Genuine beginnings begin within us, even when they are brought to our attention by external opportunities~~William Bridges Often {nowadays} the role of a pastor seems closer to that of church cruise director than to the traditional roles of spiritual friend and counselor~~Adam McHugh Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter~~Martin Luther King Jr. Practicing good character has a way of stabilizing us and keeps us from pining for the things we don’t have. Having good character means cleaning up our inside world, rather than filling it with more stuff like an emotional pack [...] Read more »

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves~~Anna Quindlen A hero is a man who does what he can~~Romain Rolland What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life~~Emil Brunner Read more »

It does not cost much...It leaves you filled with peace, and the house filled with one of the world's sweetest smells...probably there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation...that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread~~M.F.K. Fisher in "How to Cook a Wolf," 1942 When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong~~Buckminster Fuller Read more »

You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself~~Sam Levenson Rationalization: this is the process of trying to create a sense of logic for something that we know is wrong [for us]. Oftentimes it is the quicksand that devours our ability to reason~~Debra Weiner Read more »

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards~~Søren Kierkegaard If we confine attention entirely to the slang of the day--that is to say, if we devote ourselves exclusively to modern literature---we get to think the world is progressing when it is only repeating itself. ... [I]t is only when one reads what men wrote long ago that one realises how absolutely modern the best of the old things are~~Kipling Read more »

You may have noticed I’ve not been posting for the last couple weeks. Between work, out-of-town guests, and coordinating and performing a vocal solo recital, along with an unusually high number of music performances to prepare for, it’s been a very busy month~~but in the best kinds of ways! But I’ve missed you all, and I’m glad to be back. Look for more posts to come this week and next. And in the meantime, enjoy these pithy quotes as May comes to a close~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as [...] Read more »

Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts~~Soren Kierkegaard You can always tell a real friend: when you’ve made a fool of yourself, he doesn’t feel you’ve done a permanent job~~Laurence J. Peter No one knows for sure how this fad started, so I will answer the question of its origin by employing a revered research technique used by scholars everywhere. I’m just going to make something up~~Dean Abbott, college professor, describing the concrete-goose-lawn-statue dressing fad [Y]ou don’t become great by trying to be great. You become great by wanting to do something, and then doing it so [...] Read more »

When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes~~Erasmus Morality cannot exist one minute without freedom… Only a free man can possibly be moral. Unless a good deed is voluntary, it has no moral significance~~Everett Dean Martin If the wind will not serve, take to the oars~~Latin Proverb Be yourself; everyone else is already taken~~Oscar Wilde Language has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone, and the word solitude to express the glory of being alone~~Paul Tillich All of life is a journey: which paths we [...] Read more »

The enemies to a great life are not tragedy, heartbreak, and hard times. The enemy to having a great life is to simply lead a good life. A life where you seek comfort and ease above growth. A life where you avoid the risk of taking chances…~~Lysa TerKeurst Cheese: milk’s leap toward immortality~~Clifton Paul Fadiman Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality~~Les Brown I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it~~Maya Angelou When you say YES to something in your life, you automatically say NO to something [...] Read more »

If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each person's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility~~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Read more »

A few good quotes, much like a few good men, can be hard to find. I can't help you with the men part, but perhaps I can help you with the quotes bit. Enjoy! : ) Read more »