Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done. – Amelia Earhart What does that mean? I like this quote, because it reminds us that we do not know everything. I have seen this before, and it can be fun to watch, probably a little less fun for the participants. We often are quite certain that…
We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. – Martin Luther King, Jr What does that mean? This quote is about the totality of humanity. While it was spoken specifically about the racial divide then present in the United States of America, I believe it also applies to all of us….
In real love you want the other person’s good. In romantic love you want the other person. – Margaret Anderson What does that mean? To me, this quote is a classic description of selfless love compared to selfish love. Or to put it another way, it is about the difference between love and lust. In…
If we make consistent effort, based on proper education, we can change the world. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? This quote is about changing the world. Not just one person, but as all of us together. I presume that because the quote isn’t about you, or about me, but about us, based on the use…
A great mind becomes a great fortune. – Seneca What does that mean? This is an excellent companion to a prior quote from Descartes, which is “It is not enough to have a good mind, the main thing is to use it well.” In that quote, the point was to make a great mind. In…
Such an amazing way to look at life: “Your enemy can be your best teacher” Dalai Lama. Perhaps we don’t have any enemies, just teachers! – Tony Robbins What does that mean? This is a popular paraphrasing of a Dalai Lama quote. The actual quote is: “In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.”…
As the twig is bent the tree inclines. – Virgil What does that mean? This quote is about the path one takes in life. Lessons learned early, when we are but twigs, will impact our future, or how the tree inclines. Another way to look at it is in terms of trajectory. Absent any wind, once…
After all, tomorrow is another day. – Margaret Mitchell What does that mean? The line, from her novel ‘Gone with the Wind,’ is spoken by Scarlet O’Hara. While we never know how many days we have left, tomorrow is always going to be coming. This quote talks about tomorrow as a new opportunity, a new chance…
Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe What does that mean? Let’s see a show of hands, how many of you know what you have to do, and are willing to do what it takes to become wealthy, happy, loved, or any other thing…
There is no remedy for love but to love more. – Henry David Thoreau What does that mean? This quote is about love. Deep and intense, possibly even romantic. While some might hide from love after a loss, this quote posits that the proper solution is more love. A remedy for something is a way…
It is expressions of affection rather than money and power that attract real friends. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? People try all different ways to attract friends. The desire to be admired is strong within us all. This is the basis of friendship, the admiration of another. How we go about attaining friends is…
There is no person so severely punished, as those who subject themselves to the whip of their own remorse. – Seneca What does that mean? The first thing to acknowledge with this quote is that there are people to whom this does not apply. People with broken spirits or minds can do terrible things, and think…
To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing. – Elbert Hubbard often misattributed to Aristotle What does that mean? This quote is often misattributed to Aristotle, but is actually by writer Elbert Hubbard, from his book “John North Willys” : “Do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing, and you’ll never be criticized.“ This is the…
If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree. – Jim Rohn What does that mean? To me, this quote is about action. It reminds us that we can stand there and do nothing, or we can try to change things. What do you tend to do when things are not how…
A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation. – Mark Twain What does that mean? While this quote shows up on many quote sites, I couldn’t find a definitive source for the quote, so it’s probably one of the “Twain-isms” floating around the internet. Even so, it’s an interesting quote,…
