Express words: Quotes

"In the depths of winter, I finally learned that there lay in me an unconquerable summer." Albert Camus, 1913-1960, French author, journalist and philosopher.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are we not to be?

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” Marianne Williamson, cited from the movie Akeelah the Bee.

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms--to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances." Viktor Frankl, Auschwitz concentration camp survivor, founder of Logotherapy and author of Man’s Search for Meaning.

The following Viktor Frankl quote was from a realisation made while he and his fellow prisoners struggled in their walk, forced on by the butts of rifles, to their concentration camp. A man beside him spoke of his wife, grateful that she could not see him at that point, and hoped that the women were faring better than them.

“A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth – that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way – an honourable way – in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment. For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, "The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory...."“Man's Search for Meaning, Part One, "Experiences in a Concentration Camp", Viktor Frankl, Pocket Books, ISBN 978-0-671-02337-9 pp. 56–57

“The existential vacuum manifests itself mainly in a state of boredom.” Viktor Frankl

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task.”
Viktor Frankl

In this YouTube clip, Frankl stresses the need for goals, to ensure that people can see what they can become and not be trapped by a label that keeps them where they are, ie. A youth who is labelled a no-hoper, or a druggie etc. http://www.ted.com/talks/viktor_frankl_youth_in_search_of_meaning.html

In this clip he says: "...if you don’t recognize a young man’s will to meaning, man’s search for meaning, you make him worse, you make him dull, you make him frustrated, you add and contribute to his frustration."

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1

"With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose." Wayne Dyer, motivational speaker and international bestselling author.

“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Nelson Mandela, Autobiography

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Nelson Mandela, Autobiography

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Nelson Mandela, Autobiography

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Nelson Mandela

"There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires." Nelson Mandela

"We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right." Nelson Mandela

"Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves." Nelson Mandela, Speech, May 10, 1994

“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special." Nelson Mandela

“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.” Nelson Mandela

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Nelson Mandela

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” Nelson Mandela

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1

I have recently received a copy of Nick Vujicic’s Life Without Limits, the inspirational Australian born with no arms or legs who never allowed this to stop him from doing anything. He says: “I know people with perfect bodies who don’t have half the happiness I’ve found with mine.”

Waterfall Gully by Peter D. Kemp
Copyright 2012

“Wherever I travel around the world, I try to encourage whoever I meet that they can overcome adversity with faith, hope, love, and courage so that they may pursue their dreams.” Nick Vujicic

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something…almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, Stanford University Commencement, 2005. Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003 and died in 2011.

“If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German author (ie. Faust) and philosopher, often termed as Germany’s Shakespeare and is quoted more often than Shakespeare. NB. The source for this quote is unknown and Goethe has often been misquoted through incorrect citation and difficulty in translation. For example, the famous quote attributed to Goethe, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!” has been found to not be his words. They are based on a similar idea from Goethe but the translation is too far removed from any of his words. See article here: http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth12.htm

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, see note above.

“I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warm hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.” Dalai Lama

“The opposite of love is indifference, and the opposite of happiness is….boredom.” Timothy Ferriss, The 4-Hour Work Week, 2007, Vermillion, U.K., p. 51

“Excitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase. When people suggest you follow your “passion” or your “bliss”, I propose that they are, in fact, referring to the same singular concept: excitement.” Timothy Ferriss, The 4-Hour Work Week, 2007, Vermillion, U.K., p. 51

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” Mark Twain

“I can’t give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time.” Herbert Bayard Swope, first recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, U.S. editor and journalist.

“But every jet of chaos which threatens to exterminate us, is convertible by intellect into wholesome force. Fate is unpenetrated causes. The water drowns ship and sailor, like a grain of dust. But learn to swim, trim your bark, and the wave which drowned it will be cloven by it, and carry it, like its own foam, a plume and a power.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson’s Works: Traits, Orations & Conduct of Life, Vol. II, 1883, London, George Bell & Sons, p. 321

“In different hours, a man represents each of several of his ancestors, as if there were seven or eight of us rolled up in each man’s skin—seven or eight ancestors at least—and they constitute the variety of notes for that new piece of music which his life is.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson’s Works: Traits, Orations & Conduct of Life, Vol. II, 1883, London, George Bell & Sons, p.311

“The resources of the scholar are proportioned to his confidence in the attributes of the Intellect. The resources of the scholar are co-extensive with nature and truth, yet can never be his, unless claimed by him with an equal greatness of mind.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Emerson’s Works: Traits, Orations & Conduct of Life, Vol. II, 1883, London, George Bell & Sons, p. 206

“The eyes of men converse as much as their tongues, with the advantage, that the ocular dialect needs no dictionary, but is understood by the world over. When the eyes say one thing, and the tongue another, a practised man relies on the language of the first. If the man is off his centre, the eyes show it.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Emerson’s Works: Traits, Orations & Conduct of Life, Vol. II, 1883, London, George Bell & Sons, p. 334

“There are many things of which a wise man may wish to be ignorant.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882). It is interesting to note that the literal translation of ‘enthusiasm’ is “possessed by a god”, or “god within”, derived from the Greek word enthous. Cited at http://www.entheos.com/philosophersnotes/notes/all/the-selected-writings-of-ralph-waldo-emerson

“Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.” Francois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire (1694-1778), French Enlightenment writer, author, playwright, poet, historian, philosopher and civil liberties advocate.

“Common sense is not so common.” Voltaire (1694-1778)

“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too.” Voltaire (1694-1778)

“Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace.” Robert J. Sawyer (1960-), Calculating God, 2000, Canadian science fiction author.

“Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.” Ralph Charell, personal growth author

“Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.” Albert Einstein

“Know thyself.” Socrates

“A schedule defends from chaos and whim.” Annie Dillard, writer, 1975 Pulitzer Prize winner for non-fiction.

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