Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at it destination full of hope. – Maya Angelou What does that mean? Love is a very imprecise word in English. Would a person who “loves” a particular type of food (as an example) do any of the things listed in the…
Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead! – David Farragut What does that mean? This quote is apparently a contraction of a series of orders given by Admiral David Glasgow Farragut. Generally accepted as the original statement is “Damn the torpedoes!” said Farragut, “Four bells. Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!” This command was given in…
All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work. – Calvin Coolidge What does that mean? As much as I love this quote, I wish to point out that there is at least one thing that can grow without any activity. That would be your waist-line….
I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself. – Mikhail Baryshnikov What does that mean? To me, this is a quote from a mind in a healthy state of competition. So many people are out there, trying to prove themselves, and to be the best…
The quickest way to become troubled is to be concerned with what people are gonna say about your life and your work. – Ahmad Jamal What does that mean? This is another way of saying that you can’t please all the people all the time. This quote advises us to not trouble ourselves with the opinions…
Meet hostility and suspicion with kindness. Helping others out of love is always the best option. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? The world is full of all kinds of people. Not all are as kind as you are. You are kind, at least some of the time, right? Many of the people you will encounter…
The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all. – Niccolò Machiavelli What does that mean? This is the classic “pull off the bandage” issue. Do you pull it off quickly and get it over with, or do you pull a little bit at…
What is not started today is never finished tomorrow. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe What does that mean? This is another quote about getting up off your rear end and getting busy. If you don’t start it today, when will you start it? Tomorrow? The day after that? For any non-trivial task, you aren’t likely to…
A feeble body weakens the mind. – Jean-Jacques Rousseau What does that mean? While having a robust body doesn’t guarantee your mind will be equally robust, there are few who have maintained a strong mind while allowing their body to become feeble. Note that I discount from this saying those who suffered accidents or other life-altering…
Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. – Helen Keller What does that mean? This is a great quote, from someone who knew both the suffering and the overcoming of suffering, a more complete listing of which can be found in her bio (click on her name, above)….
It is idle to dread what you cannot avoid. – Publius Syrus What does that mean? Most of us have dreaded or worried about the coming of something that was inevitable, at one time or another in our lives. Whether it was waiting for dad to get home to dispense justice after an afternoon of dubious…
Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it. – George Orwell What does that mean? To me, this is the eternal deceit of humankind. Starting in the teenage years, they are more intelligent and better equipped to make decisions than…
Just as we need good physical health we also need strength of mind to ensure our well-being; and we develop it by cultivating ethics. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? This quote starts with the discussion of a simple truth, saying that most of us recognize that it is necessary to keep our bodies in…
Tardiness often robs us opportunity, and the dispatch of our forces. – Niccolò Machiavelli What does that mean? This quote is another in a long series of truisms which warn us against sloth, procrastination, and other forms of time wasting. This quote speaks of the possibility of squandering an opportunity through not taking action soon enough….
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. – Walt Disney What does that mean? Well, as far as I can tell, you can talk about something or you can do something about it. All the while you are talking, you are not doing, as you haven’t yet made a decision as…
