The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are. – C.S. Lewis What does that mean? This is a slightly abbreviated version of a longer quote: The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are: that good fortune I…
Small opportunities are often the beginnings of great enterprises. – Demosthenes What does that mean? Just ask Kinko’s or Fed Ex or Apple. Each started as something small. Each is now a major or dominant player in it’s chosen field. Some even invented whole new fields to dominate. Even a little kiss can lead to…
Non violence is a sign of strength; violence is a sign of desperation and weakness. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? This is a testament to wisdom over ‘common knowledge.’ Many people think that fighting, conquering and vanquishing are the ultimate way to settle a dispute. In reality, I believe it is the worst possible way,…
The greatest remedy for anger is delay. – Seneca What does that mean? Anger, when delayed or deferred, is weakened. This, he believes, is the best course, to allow anger to fade away before it is acted out. In his case, I believe ‘remedy’ is used to mean cure, making delay the cure for anger. This makes…
I pay no attention whatever to anybody’s praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings. – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart What does that mean? He’s marching to the beat of his own drummer. He’s doing what seems appropriate to him at the time. He doesn’t change to try to please others, he doesn’t change to…
My future starts when I wake up every morning… Every day I find something creative to do with my life. – Miles Davis What does that mean? I believe his quote is saying that he is always thinking about creating. For him the future begins anew every single morning. Each day is another step in…
I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self. ~ Aristotle What does that mean? To me, this is talking about the eternal internal struggle of humanity. We seem to have a gap between what we know we should do and what we…
Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts. – Charles Dickens What does that mean? This is a slightly shortened quote from Our Mutual Friend, Book 2, Chapter 8. However, the missing portions are not necessary for the purposes of discussing this quote, in my…
Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. – Carl Jung What does that mean? When we look inside our heart, our true self awakens. Until then, our true self is hidden, and we follow with our groups. Our family, our…
Without a sense of equanimity, unbiased love and compassion cannot even get started. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? Let’s start with a definition. At thefreedictionary.com, equanimity is defined as “The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure.” So, restating the quote, it becomes: “Without an even temper, unbiased love and compassion cannot even get started.”…
It is more fitting for a man to laugh at life than to lament over it. – Seneca What does that mean? I’m sure you’ve met someone who spends more time complaining about things than they do working to make things better. Their lamentations do them no good, as nothing productive can come from that course of…
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. – Stephen Covey What does that mean? Let’s see if we can dissect the quote, shall we? If I’m reading this right, there are three “main thing” repetitions. Let’s color code them to make this easier. The main thing is to keep…
If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning. – Mohandas Gandhi What does that mean? This saying has been stated by many people in many different ways, but it gets back to the same basic…
The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions. – Leonardo da Vinci What does that mean? Let’s face it, I’m the greatest Dad in the world, right? I’ve got the T-Shirt to prove it! Isn’t that what this quote is all about? We often have opinions that are different than what is real. Both overly…
Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for. – Socrates What does that mean? Everyone has experiences. Some write them down in a manner that is useful to others. Some write books about what happened. Others write books about how to achieve…
