Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Most of the shadows..."

"Most of the shadows in this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine."

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wendy Mass: "Mankind is the eye..."

"Mankind is the eye through which the spirit of God views his or her creation. Let us today, on this beautiful Sunday morning, be vessels through which we can see the infinite. For there rests our true natures. We are spiritual beings having an earthly life. When our life here is done, we return to the source. What is life? Life is love. Do not make the mistake of thinking loving is easy; it is not. We must love ourselves, not just other people. We must be awake. Do not sleepwalk through your life. Enjoy it fully, because none of us gets out of here alive."

–Wendy Mass, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Wendy Mass: "An old man is teaching..."

An old man is teaching his grandson about life.

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old man replied simply, "The one you feed."

–Wendy Mass, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Daniel Quinn: "That's not good enough..."

"That’s not good enough. The fact that something is not a waste of time does not inspire me to do it."

–Daniel Quinn, Ishmael

Barbara Kingsolver: "We're converts in progress..."

"Our locavore project nudged us constantly toward new personal bests. But is always remained fascination, not fanaticism. We still ate out at restaurants with friends sometimes, and happily accepted invitations to dine at their homes. People who knew about our project would get flustered sometimes about inviting us, or when seeing us in a restaurant would behave as if they'd caught the cat eating the canary.

We always explained, 'We're converts in progress, not preachers. No stone tablets.'"

—Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Susan Cain: "We are like rubber bands..."

“We are like rubber bands at rest. We are elastic and can stretch ourselves, but only so far.”

—Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

W. Somerset Maugham: "Only the mediocre man..."

"Only the mediocre man is always at his best."

—W. Somerset Maugham

Jordan Roth: "She sees all of us..."

"She sees all of us as our best selves. And then helps us become it. That is what it is to produce. To make. To create. To build something because you see it as what it can be, not just what it is now. To do that for a show is a talent. To do it for a person is a blessing."

-Jordan Roth (speaking of his mother, Daryl Roth)

Ralph Waldo Emerson: "To be yourself in..."

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gregory Maguire: "Ah, the inner eye..."

"Ah, the inner eye blinks and the spirit trembles at the dangerous cost of seeing one’s self as one is."

—Gregory Maguire, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

Rudolf Dreikurs: "Above all, remember that..."

"Above all, remember that we are not working for perfection, but only for improvement. Watch for the little improvements, and when you find them, relax and have faith in your ability to improve further."

—Rudolf Dreikurs, Children: The Challenge (p56)

Rudolf Dreikurs: "When you try a..."

"When you try a new technique and it works, be glad. When you fall back into old habits, don't reproach yourself. You need to constantly reinforce your own courage, and to do so, you need the courage to be imperfect. ... Dwelling on your mistakes saps your courage. Remember, one cannot build on weakness -- only on strength."

—Rudolf Dreikurs, Children: The Challenge (p56)

Rudolf Dreikurs: "Genuine happiness is not..."

"Genuine happiness is not dependent upon the attention of others but arises from within oneself as a result of self-sufficiency."

—Rudolf Dreikurs, Children: The Challenge (p41)

Laura Munson: "I believe when we..."

"I believe when we act powerfully, we get treated powerfully."

—Laura Munson, This Is Not The Story You Think It Is

Laura Munson: "I decided in that..."

"I decided in that moment to remember to let the waking hour stun me with its simplicity. To deliver me my true nature. And to receive its calm, empty self."

—Laura Munson, This Is Not The Story You Think It Is

Unknown: "Take just a little..."

"Take just a little word of one syllable rather than two... Such a one is the word God or the word love.  Choose which you prefer... and fasten this word to your heart so that whatever happens it will never go away.  This word is to be your shield and your spear, whether you are riding in peace or in war.  With this word you are to beat upon the cloud and the darkness above and beneath you.  With this word you are to strike down every kind of thought, driving it down into a pool of forgetting.  If any thought should press upon you, asking what you would have, answer with no word but this one.  If your thoughts should offer, out of their great learning to analyze your word for you and tell you its meanings, say to your thoughts that you want to keep it whole... It is not a matter of analyzing or elucidating... "

—Unknown, The Cloud of Unknowing

Laura Munson, "You might think all..."

"You might think all this would find me in a place of intense pain. panic, even. State of emergency. But I am choosing something else.  I am choosing not to suffer."


—Laura Munson, This Is Not The Story You Think It Is