|
|
| HOME > History & Society > Wise Words |
|
This is a collection of words of wisdom and other interesting quotations that I have run across over the years. Plumbing & Philosophy - what does Plumbing and Philosophy have in common. A Childs Wish - what every parent should keep in mind. Creed - Thomas Jefferson's view of "fitting in" and thinking for yourself. Leadership & Power - what is the difference between leadership and power. Marriage - good marriages are made of this. The Moon & Man - the words spoken when our species achieved the most monumental task of first setting foot on a world other than the one it originated on. Einstein's wonderment of the Universe. Self-discovery - the most important journey. Serenity Prayer - wisom and change. Pale Blue Dot - Calr Sagan putting into perspective how small our world really is. Spiderman's lesson - even comic books can teach you something. Personal prinicipals for success - Joe Weider's training philosophy. Thomas Jefferson's Decalogue - 10 guiding principles of life. Attitude - the one thing we truly can change. Thomas Jefferson on Ideas - intellectual property and the ownership of ideas Assorted Annonymous Wisdom Understanding life and the universe Earth - a poem by John Hall Wheelock that I discovered when I was in Jr. High in the late 1970's. Two Wolves - Cherokee Wisdom |
|
An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher. The society that scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water. -- John W. Gardner PLEASE, MOM AND DAD . . . My hands are small. I don't mean to spill my milk. My legs are short. Please slowdown so I can keep up with you. Don't slap my hands when I touch something bright and pretty. I don't understand. Please look at me when I talk to you. It lets me know you are really listening. My feelings are tender. Don't nag me all day. Let me make mistakes without feeling stupid. Don't expect the bed I make or the picture I draw to be perfect. Just love me for trying. Remember I am a child, not a small adult. Sometimes I don't understand what you are saying. I love you so much. Please love me just for being me. Not just for the things I can do. -- Author Unknown
I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in philosophy, in politics or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to heaven but with a [political] party, I would not go there at all. Although leadership and the exercise of power are distinguishable activities, they overlap and interweave in important ways. Consider a corporate chief executive officer who has the gift for inspiring and motivating people, who has vision, who lifts the spirits of employees with a resulting rise in productivity and quality of product, and a drop in turnover and absenteeism. That is leadership. But evidence emerges that the company is falling behind in the technology race. One day with the stroke of a pen the CEO increases the funds available to the research division. That is the exercise of power. The stroke of a pen could have been made by an executive with none of the qualities one associates with leadership. -- John W. Gardner
For Your Wedding The very best of marriages are made by best friends, who face together, hand in hand, the good and bad life sends. They aren't afraid to share the deepest
feelings of the heart,
They support each other faithfully when
troubles come their way,
They make marriage, like true friendship,
full of deeds that show they care,
-- Amanda Bradley
That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. -Neil Armstrong, On the first moonwalk,
July 20, 1969
It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. -Neil Armstrong
The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible. -- Albert Einstein (click
here for more Einstein Quotes)
Take every opportunity to explore the unknown and, more importantly, to explore yourself because the most interesting journey anyone can take is a journey of self-discovery. -- Pauk Pierpaoli, past president of the
American Society of Health System Pharmacists
God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference. Reinhold Niebuhr's 'Serenity Prayer' War really is not about technology. That [technology] gives you some of the baseline tools. War is really about what one group of men does to another group of men, and which one of those two groups has -- not only the technology, the weapons -- but the will. And the will, the staying power, the endurance -- those are the things that determine the outcome of our wars. -- Dr. Kenneth Allard, Colonel, US Army
(Ret.)
"We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." -- Carl Sagan In Carl Sagan's book, Pale Blue Dot, he eloquently explains how small our world really is in the grand scheme of things. Click here to read an excerpt.
With great Power comes great Responsiblility. -- Spiderman, Marvel Comics
"Strive for excellence, exceed yourself, love your friend, speak the truth, practice fidelity and honor your father and mother. These principles will help you master yourself, make you strong, give you hope and put you on the path to greatness." -- Joe Weider, Trainer of
Champions
Thomas Jefferson's Decalogue of Canons for observation in practical life: 1. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Attitude The longer we live, the more we see the impact of attitude on life. Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people say or do. It is more important than appearance, talents or skill. It will make or break a community, a home, a business .....an army, ..... an individual. Remarkably we have a beautiful choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past.........We cannot change the fact that people will still act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. Life is 5% what happens to us and 95% how we react to it. And so it is,,,,,,,we are always in charge of our attitudes. --Charles Swindoll
The best way to get even is to forget...
We have figured out fundamental laws of physics -- laws that govern how stars shine and light travels, laws that dictate how time elapses and space expands, laws that allow us to peer back to the briefest moment after the universe began. None of these scientific achievements have told us why we're here or given us the answer to life's meaning -- questions science may never address. But just as our experience playing baseball is enormously richer if we know the rules of the game, the better we understand the universe's rules -- the laws of physics -- the more deeply we can appreciate our lives within it. --Brian Greene
Earth "A planet doesn't explode
of itself," said drily
-- John Hall Wheelock
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
|