Let us be of cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come. – Amy Lowell What does that mean? The quote starts on a high note, urging us to be ‘of cheer’ or happy. The reason why we should be cheerful? The rest of the quote says that we should be cheerful…
Only the gentle are ever really strong. – James Dean What does that mean? This quote is interesting in that it is an apparent contradiction on it’s face. Generally, the strong, manly types are (stereotypically) the exact opposite of gentle. In Hollywood, they often go to great lengths to make the strong characters as un-gentle as possible, unless it’s the hero. However,…
Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. – Franklin D. Roosevelt What does that mean? This is a quote about the author’s definition of happiness. The quote says that the joy of achievement is one pathway to happiness. How do you feel when you achieve something? It tends to help…
Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character. – Horace Greeley What does that mean? This is a pile-driver way of pointing out the obvious. Fame has no endurance, just think of sports or Hollywood stars who have come and gone. Popularity isn’t really reliable…
It is because of my wish to be helpful that I share my ideas and experiences; being helpful to even one person is valuable. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? This was a great quote for me, as it explains, at least in part, why I do this blog. The author of the quote has…
The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it. – Niccolò Machiavelli What does that mean? This is a polite way of saying that old people rule! Seriously, it is a call to everyone to listen to their experience and use it to become wise. As we age,…
The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. – William James What does that mean? What do we do with our lives? Yes, we eat and work and sleep and play, but when it is all said and done, what do we leave behind? To me, this is…
Nothing is work unless you’d rather be doing something else. – George Halas What does that mean? Have you ever been doing something you really enjoy, then suddenly realize that you’ve lost track of time? This is what I believe the quote is talking about. It can be done watching TV, playing games, working on a project, and even manual labor. When time is…
Hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. – Langston Hughes What does that mean? This quote urges us to hold on to our dreams. In this context, I believe dreams is more of the ‘inspiration’ or ‘lofty goals’ connotation than the ‘fantastic daydream’ one. When you know…
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. – Jackie Robinson What does that mean? It can be kind of hard to admit, but with over 6 Billion other humans on the planet, we’re not all that significant in the overall scheme of things. To me, that is what the quote is saying. We don’t matter, we’re not important, with one significant…
Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something. – Franklin D. Roosevelt What does that mean? I like this quote, as it talks about human learning. We get an idea in our head, and we think about how we might accomplish this thing. We come up with an idea, likely based on prior experience or presumption…
It is important that when pursing our own self-interest we should be “wise selfish” and not “foolish selfish”. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? This is another Twitter-friendly shortened quote. The full quote is: It is important that when pursing our own self-interest we should be “wise selfish” and not “foolish selfish”. Being foolish selfish…
It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles. – Niccolò Machiavelli What does that mean? Think about it for a moment. When you are given a title or an award, is that thing honoring you? Or would it be more appropriate to say that you were honoring the title or award with your…
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. – John Quincy Adams What does that mean? Many people have a very narrow definition of what leadership is. In this quote, a great leader (read his bio for some of his accomplishments) reminds us that…
Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul. – Douglas MacArthur What does that mean? This was another neat quote. I think it is a bit odd, but makes it’s point quite well. It’s also not the most appealing analogy I had ever heard, either. A wrinkled what? But if you consider wrinkles in the…
