"After a certain number of years, our faces become our biographies." ~Graffiti in LA
"May you live in interesting times." ~Ancient Chinese Curse
"The essentials of happiness are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." ~Allan Chalmers
"Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards." ~Soren Klerkegaard
"Whomever goes to fight monsters should take care not to become a monster himself. And when you stare too long into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you." ~Frederick Nietzsche
"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises, maintained their neutrality." ~Dante Alighieri
"Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
Inaugural (Excerpts): John F. Kennedy - January 20, 1961
"In spite of everything, I still believe people are good at heart." ~Anne Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank)
"A man is loyal to the place he loves; there's no escape if love is not there." ~Elizabeth Speare (The Witch of Blackbird Pond)
"Do not depend on other people. Listen and think about what you hear but depend only on yourself." ~Scott O'Dell (Black Star, Bright Dawn)
"It can kill people to be in one place without a dream." ~Leon Uris (Redemption)
"He who clutches desperately to security...to everyday habits, work, organization, friends, family...closed off...no longer lives: more than security, life needs adventure, risk, dynamic activity, self giving, presence to others." ~Jean Vanier (tears of silence)
"Maturity of the heart...accepting myself with my limits in my poverty." ~Jean Vanier (tears of silence)
"Why should Americans underwrite an international police force? Because they're the only ones who can." ~Tom Clancy (Op-Center: Games of State)
"School doesn't make us anything. Life makes us what we are." ~Tom Clancy (Op-Center: Games of State)
"My fate’s not in God’s hands as long as there’s a weapon in mine." ~Tom Clancy (Op-Center: Mirror Image
"A liberal education frees a person from the prison house of his class, race, time, place, background, family, and even his nation." ~Robert Maynard Hutchins (The Political Animal)
"I am where I am. I know where I could have been had I done what I did not do. Tell me friend, what can I do today to be where I want to be tomorrow."
"If it is to be, it is up to me."
"I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees."
"Always do the very best that you can. That's all anyone has the right to ask."
"Love is the fun in together, the sad in apart, the hope for tomorrow, the joy in the heart."
"Those who follow their hearts seldom lose their way."
"Take me for who I am, not for who I might become later in life."
"One must be true to themselves before they can be true to others."
"Our true family members are not necessarily those of like blood but those we meet along the way with whom we bond and choose."
"Live your life, don't limit your opportunities and don't settle for less than you deserve in things."
"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."
"The last of the great human freedoms is your attitude with which you approach your current situation."
"It's all right to let yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back."
"I'll work hard. I'll do my part. You won't hear me complain. I'll never go down easy. I swear, I'll pull my weight."
"If you're sane enough to wonder if you're crazy, you're sane enough."
"Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself."
Got any others? Email me!