Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.
There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.
After long study and experience, I have come to the conclusion that (1) all religions are true; (2) all religions have some error in them; (3) all religions are almost as dear to me as my own Hinduism, in as much as all human beings should be as dear to one as one’s own close relatives. My own veneration for other faiths is the same as that for my own faith; therefore, no thought of conversion is possible.
I am not at all concerned with appearing to be consistent. In my pursuit after Truth I have discarded many ideas and learnt many new things.
Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.
The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
An eye for an eye only succeeds in making the whole world blind.
Hate the sin, love the sinner.
A teacher who establishes rapport with the taught, becomes one with them, learns more from them than he teaches them. He who learns nothing from his disciples is, in my opinion, worthless. Whenever I talk with someone I learn from him. I take from him more than I give him. In this way, a true teacher regards himself as a student of his students. If you will teach your pupils with this attitude, you will benefit much from them.
The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice.
You must be the change you want to see in the world.
Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive, because your words become your behaviours. Keep your behaviours positive, because your behaviours become your habits. Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.
The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.
It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.
My religion is based on truth and nonviolence. Truth is my God. Nonviolence is the means of realizing Him.
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
I will not let anyone walk through my mind with dirty feet.
God comes to the hungry in the form of food.
In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in an clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long an arduous quest after Truth.
Prayer is not asking. It is a language of the soul.
God has no religion.
My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents and I lay them both at his feet.
No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.
If we are to reach real peace in this world and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with children; and if they will grow up in their natural innocence, we won’t have to struggle; we won’t have to pass fruitless idle resolutions, but we shall go from love to love and peace to peace, until at last all the corners of the world are covered with that peace and love for which consciously or unconsciously the whole world is hungering.
What kind of victory is it when someone is left defeated?
I understand…that those who desired salvation should act like the trustee who, though having control over great possessions, regards not an iota of them as his own.
I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love.
Knowledge: The Search for the truth and Knowledge is one of the finest attributes of a man, though often it is most loudly voiced by those who strive for it the least.
Authority: To punish me for my contempt of authority, fate has made me an authority myself.
Truth: It is difficult to say what truth is, but sometimes it is easy to recognize a falsehood.
Cooperation: A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer lives are based on the labors of other people, living and dead and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.
Wisdom: Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.
Greatness: There is only one road to human greatness: through the school of hard knocks.
Happiness: A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.
Fame: With fame I become more and more stupid, which of course is a very common phenomenon.
Life: Life is sacred, that is to say, it is the supreme value, to which all other values are subordinate.
Ageing: I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don’t have to.
Praise: The only way to escape the personal corruption of praise is to go on working.
Problems: Fear or stupidity has always been the basis of most human actions.
Relativity: An hour sitting with a pretty girl on a park bench passes like a minute, but a minute sitting on a hot stove seems like an hour.
Goals: One should not pursue goals that are easily achieved. One must develop an instinct for what one can barely achieve through one’s greatest efforts.
Racism: The only remedies against race and prejudice are enlightenment and education. This is a slow and painstaking process.
Solitude: I lived in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.
Value: Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.
Imagination: When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come close to the conclusion that the gift of imagination has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing absolute knowledge.
People come into your life for a REASON, a SEASON or a LIFETIME. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.
This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anyone could have.
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies. by Moina Michael
Taps Buglers At Arlington National Cemetery
“…gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime…let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation’s gratitude, — the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.” -General John Logan, May 1868
“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.”
These are great words of wisdom to reflect upon if we rashly attempt to change something or someone else other than ourselves.
Here is a chance to reflect on where our attitude is in life. It’s crucial in keeping a vigilance on it for our overall success and well being.
Attitude Determines Everything!
How we react, what we do or say, all depends on our attitude. It determines whether we’ll be happy or sad. Attitude can help, or hinder us in all areas of our lives.
If your thoughts are constantly of doom and gloom, you will receive the same in return.
Your thoughts and your perception of the world influences all that you do, and all that you are, and all that you can be.
Changing your attitude is really changing the way you see things. To begin the change, you must start looking for the good in every situation, rather than the negative.
So, the choice is ours, and we are responsible for the choices we make. If we compare attitude to swimming, which are you doing?
Are You Swimming? - Even against the currents and the waves you keep going. You see your destination and you are taking action to reach it.
Are You Floating? - Just allowing the waves to carry you, you end up where ever the water takes you.
Are You Drowning? You see the waves and the currents as difficulties you can not overcome.
Keeping a positive mental attitude will help your swim through life.
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which one wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
It is better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all
- Alfred Lord Tennyson
The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.
- Pearl S. Buck
There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.
- Mother Teresa
To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.
- Bill Wilson
True love does not come by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.
- Jason Jordan
To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.
- David Viscott
Let love be the sweet elixir that awakens your spirit and moves your soul to dance.
- Unknown
Love is a sign from the heavens that you are here for a reason.
- J. Ghetto
Perhaps love is the process of my leading you gently back to yourself.
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The way you love anything is to realize it might be lost.
-G.K. Chesterton
The most difficult thing that you can do is to watch the person you love, Love someone else.
- Unknown
It is better to break one’s heart than to do nothing with it.
- Margaret Kennedy
If the universe has any purpose more important than topping a woman you love and making a baby with her hearty help, I have never heard of it.
- Rabert A. Henlein Lazarus Long
Platonic love is like an inactive volcano.
- Andre Pevost
No disguise can long conceal love where it is, nor feign it where it is not.
Your mind is similar to a garden. It needs cultivating, discipline, a nudge toward growth, balance, attention without neglect, and nurturing. What you sow you reap. If healthy seeds are not born, then abundance can not spring forth. But if seeds are nurtured, they will continue to grow and produce it’s kind.
Keeping a vigilance on one’s mind is a key factor to one’s success and happiness. A healthy mind always comes from love. Just as a gardener cultivates and keeps free from weeds, he continues in growing the fruits he desires. So must you tend thegarden of your mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless and negative thoughts, and cultivating perfection the fruits of your labor; producing the right and positive thoughts.
As James Allen wrote with such wisdom:
“Mind is the master power that molds and makes, And we are Mind, and evermore we take The tool of thought, and shaping what we will, Bring forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills. We think in secret, and it comes to pass - Our world is but a looking glass.”
Once in a while it is important to allow yourself to being a kid again. Not only is it healthy, but it’s okay! Stopping to smell the roses along the way in life can keep us not only vibrant, but youthful in spirit. Life poses so many different demands and responsibilities, that if not kept in some sort of balance, we can fall prey to becoming old, tired, and bitter well before our time. To find the stillness and silence in our mind and body is to wipe the slate clean, and clear the playing field. From a place of stillness and silence, it’s so much easier to come to new experiences with fresh perspective. Taking a break to center the Self is like soup to the soul.
Reminiscing Childhood
I watched from a park bench with envy while longing for the days of being a young child with little or no responsibility and an uncanny ability to live fully in the moment. Sitting there, I remembered what it was like to being a child without a care in the world, whose thoughts ran wildly and free. If only for a moment everyday, we would stop to notice the beauty that surrounds us and once more become our child self in its most simplest and purest forms, our souls would surely smile. As the Buddha said, “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”
Here are some daily thoughts on how to restore the simplicity of childhood to your life:
Walk barefoot in wet grass.
Read the funnies. Throw the rest of the paper away.
Try to get someone to trade you a better sandwich.
Wear your favorite shirt with your favorite pants even if they don’t match.
Jump rope and play a game of hop scotch.
Eat desert first.
Buy some bubble gum and blow the biggest bubbles you can.
Walk in the rain without an umbrella.
Giggle for no reason.
Stay up past your bedtime.
Cuddle on a carousel.
Buy your lover a stuffed animal and name it together.
Challenge each other to a pillow fight.
Visit the zoo, theme or water park. Share cotton candy with your partner.
Walk to the park. Have a picnic, lay down and look up at a tall tree. Swing
Write your names on a balloon and watch it drift off in the breeze.
The key to happiness lies within the learning of your true Self. By stilling your mind, you learn that happiness is within your very being. When you start to see what happiness really is, then when you become miserable you’ll move in the right direction and establish happiness. You will then look for it where it is rather than where it isn’t. Looking for it where it isn’t causes you to drop down from beingness.
What Is Happiness?
But what is happiness? Most people call it pleasure, but for most, pleasure is only escape from pain! Most people call themselves happy when they get away from their pain through socializing and entertainment, but this is really only an escape! Unable to be by themselves, with their own thoughts, they run to a movie, a nightclub, visit someone, or just get some action going so they are not facing their own thoughts. A truly happy man does not need those escapes in order to be happy. He is content. Once you become free and have an understanding of this, you can enjoy entertainment far more than before because you are free from the hunger-need for it.
Finding the Joy Within
The happiness that Lester Levenson taught, a physicist and engineer who held seminars in his quest to enlightenment, wasn’t the escape-from-misery kind. It was the joy that results from being your own real Self. Once you begin to let go of attaching happiness to people and things, you will begin to see that the joy is only in you, abiding as your very own Self. Once you discover this, you will no longer look for joy where it is not. You then finally reach the place where you need no one and no thing to be happy — you are just happy — all the time!
Some lessons to help towards your quest are:
Sitting with yourself, perhaps in meditation, in nature, yoga etc, and learn to quiet your mind of all external thoughts for a period of at least 20 minutes once or twice each day. Once you learn to let go of all your thoughts, you will discover that you are an infinite Being with infinite happiness and God-given powers.
During this period, learn to move toward happiness in the direction of your inner Self, and see that happiness is your Self’s basic nature. It’s this basic nature that never changes. You will see that this world cannot touch you, and no one and no thing can disturb your basic and natural infinite peace.
Learn that true answers cannot be found externally, for they always lie within. If you can learn to seek within, your Self will always lead you to the truth. Therein lies your true essence and happiness.
Thoughts are powerful. All of the amazing and even terrible creations of humanity began as thoughts. From thoughts came a plan, from a plan came an action, and from an action came the object. Whatever we are doing this very moment began as a thought.
All the wars of this world began as thoughts. All the spectacular, fine, and creative acts of humanity were born from a single thought. Victor Hugo may have said it best, “An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.”
Thoughts create and where we are is the result of a lifetime of thinking, whether positive or negative. If one stops to ponder his thoughts, he can easily look around himself and his environment and therein lies the product of histhoughts.
Positive thoughts yield positive results just as negative thoughts yield negative results. If we keep a vigilance on our thoughts we can make profound changes in our lives to reflect the changing of our thoughts.
Love can be explained in its most simplest terms, yet to some, it can be one of the most complex subjects ever to behold. Centuries have passed, relationships have bloomed but only to have past. They say love is war, easy to begin but hard to end. Love is a violin; the music may stop, then start again leaving its strings, its only remains. Love is friendship set on fire. Love is quicksand that buries a soul. Love feels pain, love cuts deep, love will hurt that leaves none sane. Love is a moth driven to a flame. Love carries hostage and frees no one. Love entangles, love is cold, love breaks hearts and cages the soul. To others, love goes on even when you’ve stopped breathing. Love is endless and measures not a thing.
No matter how one defines love, its mysteries will remain. Metaphors abound the fantasies born in the crevices of our mind, but what is love? It is the only eternal existence upholding mankind. Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not proud nor bares to envy. It rejoices and only seeks truth. Love protects, preserves and only yields in hope. Love should be experienced not just felt, love should be constant not just a day.
Love can be explained it its most simplest terms. Love is, and all-encompassing. Love is, unspoken.
The quality of mercy is not strained; it dropeth as the gentle rain from heaven; upon the place beneath; it is twice blessed; it blesseth him that giveth and him that takes.
