Helpful Quote/Proverb

[John Howard]

I dont know about y'all (that's a Word down here) but I get a lot of good out of quotes and proverbs. I was raised on Proverbs .... about a 60/40 mix of Biblical/Country Wisdom, with a little Aristotle, Socrates, Voltaire etc thrown in.

They are really a life philosophy condensed down to one or two sentences. They come to me often just when I need them. An easy and quick reference ..... Kind of like a granola bar for the Soul.

Everybody please share one or two, or more, that help keep you sane and centered, or that give you strength. Give us one or two now and then keep adding as you think of, or run across another one.

Please add the attribution if you know it, but dont not put one on just because you dont know where it came from. We can probably trace it back to where it came from, and that can be great fun, too.

I'll start with about three of my favorites, then y'all (I swear it really IS a Word) can Chime in. I think this will be great fun, besides being helpful.



In Spite of Illness,
in Spite even
of the Archenemy Sorrow,
One can remain Alive and Well
long past the usual
Date of Disintegration
if One Remains Unafraid of Change,
Insatiable in Intellectual Curiosity,
Interested in Big Things,
and Happy in Small Ways.

Edith Wharton, 1897




If of Thy Mortal Goods Thou Art Bereft,

And of Thy Slender Store Two Loaves Alone to Thee Are Left,

Sell One, and with the Dole

Buy some Hyacinths to Feed Thy Soul.


--Saadi, about 1256


The Superfluous is a Very Necessary Thing.

Voltaire, about 1760

[Michele]

hi john howard ,,here is a quote i got from my doctors wife ,,i allways remember ,,,,
*perhaps my greatest challlenge was to live with fear as a contant companion but never give in *
and i must say john i know y'all is a word ,,,,,,,lol...i have family in the south (tennesee) ,,,and when they come home to visit befor ethey leave ,,,they all say Y'all come down sometime ,,,y'all is allways welcome ,,,nice meeting you john

[John Howard]

Hi Michele,

I am so glad that you are here to join us. I enjoyed hearing your story .... at least the end of it. I was worried in the middle part where it was headed.

Thank you for your quote. I have struggled with fear a lot in my life. I let fear have power over me in many situations, or diminish my ability to do all that I could do. As I got older, and after I had survived a couple of potentially fatal medical issues, I realized that a lot of the power that fear held over me I had simply given away. Over the past 10-12 years I have been learning how to take my life back from fear. Conquering fear is a learned skill like many things. It takes time to learn and it gets better over time.

At one time fear served a fairly important function, in that in more primitive times it warned us to danger and gave us a quick boost of energy to flee the danger. It floods our bodies with adrenaline and a whole host of other hi-energy chemicals. Great for a few minutes .... but really bad long term.

Thank you for being the very first person to respond to this forum. I hope you will share more quotes that may have guided or inspired you whenever you would like.

[John Howard]

Hi Helga.

Thank you for participating in the Forum. It would be hard for you to find someone to quote that I respect more than Mr. Jefferson. He was almost certainly the most brilliant, energetic and talented American who ever lived. He was certainly the most mulit-faceted.

You know, I am an architecture nut and a gardener, and those were his two greatest passions. Even while handling major world affairs (La purchase & Ambassador to France) he wrote home constantly giving directions about his gardens and what care should be given. One has to admire that degree of love for family and the precious nature of the home. When he talks, I listen.

Thanks again for your contribution and I look forward to more quotes that you find helpful to you.

[John Howard]

In all things it is better to hope than to despair.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von
1749-1832 German Poet Dramatist Novelist

Helga, I Really Like that One !!! Short and Sweet. What more can you say after that ??

[John Howard]

Hello All,

I have quite a few that I love and have loved for years and I am going to parcel them out over the days ..... however, while reading this morning, I ran across this one, that I have not seen before, but can already tell is going to be a top one for me, as it addresses one of my weaknesses and will inspire me.

PERSEVERANCE
is more Prevailing even than Violence;
and many Things
which Cannot be Overcome
when Taken Together
will Yield themselves up
when taken Little by Little

PLUTARCH, 46 - 120 AD

[John Howard]

Yes, I would think it would be extra good for days like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday.

That is the kind that speak to me, and I get a lot of quick mental energy out of those.



Helga said:

Here is another so true quote:


No one can defeat us unless we first defeat ourselves.
Dwight Eisenhower

Some days this is a great one to remember!!

[John Howard]

Thank you so much for sharing this one with us.

[John Howard]

That is so very true. A lot of times we think we have no choice. We may not have a choice about the circumstances, but we have a choice as to how e deal with them, and thankfully, it is a lot more choice than I used to realize. WHich ties in with this one I love .......

Pain in Inevitable,
Suffering is optional.

But, it takes strength and courage and practice to know how to have one without the other. It does not come naturally. It must be practiced. Sometimes I practice more diligently than others.

[John Howard]

Hi Linda.

Thank you for joining us here. And that is so true. I always try to remember that the same God who brought me this far, is capable of taking me the rest of the way.

Please come back and contribute more. I am hoping this can be a fun and enlightening place to be.

John

Also ...... Feel Free to Comment on any of the Quotes that have been made.

[John Howard]

Hi Helga.

Thank you so much for sharing that one with us. I, myself, particularly need to keep that one in mind. I have spent a lot of time lately being melancholy as a certain anniversary of loss approaches. It is very non-productive at best, and more often counter-productive. That is one I am going to have to learn, not only in my brain, but in my heart. (they are Very Different places!)

I think I will print that one out and put it on the wall for a while .... that is what I do with the ones I want to become a permanent part of me. Thanks again so much for sharing it. John

[Michele]

hi john ,,,,,,,
i heard this today ,,,i think it was a quote from Sarah McLachlan,,,and i wish i could live by it ,,
I TRY TO LIVE IN THE MONENT......I DONT THINK AHEAD TOO MUCH
im gonna try this for a week ,,,,well!! let me check first and see what i have planned ,,,lol
bit its true ,,,we shoudl try to live each moment to the fullest as it comes along ,,,,,,,,but we all seem to be too busy trying to figure out where this moment is taking us ,,,,as least i DO
hugs everyone ,,,have a great day ,,,,,,,,smiles

[Tina]

Hello John,
Thank you for creating this blog , this is my favorite one

Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain.
- Helen Keller

Have a blessed y'all