March 04, 2005

Words of Wisdom

  • Some Words of Wisdom that may help on this journey:

    I am not smarter; I just stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein.

    The hallmark of an entrepreneur is the ability - love really - to turn adversity into opportunity.

    Never, Never, Never Quit. Winston Churchill.

    Make others happy and they will make you rich. J. C. Penney.

    The customer is always right. John Oberlin, Andrew Lewis High School, 1970.

    See and seek the good in all men. Benjamin Franklin.

    Fear no one; respect everyone. Chinese fortune cookie, Moses Moore 2003.

    Beneath every hard shell is someone who wants to be hugged. Emily Moore 2003.

    Winners Are

    Too busy to be sad
    Too Positive to be doubtful
    Too Optimistic to be fearful
    Too Determined to be defeated. HVHS Bulletin Board

    Focus on the solution, not the problem. Real Simple.

    Failure to prepare is preparing for failure. Benjamin Franklin.

    Sugar draws more flies than vinegar. Professor Marsh, Virginia Tech 1973.

    The one word that marks success: perseverance. William C. Cranwell 1983.

    All things are possible for him who believes. Jesus

    People form lifelong impressions in the first three minutes of meeting. People make their decision about whether to buy a house in the first 19 seconds.

    Andrew Carnegie promised to pay a million dollars to Charles Schwab if he could teach him how to succeed. Schwab gave him this instruction: Start each day by deciding what the most important thing you can do today. Then do it. Carnegie gladly paid Schwab.

    A faint heart never made out with the landlady. If you do not ask, you will never get it. C. Richard Cranwell’s father.

    That which does not kill you makes you stronger.

    You cannot get anywhere today if you are mired in yesterday’s mud.

    If you must tell someone one thing negative, precede it with two things positive. Sarah-Tyler Moore, Summer 2002.

    You are what you think.

    The masses are quick to form opinions without all the facts and refuse to listen to facts which are contrary to their opinions.

    Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Lao Tzu 2500 BCE.

    Sometimes the best action is nonaction. Lao Tzu 2500 BCE.

    He who does not know, talks. He who knows does not talk. Lao Tzu 2500 BCE.

    The devil is in the details. Charles B. Walker.

    It is not what you say that matters so much; it is how you say what you say.

    Before even beginning to talk to someone with a problem, listen, then listen again, then ask if they have anything else to say, then ask again if they have said everything they wanted to say. Then and only then can you talk. William C. Cranwell’s father on dealing with a manager who was so angry he wanted to quit.

    Non-talking. Non-talking is more effective than talking. Charles B. Walker, 1983.

    Fasting is the true measure of Christian commitment. Christopher Moore, 2003.

    These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Jesus, John.

    Being broke is a temporary condition; being poor is a state of mind. William C. Cranwell, 1996.

    80-20 Rule. Nothing is absolute. We spend 80% of our effort on that which is only 20% relevant and 20% on that which is worth 80%. Of endeavors, 80% goes fine, 20% will give us problems; 80% of the customers, patients, residents, clients… are satisfied, pay on time, make work enjoyable; 20% are dissatisfied, do not pay, complain… With this knowledge, we can focus our attention on that which is worth 80%, that which deserves our life energies.

    No one ever wished on their deathbed that they had spent more time at the office.

    Hard work never killed anyone, but why take a chance? Ronald Reagan, 1994, who, it was reported, set aside some 660 days of vacation while President of the United States.

    The basic rule of human nature is that powerful people speak slowly and subservient people quickly—because if they don’t speak fast nobody will listen to them. Thoughts on the Business of Life, Forbes, April 21, 2003, Michael Caine.

    Everything will eventually turn out for the best. Resident, a Virginia nursing center.

    When in doubt, err on the side of being greatly humble. Sam Phillips 2003.

    If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. Ancient wisdom.

    For every life event, there is a Seinfeld episode. Christopher Moore.

    Happiness is good health and a bad memory.

    Life is Hell. You may as well make the best of it. William C. Cranwell

    What you do or say affects the Universe eternally. The sound waves of a mere snap of two fingers reverberate infinitely through the Universe. Think what a kind or unkind word can do. Movement of a star in a distant galaxy can cause a leaf to fall beside you on this rock called Earth.

    Equanimity.

    The present moment is eternal.

    Impermanence.

    Freedom comes when you learn to let go. Madonna.

    Ebullient, joyously unrestrained.

    Try to do everything with a mind that lets go.
    If you let go a little, you will have a little peace.
    If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.
    It you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom.
    Your struggles with the world will have come to an end. Achaan Chah, Thai forest master.

    Trying to understand the Infinite with this mere brain is like trying to swallow the seven oceans with this mere stomach.

    In just one piece of paper is the whole universe. The universe made the sun, the sun made the planet, the planet made the tree, the tree grew the paper. Within the paper is the farmer who grew the tree, the logger who cut the tree, the person who delivered the tree to the mill and the person who turned the tree into paper at the mill, and the parents and the parents of the parents of the farmer , the logger, trucker, the miller, and the vegetables that each of these persons ate and the teachers of each of the persons and their parents, and the water that sustained each of them and the tree.

    We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results. Herman Melville.

    To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch... to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded! - Emerson

    Renounce and enjoy. Gandhi, when asked the secret of happiness.


    When faced with a decision, remember there are four choices: My way. Your way. Our way. And the right Way (God’s Way). Pastor Rick Elmore, Cave Spring Baptist Church. 1998.

    Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate. Live in joy, in health, even among the afflicted. Live in joy, in peace, even among the troubled. Look within, be still. Free from fear and attachment, know the sweet joy of the way.

    With all his attachments cut, with the heart's pining subdued, calm and serene and happy is he, for he has attained peace of mind. Samyutta Nikaya I, 212

    Four states of being: altruistic joy, compassion, loving kindness, equanimity.

    The earth upon which we sit is moving at 1,000 miles per hour around itself. The rotating earth is moving 67,000 miles per hour around its sun. The sun is moving a half a million miles per hour around its galaxy. Our galaxy is moving is moving toward the Great Attractor at 1,296,000 miles per hour. And no one knows how fast our universe is moving to no one knows what.

    PROVEN, 100 billion neutrinos pass through each and every square centimeter of our body each and every second. Most come from our sun, but others come from distant stars in the universe, even the early universe.

    Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy. The Eagles.

    My lodestar is the prince of peace.