Gratitude

"Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone." - Gladys Browyn Stern -

For bread

"The dog wags his tail, not for you, but for your bread." – Portuguese Proverb -

Learning

"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." - Pablo Picasso -

Change

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead -

Art of giving

“How can we expect our children to know and experience the joy of giving unless we teach them that the greater pleasure in life lies in the art of giving rather than receiving” - James Cash Penny -

Kindness

“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now.” - Mahatma Gandhi -

Moments

“You will find as you look back upon your life, that the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others” - Unknown author -

Kindness

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” - Aesop -

Power

“Never before has man had such great capacity to control his own environment, to end hunger, poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and human misery. We have the power to make the best generation of mankind in the history of the world” - John F. Kennedy -

Lift Up

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

Giving

“We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” - Winston Churchill -

Power

"With great power there must also come great responsibility." - "Uncle Ben" in the film Spider Man

Time

"You may delay, but time will not." - Benjamin Franklin -

Opportunity

"You miss 100% of the shots that you never take." - Wayne Gretzky -

Art of Life

"The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings." - Okakura Kakuzo -

Do something!

"Don't be encumbered by history, just go out & do something wonderful." - Robert Noyce -

Choice

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” - Eleanor Roosevelt -

Purpose

“So may a thousand actions, once afoot, end in one purpose, and be well borne without defeat.” -
William Shakespeare -

Go forward

"I feel that we all must live, so that when we are gone, everyone will miss the work we did, but someone has learned by watching us, how to take up the banner and go forward." - Author Unknown -

Under Control

"If everything is under control, you are going too slow." - Mario Andretti -

Why poor have no food?

“When I give food to the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.” - Helder Camara -

Principles

"Back of every noble life there are principles that have fashioned it." - George H. Lorimer -

Guide

"I take as my guide the hope of a saint:
in crucial things, unity -
in important things, diversity -
in all things, generosity." - Inaugural address of President George Bush -

Giving

“It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in giving.” - Mother Theresa –

Move

"Nothing happens until something moves." - Albert Einstein -

Enthusiasm

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life. All that we really need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about." - Unknown Author -

Biggest mistake

"The biggest mistake people make in life is NOTmaking a living at doing what they most enjoy." - Malcolm S Forbes -

Work

"Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying." - Studs Terkel -

Bold

"Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid." - Goethe -

Heart

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart." - Confucius -

Love

"Love doesn't just sit there like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new." - Ursula K LeGuin -

Life - what a ride!

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body - but rather a skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘WOW, what a ride!’ " - Anonymous -

Stone

"Be as a stone cast upon the water that the positive influence of your action may extend far beyond the power of a mere pebble in the hand of a man." - Author unknown -

Half awake

"Compared to what we ought to be - we are only half awake. We are making use of only a small part of our physical and mental resources. Stating the things broadly, the human individual thus lives far within his limits. He possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use!" - William James -

Stone

"Be as a stone cast upon the water that the positive influence of your action may extend far beyond the power of a mere pebble in the hand of a man." - Author unknown -

Bold

"Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid." - Goethe -

Your heart

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart." - Confucius -

Treasures

"The value of a single day of life exceeds all other treasures." - Nichern -

Delight in work

"Why delight in work? Fundamentally, I suppose, because there is a sense of relief and pleasure in getting something done - a satisfaction not unlike that which a hen enjoys on laying an egg." - H.L. Mencken -

Your own Bible

"Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your reading have been to you like a blast of triumph Shakespeare, Seneca, Moses, John and Paul." - Emerson -

Slow dance

"Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
’Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over."

- Anonymous -

Thanks Ramya for sharing this with us.

Practice

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." - Bruce Lee -

Conversation

“A single conversation across the table with a wise person is worth a month’s study of books.”  - A chinese proverb -

Power

"Nobody gives you power; you just take it."  - Tom Peters -

Glowworm

“We are all worms.  But I do believe that I am a glow-worm.”  - Winston Churchill –

Source: tompeters.com   

A god within

“The Greeks bequeathed to us one of the most beautiful words in our language - the word

‘enthusiasm’- en theos - a god within.  The grandeur of human actions is measured by the

inspiration from which they spring.  Happy is he who bears a god within, and who obeys it.” - Louis Pasteur –

Source: tompeters.com

Glowworm

Competition

"My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there."  - Indira Gandhi -

Who is right or wrong?

An old man, a little boy, and a donkey were heading towards a faraway city. As they started off on their journey, after awhile, both the old man and the little boy got tired. So they both rode on the donkey at the same time.

As they passed the first village, people were looking at them with consternation, whispering to each other, "Look at how cruel that man and boy is, both riding the poor donkey, how tired that donkey must be". The old man felt ashamed, so he got down from the donkey and let the little boy ride on the donkey.

As they passed the second village, people were looking at them angrily, whispering to each other, "Look how disrespectful that boy is, riding on the donkey while the poor old man walked all this way on his own tired feet". Not wanting people to think ill of the little boy, the old man trade places, so that he rode on the donkey while the little boy walked on foot.

As they passed the third village, people were looking at them and frowned, whispering to each other, "Look how irresponsible that old man is, riding on the donkey while the poor little boy walked all this way on his tired little feet". Having gotten enough of the villagers' criticisms, both the old man and the little boy walked on their own, with their donkey following behind them.

Their walk was long, their shoes became torn and worn, their clothes dusty and dirty. Both looked very tired and are about to pass out at any moment. When they finally reached the city, people were looking and laughing at them and smirking, whispering to each other, "Look at the two foolish beggars, they have a donkey and yet do not ride it..instead of riding the donkey to save themselves some energy, they are suffering because of their foolishness."

 

Source:  Dennis at flexitarian.blogspot.com

Understand

"Man must rise above the Earth - to the top of the atmosphere and beyond - for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives."  - Socrates –

Thanks Sriram for sharing this.

Execution

“Execution is a  systematic process  of rigorously  discussing hows and whats, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability.” 

— Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done; Source: tompeters.com -

Do or do not

“Do, or do not. There is no try.”  - Yoda -

Career

A question to ponder about…

“Have you invested as much this year in your career as in your car?”

Success

To those who have not yet succeeded…

“Lord, I will try again,” he said,

Though all hell’s devil tear,

This time I will not be afraid

And what is sent I will dare.”

He set his face against the slope

Until he topped the brae;

Courage had healed his fear, and hope

Had put his shame away.

- John Masefield -

Together

"Coming together is a beginning
Keeping together is progress
Working together is success."

- Henry Ford -

New eyes

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes." - Proust -

Clean world

"Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean." - Goethe -

Now

You don't get to choose how you're going to die; or when. You can only decide how you're going to live; NOW. - Joan Baez -

Passion

"The fastest way to pass your own expectations is to add passion to your labour." - Mike Litman -

Time to enjoy life

"I don't know whether my life has been a success or a failure. But not having any anxiety about becoming one instead of the other, and just taking things as they come along, I've had a lot of extra time to enjoy life." - Harpo Marx -

Salutation to the Dawn!

Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth
The glory of action
The splendor of people
For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow only a vision
But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore to this day!
Such is the salutation to the dawn.
- Kalidasa, Indian Poet -

Don't quit

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit -
Rest, if you must, but don't quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out---
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit."

- Author unknown -

Customer

"There is only one boss. The customer! And he can fire everybody in the company, from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money elsewhere." - Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart -

Next year

"A year from now you may wish you had started today." - Karen Lamb -

Excellence

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit" - Aristotle -

Thanks Mireille for sharing this at tompeters.com.

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings

A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR EVERYONE

Thank you Charles Mangahas for sharing these inspiring words.

Happy New Year 2006!

It is time to say goodbye to 2005 and welcome the auspicious 2006.

Recipe For A Happy New Year
Take twelve whole months.
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness,
hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.
Now cut each month into twenty-eight, thirty, or
thirty-one different parts,
but don't make up the whole batch at once.
Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients.
Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage,
and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation,
and one good deed.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits,
a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupful of good humor.
Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness.
You're bound to have a happy new year.
- Author unknown -
A brand new year 2006 is here... Open your heart and be of good cheer... A year full of promise and good things to come... In your list of resolutions, let good deeds be one... Help one another and give of your love... for that will be pleasing to the God above. Happy new year my friend.

Same dough

"Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven." - Yiddish Proverb -

Effective communication

Jack and Max are walking from religious service. Jack wonders whether it would be all right to smoke while praying.

Max replies, "Why don't you ask the Priest?"

So Jack goes up to the Priest and asks, "Priest,may I smoke while I pray?"

But the Priest says, "No, my son, you may not. That's utter disrespect to our religion."

Jack goes back to his friend and tells him what the good Priest told him.

Max says, "I'm not surprised. You asked the wrong question. Let me try."
And so Max goes up to the Priest and asks, " Priest, may I pray while I smoke?"

To which the Priest eagerly replies, "By all means, my son. By all means."

Moral : The reply you get depends on the question you ask.

For Example : Can I work on this project while I'm on vacation ?!?

Thank you Biju for sharing this.

To be of use

"The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shadows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight...

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the
muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again...

The work of the world is common as mud.
botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
but the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident. ...

The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real..."

Author: Marge Piercy's poem in Dave Smith's book 'To Be of Use - the seven seeds of meaningful work'.

PS: I'm sure you will simply love this book - grab it from whereever you can! :-)

What to say

"It is not enough to know what to say - one must know how to say it." - Aristotle -

Talents

"Use what talents you possess. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." - Henry van Dyke -

Good ideas

"The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away." - Linus Pauling -

Deepawali greetings

On the joyous occasion of Indian festival Deepawali today, I convey my warm greetings and good wishes to you. May the festival of lights usher in resplendant mood and hope that the radiance of the bright lights would bring all round prosperity, development and happiness to all.

Here is an inspiring story to share with you on the occasion of Deepawali:

"It was the sacred Deepavali Day. A few devotees had gathered round the Master who sat underneath a huge, banyan tree. A devotee asked: "Master, how best may a person celebrate the Deepavali Day?

And the Master said: "By kindling the light inextinguishable-the light which can never be extinguished."

"And how may that be done?" asked the devotee.

The Master said: "Today, go and treat everyone you meet as though you are meeting him for the last time. Give him all the love and understanding, kindness and care of which you are capable, and do all this without expecting anything in return-not even a simple words of thanks."

The Master paused for a while and then added: "And continue to do this every day!" - Author unknown -

Leader

"To be a leader you must stand for something, or you will fail for anything." - Anthony Pagano -

Passion

"The fastest way to pass your own expectations is to add passion to your labour." - Mike Litman -

Useless

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another." - Charles Dickens -

Finding

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. " - Henry Ford -

Love

"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." - Author unknown -

Capable

"If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that." - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe -

Being yourself

"Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else." - Judy Garland -

Victory

"Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting." - Napolean Hill -

All things

"We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." - Author unknown -

Kindness

"Express kindness with your eyes and through the tone of your voice, not only with your choice of words."

- J Donald Walters -

Thinking with Purpose

"To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully." - James Allen -

Past and Future

"If you want to know your past, examine your present conditions. If you want to know your future, examine your present actions." - Buddhist saying -

Completeness of life

"Be life long or short, its completeness depends on what it was lived for." - David Starr Jordan -

Greatness in a hurry

"Beware of endeavoring to become a great man in a hurry. One such attempt in ten thousand may succeed. These are fearful odds." - Benjamin Disreali -

More friends

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." - Dale Carnegie -

Human freedoms

"We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want - everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear - anywhere in the world."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt -

Lessons from an Oyster

"There once was an oyster whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand had got into his shell.

It was only a grain, but it gave him great pain.
For oysters have feelings although they're so plain.

Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fate
That had brought him to such a deplorable state?

Did he curse at the government, cry for election,
And claim that the sea should have given him protection?

'No,' he said to himself as he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it, I shall try to improve it.

Now the years have rolled around, as the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate destiny stew.

And the small grain of sand that had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl all richly aglow.

Now the tale has a moral, for isn't it grand
What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand?

What couldn't we do if we'd only begin
With some of the things That get under our skin.

The richest man, whatever his lot,
Is he who is content with what he has got."

- Author Unknown -

Ten Rules

1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will never be dear to you.
5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
6. Never repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. Don't let the evils which have never happened cost you pain.
9. Always take things by their smooth handle.
10. When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to one hundred.
- Thomas Jefferson's ten rules for the good life -

You've got to

"You've got to...
Dance like there's no one watching,
Love like you can never get hurt,
Sing like there's no one listening,
Live like it is heaven on earth,
And teach from the heart to be heard."

- Bill Purkey -

Achievement

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of good deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt -

Foresight

"Right thinking is the ability to foresee what things must be done, and what things must be avoided, to reach the goal we have set. Foresight of this kind is based on a remembrance of past experiences and a correct estimate of the present condition." - Dr. Bradley -

Greatness

"Make yourself one of the actors in the game of greatness which is being played in the world, and whether you gain or lose, it will leave you at least the renown of a great player." - Alexander Dumas -

Vision

"If you don't have a vision for the future, then your future is threatened to be a repeat of the past." - A R Bernard -

Greet this day

"I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I do this?

Henceforth will I look on all things with love.

I will love the sun for it warms my bones;

Yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit.

I will love the light for it shows me the way;

Yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.

I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart;

Yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.

I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due;

Yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."

- Og Mandino -

Difficulties

"It is the Law that any difficulties that can come to you at any time, no matter what they are, must be exactly what you need most at the moment, to enable you to take the next step forward by overcoming them. The only real misfortune, the only real tragedy, comes when we suffer without learning the lesson." - Emmet Fox -

Smile

"If you are not using your smile, you're a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook." - Les Giblin -

Thanks Rani for sharing these words.