect the child. be not too much his parent. trespass not on his solitude."- ralph waldo emerson

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family and friendship cont'd.

"our human problem--one common to parents, sons and daughters--is letting go while holding tight to the unraveling yarn that ties our hearts."
- louise erdrich

"don't smother each other. no one can grow in the shade."-leo buscaglia

"mindful parenting is about moment-to-moment, openhearted and nonjudgmental attention. it's about seeing our children as they are, not as we want them to be."- jon kabat-zinn

"children must e taught how to think, not what to think."- margaret mead

"i know why families were created with all their imperfections. they humanize you. they are made to make you forget yourself occasionally, so that the beautiful balance of life is not destroyed."- anais nin

"kindness is the key to peace and harmony in family life."- dalai lama
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family and friendship cont'd.

"nothing comes of so many things, if you have patience."- joyce carol oates

"what can you do to promote world peace? go home and love your family."- mother teresa

"there's only one thing we can be sure of, and that is the love that we have for our children, for our families, for each other. the warmth of a small child's embrace, that is true."- barack obama

"no person is your friend (or kin) who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow and be perceived as fully blossomed as you were intended."- alice walker

"each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it's only by this meeting that a new world is born."- anais nin

"a genuine friend considers you just as another human being, as a brother or sister, and shows affection on that level, regardless of whether you are rich or poor, in a high position or a low position. that is a genuine friend."- dalai lama

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family and friendship cont'd.

"friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing."- eli wiesel

"friendship is a sheltering tree."- samuel taylor coleridge

"make yourself necessary to someone."- ralph waldo emerson

"should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let them resolutely pursue a solitary course."- buddha

"don't walk in front of me; i may not follow. don't walk behind me; i may not lead. just walk beside me and be my friend."- albert camus

"we should always have three friends in our lives: one who walks ahead, who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we've cleared the way."- michelle obama

[weimy froob]

wrapping up the family and friendship chapter today.

"friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits are tedious."- st. thomas aquinas

"friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and dividing of our grief."- cicero

"for without friends, no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods."- aristotle

"if you're someone people count on, particularly in difficult moments, that's a sign of a life lived honorably."- rachel madow

"one of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood."- seneca

[weimy froob]

a new chapter--obstacles and challenges

"life is difficult. this is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. it is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. once we truly know that life is difficult--once we truly understand and accept it--then life is no longer difficult. because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."- m. scott peck

"if we can really understand the problem, the answer will come out of it, because the answer is not separate from the problems."
- jiddu krishnamurti

"if we are facing the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking."- buddhist proverb

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obstacles and challenges cont'd.

"i was taught the way of progress is neither swift nor easy."- marie curie

"man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health."- carl jung

"were it not for my little jokes, i could not bear the burdens of this office."- abraham lincoln

"humor is just another defense against the universe."- mel brooks

"life is not easy for any of us. but what of that? we must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. we must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained."- marie curie

"i read my own books sometimes to cheer me when it is hard to write, and then i remember that it was always difficult, and how nearly impossible it was sometimes."- ernest hemingway

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obstacles and challenges cont'd.

"anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried something new."- albert einstein

"to make no mistake is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and the good learn wisdom for the future."- plutarch

""when i have listened to my mistakes, i have grown."- hugh prather

"my great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."- abraham lincoln

"a man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it is committing another mistake."- confucious

"finite to fail, but infinite to venture."- emily dickinson

"our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."- oliver goldsmith

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the last page of obstacles and challenges.

"when i dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether i am afraid."
- audre lorde

"inside of a ring or not, aint nothing wrong with going down. it's staying down that's wrong."- muhammad ali

"failure is the foundation of success, and the means by which it is achieved."- lao tzu

"the probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."- abraham lincoln

"good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure."- wiliam saroyan

[weimy froob]

a new chapter--suffering, hardship, and loss

"life is suffering."- buddha

"my soul is a broken field, plowed by pain."- sara teasdale

"tears are the prayer-beads of all of us, men and women, because they arise from a fullness of the heart."- father edward hays

"in this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and to the young, it comes with bitterest agony, because it takes them unawares."- abraham lincoln

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suffering, hardship, and loss cont'd.

"it is from pain and our own limits where we best learn to grow, and from our own flaws surges the deep question: haven't we suffered enough to decide to break old patterns?"- pope francis

"when another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. he does not need punishment; he needs help. that's the message he is sending."- thich nhat hanh

"things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing."- pema chodron

"we must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey."- kenji miyazawa

"don't turn away. keep your gaze on the bandaged place. that's where the light enters you."- rumi

"without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. the gift of grace increases as the struggles increase."
- st rose of lima

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suffering, hardship, and loss cont'd.

"it is from pain and our own limits where we best learn to grow, and from our own flaws surges the deep question: haven't we suffered enough to decide to break old patterns?"- pope francis

"when another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. he does not need punishment; he needs help. that's the message he is sending."- thich nhat hanh

"things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing."- pema chodron

"we must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey."- kenji miyazawa

"don't turn away. keep your gaze on the bandaged place. that's where the light enters you."- rumi

"without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. the gift of grace increases as the struggles increase."
- st rose of lima

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suffering, hardship, and loss cont'd.

"suffering begins to dissolve when we can question the belief or the hope that there's anywhere to hide."- pema chodron

"the attempt to avoid legitimate suffering lies at the root of all emotional illness."- m. scott peck

"deep unspeakable suffering may well be called a baptism, a regeneration, the initiation into a new state."- george eliot

"there are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm."- willa cather

"pain is never permanent." st. theresa of avila

"pain is the root of knowledge."- simone weil

"nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know."- pema chodron
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suffering, hardship, and loss cont'd.

"the truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt."- thomas merton

"if all misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart."- socrates

"the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."- helen keller

"true knowledge comes only through suffering."- elizabeth barrett browning

"do not despair of life. you have no doubt force enough to overcome your obstacles."- henry david thoreau

"i give myself a good cry if i need it, but then i concentrate on all good things still in my life."- mitch albom

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suffering, hardship, and loss cont'd.

"you are not your illness. you have an individual story to tell. you have a name, history, a personality. staying yourself is part of the battle."
- julian seifter

"difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever."- isak dinesen

"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

"the gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."- confucius

"those who have suffered understand suffering and therefore extend their hand."- patti smith

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suffering, hardship, and loss cont'd.

"and once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. you won't even be sure whether the storm is really over. but one thing is certain. when you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. that's what this storm's all about."- haruki muakami

"i do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. if suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. to suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable."- anna morrow lindbergh

"courage doesn't always roar. sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says i'll try again tomorrow."- mary ann radmacher

"the world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."- ernest hemingway

"when you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight."
- kahlil gibran

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suffering, hardship, and loss cont'd.

"there are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness."- carl jung

"that which does not kill me makes me stronger."- friedrich nietzsche

"in the depth of winter, i finally learned thata there was within me an invincible summer."- albert camus

"grief can be the garden of compassion. if you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom."- rumi

"if we could see everything, even tragedy, is a gift in disguise, we would then find the best way to nourish the soul."- elisabeth kubler-ross

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suffering, hardship, and loss cont'd.

"grief drives men into habits of serious reflection, sharpens the understanding and softens the heart."- john quincy adams

"unable are the loved to die. for love is immortality."- emily dickinson

"it isn't for the moment you are stuck that you need courage, but for the long uphill climb back to sanity and faith and security."
- anne morrow lindbergh

"the deeper that sorrow carves into your being the more joy you can contain. is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?- kahlil gibran

"affliction comes to us all not to make us sad, but sober; not to make us sorry, but wise; not to make us despondent, but by its darkness to refresh us, as the night refreshes the day; not to impoverish, but to enrich us, as the plough enriches the field; to multiply our joy, as the seed by planting is multiplied a thousand-fold."- henry ward beecher

[weimy froob]

finishing up the suffering, loss and hardship chapter. only two today.

"death when it approaches, ought not to take one by surprise. it should be part of the full expectancy of life."- muriel spark

"for what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? and what is sit to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?"- kahlil gibran

[weimy froob]

okay time to finally start the next chapter. i waited to see what the changes were going to be after the new year--didn't know if this forum would still be here--but it is so no more time for dillydallying.

gratitude and hope

"when i first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world, i thank God i am alive."- ralph waldo emerson

"the best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you. then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life."
- robert louis stevenson

"just to be is a blessing, just to live is holy."- rabbi abraham joshua heschel

[ForCaleb]

Just checkin in, Weimy. Looks like you have a great thread going in here. Well done.