CHAPTER 28: A FEW OF MY FAVORITE “THINKING” QUOTES...
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
– Psalm 1:1-2
Perhaps you have noticed that I like positive, thought-provoking, encouraging quotations. I use them frequently in class.
I had a wall in my pantry in an old house where I used to live where I would tape little scraps of paper with quotes I liked. Whenever I would find myself feeling a little discouraged, or upset, or stressed, or angry, or whatever — I would go and stand in my pantry and read my wall. I called it my “Inspiration Wall.”
After spending just a few minutes standing there reading my wall, I always came out of my pantry feeling more positive about my life, and whatever it was that was bothering me went away.
I decided to share some of my favorite quotes from my “Inspiration Wall” with you. Pick your favorites!
— ♦ —
Fear thou not; for I am with thee:
be not dismayed; for I am thy God:
I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee;
yea, I will uphold thee with
the right hand of my righteousness.
– Isaiah 41:10
— ♦ —
Believe you can and you’re halfway there.
– Theodore Roosevelt
— ♦ —
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its
ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.
– Unknown ((falsely attributed to Einstein)
— ♦ —
We know what we are, but know not what we may be.
– William Shakespeare
— ♦ —
This is my commandment,
That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
– Jesus, in John 15:12
— ♦ —
To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.
– Lao Tzu
— ♦ —
Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold,
happiness dwells in the soul.
– Democritus
— ♦ —
Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you
will never go any higher than you think.
– Benjamin Disraeli
— ♦ —
Success does not consist in never making blunders, but in never making the same one the second time.
– H.W. Shaw
— ♦ —
Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
— ♦ —
Stand in awe, and sin not:
commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.
– Psalm 4:4
— ♦ —
Thinking: the talking of the soul with itself.
– Plato
— ♦ —
My mouth shall speak of wisdom;
and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
– Psalm 49:3
— ♦ —
With self-discipline most anything is possible.
– Theodore Roosevelt
— ♦ —
Out of difficulties grow miracles.
– Jean de la Bruyere
— ♦ —
This above all, to thine own self be true,
And it follows as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
– from Hamlet, by William Shakespeare
— ♦ —
Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.
– Desiderius Erasmus
— ♦ —
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
or what’s a heaven for?
– Robert Browning
— ♦ —
Science without religion is lame.
Religion without science is blind.
– Albert Einstein (4)
— ♦ —
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil
is that good men do nothing.
– Edmund Burke
— ♦ —
Anyone can count the seeds in an apple,
but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.
– Robert H. Schuller
— ♦ —
People only see what they are prepared to see.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
— ♦ —
Misfortunes often sharpen the genius.
– Ovid
— ♦ —
The mind’s direction is more important than its progress.
– Joseph Joubert
— ♦ —
In order to learn the most important lessons of life,
one must each day surmount a fear.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
— ♦ —
No one stands so straight as he who stoops to help a child.
– Abraham Lincoln
— ♦ —
Be still and know that I am God.
– Psalm 46:10
— ♦ —
Students have asked me what they are supposed to be thinking about during meditation. Even though I tell them that it is their choice, they sometimes need just a little nudge.
The quotations used in this book are just a few of my favorite that I have collected over the years (and was able to use in this book) to help spark students’ thought processes, and to give that little inspirational nudge.
THINK TIME:
Create your own “Inspiration Wall.”
Use some of these quotations, or find some you like.
Then, stand in front of your wall when you need a little nudge.
PART FOUR
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I have chosen to be happy
because it is good for my health.
– Voltaire, author