Into the dangerous world I leapt:
Helpless, naked, piping loud…
William Blake

PEACE
It does not mean to be in a place where there is no
noise, trouble or hard work. It meants to be in the
midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it… always.
Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political and spiritual leader

Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.  –Leonardo Da Vinci

You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it.
That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies,
that is why you must sing and dance, and write poems, and suffer,
and understand, for all that is life.
J. Krishnamurtim 1895-1986

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its’ furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whomever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Jalal as-Din Rumi, 1207-1273, Persian poet and sage

Youth is not a time of life;  it is a state of mind;  it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees;  it is  a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions;  it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease.  This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20.  Nobody grows old merely by a number of years.  We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.  Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite of what’s next and the joy of the game of living.  In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station;  so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at 80.  –Samuel Ullman

For most of life, nothing wonderful happens.  If you don’t enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are you’re not going to be very happy.  If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn’t going to be happy much of the time.
If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.  –Andy Rooney

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.
Mary Jean Irion

I am sure it is a great mistake always to know enough to go in when it rains.  One may keep snug and dry by such knowledge, but one misses a world of loveliness.  –Adiline Knapp

Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or now it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep pace with your soul.

With all it’s sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Establish a policy of taking all criticism as friendly.  Once you insist to yourself that the other person is well-intentioned, you’ll get value from legitimate  criticism, if there’s any there to get, and you won’t be bothered by the rest.  When you concede a critic’s good will, you disarm an attacker and encourage an ally.  –Carroll O’Conner

So many gods, so many creeds,
so many paths that wind and wind
while just the art of being kind
is all the sad world needs.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox, American Poet, 1896

In the end, it is attention to detail that makes all the difference.  It’s the center fielder’s extra two steps to the left, the salesman’s memory for names, the lover’s phone call, the soldier’s clean weapon.  It is the thing that separated the winners from the losers, the men from the boys and very often, the living from the dead.  Professional success depends on it, regardless of the field.  –David Noonan

We are each others’ angels, we meet when it is time.  –Chuck Brodsky

Whatever else you do or forbear,
impose upon yourself the task of happiness;
and now and then abandon yourself to the joy of laughter.
Max Ehrmann

Let us then be up and doing, with a heart for any fate.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A well-spent day brings happy sleep.  Leonardo do Vinci

The only true happiness comes form squandering ourselves for a purpose.  –John Mason Brown

Be not afraid of going slowly;
be afraid only of standing still.
Chinese proverb

Spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you.  St. Bartholomew

It’s so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to.
Annie Gottlier

If you think you’re too small to make a difference you’ve obviously never been in bed with a mosquito.  –Michelle Walker

Don’t worry about what’s ahead.
Just go as far as you can go
from there you can see farther.

The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.  –Arnold Toynbee