I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. – Elizabeth Barrett Browning What does that mean? This is a quote often used to woo a lover, or to smooth things over with a loved one after an issue has been resolved. However, again, I believe…
Anger destroys our peace of mind and causes trouble. It also hampers our ability to function properly. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? At the beginning of the quote, it talks about how anger destroys our peace of mind. I don’t know about you, but when I’m angry, my peace of mind goes away quickly….
I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good. – Seneca What does that mean? This is a variant translation of a longer quote, which talks about being the bearer of bad news, and his willingness to do so, in a good cause. The example used was telling sailors about…
Men are born to succeed, not fail. – Henry David Thoreau What does that mean? While some might feel this quote is overly optimistic, I believe it is exactly right. When we are born, we can do nothing. We can hardly breathe. We can’t feed ourselves unless something is put in our mouths. We’re a…
Being honest might not get you a lot of friends, but it will always get you the right ones. – John Lennon What does that mean? This quote is about a quality which I have fairly strong feelings: honesty. I believe that anyone who expects you to lie to them has at least an ego problem,…
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different? – C.S. Lewis What does that mean? This is about things moving slowly but relentlessly. A day doesn’t seem very long, but changes do happen. Each day, a little different. A little bit of drift this way or that….
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure. – Colin Powell What does that mean? Well, this one pretty much says it on the level. People are always looking for the magic bullet, the easy way, or the short cut. And for some reason, they think you cheated…
Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals. – attributed to J. Isham (no known bio) What does that mean? We all listen to others, in some form or another. The only question is why do we listen? Sometimes it is the story being told…
Compassion is what makes our lives meaningful. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? All life has meaning. All life has purpose. But what gives our lives meaning? This quote says compassion is one of the ways our lives are infused with meaning. Yes, you could spend your life pursuing material pleasures, at the expense of others….
We are more often frightened than hurt: and we suffer more from imagination than from reality. – Seneca What does that mean? Given that this is October, and the scariest night of the year is just a few weeks away, this is a very appropriate quote. This is what being frightened is all about, for those who…
There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind. – Fred Rogers What does that mean? There is a triple scoop of kindness in this quote. There are many ways in which one can be successful, but…
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. – Wayne Dyer What does that mean? This is another twisted quote chiastic. It says change the look, and how you look will change. We all see things through our own filters. We often see what we expect to see. If…
If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid. – Epictetus What does that mean? I like this quote, because I have lived it so many times. While we can learn a lot from books, the internet, and friends, that kind of learning lacks one thing: action. You can read a hundred books…
Rightly defined philosophy is simply the love of wisdom. – Cicero What does that mean? This quote is about the motivation and underlying reason why people pursue philosophy. And, quite simply, it is, as the quote says, the simple love of wisdom. Wisdom is defined at theFreeDictionary.com as “The ability to discern or judge what is true,…
Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness. – Oliver Wendel Holmes What does that mean? This is another romantic quote which I believe can also be applied to other situations in our lives. As we have discussed before, the word “love” has a very wide range of meanings. Yes, I believe that…
