It always seems impossible until it is done. (Nelson Mandela, late president of South Africa) To Mandela, his dreams of equality for all and the end of apartheid must often have seemed impossible. Imprisoned at length for his protests and demonstrations, he was...
If you don't ask, you don't get. (Stevie Wonder, musician and songwriter) Wonder’s statement is simple, yet profound. It raises the question, “Why don’t we ask for something we want?” Perhaps we need the answer to a question, but we think we’ll appear ignorant if we...
We can’t say no to something good unless we’re saying yes to something even better. (Rachel Gilson, counselor of college students) Years ago the Sears Roebuck catalogs included page after page of goods to choose from. Its unique format offered merchandise by quality:...
A good name, like good will, is got by many actions and lost by one. (Lord Jeffery, 18th century British army officer) People are most often known by their actions. A person who accomplishes a lot and exhibits many good deeds and acts of kindness is thought highly of....
Pain becomes good or bad based on what we do with it. (Source unknown) It’s an oft-repeated idea: pain can be both good and bad. Without physical pain, we wouldn’t know we had touched a hot burner until the skin began to curl. Pain as a warning is a good thing, a...
I’ve learned that the smallest amount of light completely breaks the darkness. (Mekayla Deffenbaugh. social worker) Have you noticed that you can take a small candle into a dark room, and suddenly, the room is no longer in total blackness? On the other hand, can you...
Ideas have consequences and bad ideas have victims. (John Stonestreet, Biblical worldview author) We’ve all seen the bulb light up in a cartoon character’s head, indicating that he or she has just had an inspiration. Those ideas can often become the basis for...
Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. (William Arthur Ward, American author of inspirational maxims) It’s Thanksgiving Day in the United States, and many families are...
Jump and build your wings on the way down. (Ray Bradbury, late author and screenwriter) A paratrooper’s first jump must be frightful. Yet, we’re told that it soon becomes exhilarating, a pleasure the jumper would never have if he hadn’t jumped out that first time....
A master in the art of living always appears to be both working and playing. (L. P. Jacks, English educator) Remember the proverb, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”? It teaches that without time off from work, a person becomes both bored and boring. Jacks...
Nothing is true, but that which is simple. (Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 18th-19th century German writer and statesman) We need to think carefully about that statement. If you look at Einstein’s theory of special relativity (E = mc2), the equation appears simple and...
Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels. (Faith Whittlesey, former White House staff assistant) Old-timers will remember the extravagant movie musicals of yesteryear. Astaire was an amazing dancer who was able to make...