Shadows Shall Spring

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be the blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

- J.R. Tolkien

Season of Giving

All you have shall some day be given;
Therefore give now, that the season of giving
may be yours and not your inheritors.

- Kahlil Gibran

Sow a Thought

Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.

- Charles Reade

Bow before children

Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry,
the philosophy which does not laugh
and the greatness which does not bow before children.

- Kahlil Gibran

You're here right now

If you're here for four more years or four more weeks, you're here right now. I think when you're somewhere, you ought to be there. It's not about how long you stay in a place, it's about what you do while you're there, and when you go, is that place any better for your having been there?

-Karen Hall

No recipe for living

The shoe that fits one person pinches another;
there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.

-Carl Jung

One smile begins a friendship

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true.
One life can make the difference,
You see it's up to YOU!

(Author Unknown)

Daring Adventure, or Nothing

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

- Helen Keller

Those Who Love

Time is too slow for those who wait,
too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love,
time is eternity.

- Henry Van Dyke

Life is a splendid torch

Life is not a 'brief candle'.
It is a splendid torch that
I want to make burn as brightly as possible
before handing on to future generations.

- Bernard Shaw

Explore. Dream. Discover

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain

Life is too precious, do not destroy it

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

- Mother Teresa

Blade of Grass

Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it
and whispers, 'Grow, grow.'

- The Talmud

From Behind the Clouds!

Meditate.

Live purely. Be quiet.
Do your work with mastery.
Like the moon, come out
from behind the clouds!
Shine

-Buddha, The Enlightened One

Your Bare Feet

And forget not that
the earth delights to feel your bare feet
and the winds long to play with your hair.

- Kahlil Gibran

I learned it late..

I have learned that if you must leave a place
That you have lived in and loved,
And where all of your yesterdays are buried deep -
Leave it any way except slow;
Leave it the fastest way you can.
Never turn back and believe that an hour you remember
Is a better hour because it is dead.
Past years seem safe ones, vanquished ones,
While the future lives in a cloud, formidable from a distance.
The cloud clears though, as you enter it.
I have learned this, but like everyone,
I learned it late.

- Beryl Markham

Do More Than Forgive

Do more than belong: participate.
Do more than care: help.
Do more than believe: practice.
Do more than be fair: be kind.
Do more than forgive: forget.
Do more than dream: work.

- William Arthur Ward

Hold on to what you believe

Hold on to what is good,
Even if it's a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe,
Even if it's a tree that stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do,
Even if it's a long way from here.
Hold on to your life,
Even if it's easier to let go.
Hold on to my hand,
Even if someday I'll be gone away from you.

-Indian Prayer

Have a little time to believe in dreams

Whatever dreams you're dreaming,
May each one of them come true.
Whatever plans you're making,
May they all work out for you.
And may you have more happiness
Than any words can tell.
Not only on this day,
But all the year as well.
May you have a little sunlight
to guide you on your way.
May you discover, little by little,
happiness that's here to stay.
May you grow a little stronger
and a little wiser with each dawn
May you have a little time to
believe in dreams to dream upon
May all the joy your heart desires
find its way to you.
And may the blessings that brighten up your days
keep on shining through.

-Author Unknown

For Benefit of one and all

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

-Buddha

Faith Soars On High

Doubt sees the obstacles
faith sees the way.
Doubt sees the darkest night
Faith sees the day.
Doubt dreads to take a step
Faith soars on high.
Doubt questions 'who believes?'
Faith answers, 'I.' ”

-Author Unknown

Be Whole. Be Total.

Health comes from the same root as healing.

A healed person is a healthy person. A healed person is a whole person.

Medicine heals you physically. Meditation heals you spiritually. Both are lealing processes, both bring health.

Be whole. Be total. Don't be fragmentary, don't be divided.

-Osho, The Dhammapada, The way of the Buddha.