All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are powerful men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.
-- T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia)
It is ironic how rigidly trained we have been to [...] argue ideas as though we believed a decision had to be made. Is Hamlet mad or not? The world will little note which decision we reach. But we will long remember whether we have explored the question in a way calculated to enrich our understanding of the play and our relationship with each other.
-- Kahn, M., "The Seminar: An Experiment in Humanistic Education." Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 21(2), 119-127 Spring 1981.
A leader is best
When people barely know he exists;
Not so good
When people obey and acclaim him;
Worse when they despise him.
But of a good leader
Who talks little
And when his work is done
His aim fulfilled
They will say
We did it ourselves.
-- Lao-Tse (c. 565 B.C.)
Tact is the art of recognizing when to be big and when not to belittle.
Bill Copeland
Aun aprendo. (I am still learning.)
There are only two ways to live life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
-- Albert Einstein
The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of childhood into maturity.
-- Thomas Huxley
I have not failed. I have successfully discovered twelve hundred ideas that don't work.
-- Thomas Edison
In order to have a successful relationship, you need to put out of your mind any lessons learned from previous relationships because if you carry a sensitivity or fear with you, you won't be acting freely, and you won't let yourself be really known. In order to have a successful relationship, it is essential that both people be completely open and honest.
-- Susan Polis Schwartz
I hope I never become so used to the world that it no longer seems wonderful.
-- Ashleigh Brilliant
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
-- Albert Einstein
If a man is to be called a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry, He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, "Here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
To learn, I must dance with my subject... fly it, ride it, spin it upside down, write a poem about it, sing about it... shake my fist at it, think about it, draw it, animate it, eat it, see it through a microscope and a telescope, make love with it... experiment with it, fly over it and under it, see it in different lights, textures, fabrics... taste it in different flavors, understand it in different contexts... cry about it, despair of it, take joy in it, try it in another country... pour it on my pancakes.
-- Michael Medwid, 1991
What would I do differently if I had my life to live over? Nadine Stair supposedly answered this question when she was 85. But you can the origin is questioned by some. A link to an essay by Benjamin Rossen used to be available with more information, but it has, unfortunately, either disappeared or at least moved from the spot where it had been located: http://www.iae.nl/users/rossen/DAISIES/daisies.htm
If I Had My Life to Live Over
I'd dare to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I'm one of those people who lives sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments and if I had it to do over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had it to do again, I would travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.
-- Nadine Stair