Daily Quote

"The best place to find God is in a garden. You can dig for him there."

-George Bernard Shaw

Looking for God? Go to a garden. Gardens are God's museums of absolutely perfect beauty. Everything there is a masterpiece, carefully crafted down to the cell with perfection. Look closely! Who knew that flowers had delicate veins mapped out in their petals? Who knew just how soft a dandelion's fuzz was? Mysteries of nature can only really be explained by one thing: God. There had to be some divine force or being to create the wonders that we call nature. So if you are looking for God, the best place to look is in His garden. And by looking and admiring his work, you can dig for Him. 

Daily Quote

Your family members are the people that will be yours for your whole life. You are theirs and they are yours-- and no matter what they will be there. There's not much you can do to lose them, even if it seems you've lost them. And there will always be a way to get them back. And friends, if they're true enough, will be like family to you. And that's something really important and really special and it is a true gift. Wealth and privilege aren't always going to be there for you, like your family will be. Wealth can disappear faster than you can say "money." And privilege can easily be rid of. So forget the wealth and privilege! Have just enough of it so that you can live and give to others. But don't idolize it, ever. Turn to your family, who will always be there for you if you are there for them. That's much more important than wealth and privilege will ever be.

Quote of the day

"There are lots of people I admire and respect, but I don't necessarily want to be like them. I'm to happy being myself."

-James D'arcy

Be yourself, because you are the only person that you will ever be. So why not just go ahead and be it? You were placed on this earth with a purpose. Everyone has one, no matter how big or small. And so what if you aren't acting like yourself? Is the purpose that you specifically are supposed to fulfill going to get fulfilled? But that doesn't mean you have to shut off everyone else's views and acts and ways of doing everything. You can admire and respect people, which in fact is a really good thing to do, just be yourself.

Quote of the day

"There is nothing man will not attempt when great enterprises hold out the promise of great rewards."

-Livy

We all know that in the world we live in, hardly anyone is going to do anything for someone else without some sort of incentive. Some type of reward. I know that I definitely am more resistant to doing things unless I know that there's a reward at the other end of it. And when the reward is great, there's almost nothing man wouldn't do for it! For example: If I told you to do something stupid (don't do anything stupid, please) and I told you I would give you a dollar, would you do it? Hopefully not. But if I said I would give you a thousand dollars, would you do it? You probably would, no matter how stupid the act is. Same goes for good acts. Sometimes the reward is simply the feeling of accomplishment, self-motivation, the joy of giving, and all of those emotional rewards. Sometimes those rewards are better than the physical ones! Either way, there's not much man wouldn't do for a great reward worth working towards.

Daily Quote

I think that what this quote is saying is that if you don't dig down into yourself, you won't ever find your good. All of your good is found within, so if you don't dig, it won't ever bubble to the surface. I suppose that 'ever' is old english for 'never?' At least in the context of this quote. And if it isn't, let's assume that it means 'never.' All of your good is found inside, so dig deep to unearth it! It's not just going to bubble up. It might feel like it does, but that's because you are digging without yourself even knowing. But in the times when you feel like you need to be good consciously, serious digging is required.

Daily Quote

"Learning never exhausts the mind."

-Leonardo da Vinci

I thought this quote was interesting. It's true, too. As much as you feel like it does, learning doesn't actually exhaust the mind. You can learn and learn and learn and your mind will never get exhausted. All of the other factors of life, however, might make you tired, but the learning itself won't. So go ahead and learn as much as you can, because it won't exhaust you! The problem is, it feels like it is exhausting and that's why we don't want to do too much of it straight. And that's fine, too, because variety is good to retain focus. But anyway, learning doesn't exhaust the mind. It simply strengthens and conditions it.

Quote of the day

"Everybody's talking trash these days, so why not keep quiet?"

-Dennis Rodman

These days, everyone isn't minding their mouth as much as they possibly should. Lies and curses are not uncommon anymore. Respect levels are lower, too. And that's a problem! People are so good at putting on an act, to act innocent when they are simply using that as a coverup for their true selves. I've seen people who are obnoxious and rude, but when faced with a superior, they put on a smile and act like the most innocent and kind person who ever walked this earth. Why do we do this? I wish I knew. But in the old days, talking trash was something that could be punishable greatly. These days the rules are so loose that trash talk isn't uncommon. What might be a good solution? Simply keep quiet! There's nothing wrong with staying quiet. Voicing your opinions are great, too, but as long as they are trashless. Sometimes quietness is much better than the constant flow of garbage words and phrases.

Quote of the day

You can forgive, easy. You can be forgiven, easy. But does it mean anything to you? Do you still have a strong relationship with the person you forgave or the person who forgave you? Accidents and incidents that cause the need for forgiveness can often tear people apart. One person can forgive and that's easy, but to have both people forgive each other no matter what each one did, and then the people are reunited and happy again, that's something more difficult. It only takes one to forgive-- but to be truly reunited again takes forgiveness and acceptance from both parties.

Daily Quote

"If I am what I have and if I lose what I have who then am I?"

-Erich Fromm

If you were what you have, what would life be like for you? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? But what if you were what you have, but you lost everything? Who would you be then? Nobody. And there is no such thing as someone who is nobody. So you really aren't what you own. You're more than that! You can be what you want to be, and you don't have to limit yourself to what you own. If you have everything in the world, you don't have to live up to a rich snobby person stereotype. In fact, many wealthier people are kind and wonderful people who happen to be very fortunate. And on the other hand, if you have nothing, you don't have to be a scrooge. Be who you want to be! Be kind, be bold, be brave, be courageous, be passionate, be strong, be giving. Stereotypes are simply painted paper mâché cages-- they look and feel like they might be able to contain you, but they are made of breakable paper that you can easily break out of and escape. So break out of your material cage and set yourself free.

Daily Quote

The path won't always be paved. If it's not, which it won't be more often then you might want, don't stress. Actually, when there's no path, you will be more creative in your making of a path. So make a new one! If you really believe, almost nothing is impossible. Except for things that truly are impossible with our current technology, such as having super powers such as flying or shooting lasers out of your eyes or something of the sorts. Anyway, if you are trying to do something and you don't see a path paved and ready for you to walk it, make a new one! Make a path that others can follow, as well. Start something new and go the direction that hasn't been gone before. There's always a way-- whether you make it or you find it.

Quote of the day

"The starting point of all achievement is desire."

-Napoleon Hill

You've got to really want it to make it happen. If something isn't going quite the way you want it to and you are trying really hard, you likely aren't going to improve that much without actually wanting to. So if you want something, go get it. And if you want to achieve something, desire to achieve it. I can relate to this quote because there have been plenty of times where I wasn't doing something as well as I wanted to, and I really wanted to do it better. I really wanted to do it amazingly to make myself feel good about myself. So I desired it. I worked hard and desired it at the same time, and sure enough, I preformed just the way I wanted. This happened again just today. I was swimming, and I really really wanted to do my next lap about 20 seconds faster then I usually do. And for swimming, 20 seconds is quite a bit of time! So I set out for it. I didn't make my goal the first few times. But then, the last time I was going to attempt it, I desired it really hard. Since it was my last one, I had to prove myself! So I did. I swam that lap 21 seconds faster than my normal speed. So not only did I reach my goal, but I exceeded it. Desire is a strong force. But if you want your achievement to happen, you have to put in a mix of desire and hard work. With those two elements, almost anything is possible.

Quote of the day

Live your life with a purpose. Don't ever waste a single day, for there aren't too many of them. Think-- do you remember last Halloween? Does the year seem like it went by really fast? I always have felt this way. When a holiday is coming up, I feel like it was just a short time ago that it last happened. The days are few and short, so make the most of them. Don't ever waste one. Live each day of your life to the fullest, getting the most out of it that you possibly can.

Daily Quote

"If you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong; if you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green - God make no rules about color; only society make rules where my people suffer, and that why we must have redemption and redemption now."

-Bob Marley

Our skin color shouldn't have anything to do with who people think we are. We are all the same inside-- take off someone's skin and what it looks like underneath is very similar to what it looks like under your own skin. God made us all equally, but society decided that one group would be "better" than the other. Which isn't true. We are all equals, so hopefully you are being treated as an equal. If you're white and wrong, you are wrong. Accept it. If you are black and wrong about something, you are wrong. Accept it. There's no rule that says that one group is correct while another isn't, just because of skin color! So hopefully you are being treated fairly no matter who you are or what you look like.

Daily Quote

Thinking is hard work. It takes a starting place and a bit of time, and it takes a whole lot of brain power. Thinking, even if you know what the information is, can be difficult. Sometimes, when you're trying to think, you just completely blank. Sometimes, especially when you're under pressure, thinking just isn't going to happen. So don't worry if you blank every once in a while or if you just can't think of something sometimes. That happens sometimes and that's ok. Of course, thinking is an amazing thing, so when you get the chance, go ahead and think. It's hard work but often times the result of thinking is wonderful.

Quote of the day

"The longer one is alone, the easier it is to hear the song of the earth."

-Robert Anton Wilson

In the busy rush of daily life, how often do you think you stop to appreciate nature? As much as you and I both would like to say that we appreciate it often, we don't. We as humans are frequently too absorbed in what we're doing, how we're doing, what we look like, what we're wearing, how much we have, what we don't have, what to say, how to get things done, getting things done in general, getting from point A to point B, etc. We're way too absorbed in what we call our daily lives, so we don't stop to see nature as often as we should or wish we could. It's really quite sad. I find myself walking through it all the time. I walk under it, next to it, and even over it. And not frequently at all do I stop and actually admire its beauty. I wish I would more often. And I will try to more often. I suggest you do too-- nature is truly beautiful! But it's hard to appreciate it with all of those lifestyle stresses. All of the people hustling around makes it difficult, too. So find somewhere quiet. Be alone for once. The longer you're alone, the more you adjust to the peace and quiet, the more you notice about the beauty of the earth. Besides, a little bit of serenity every now and again is nice.

Quote of the day

Happiness is like a candle. From one you can light many. Buddah once said a quote similar to this, it was one of the first quotes I posted on this blog, and now I've found this one. Anne Frank touches on this point again: happy people tend to make others happy too. That's just the way it works. Happiness is contagious. So don't forget to spread your happiness whenever you're happy! It's a chain reaction. When you are happy, you make others happy, and then when others are happy, they make more people happy, and soon everyone is happy. So go out and spread the cheer!

Daily Quote

“We will chase perfection and somewhere along the way we will achieve excellence.”

- Vince Lombardi

We can always chase perfection. It's something we all do. We chase it thinking that we will catch it one day, but the truth is, you will never catch it. Just like chasing a rainbow. There's no pot of gold at the end because there really isn't an end. You can chase it all you want and you won't get to the end of it. But while you chase it, you will get better and better and better until you achieve excellence. You won't be perfect, because only God is perfect, but you can achieve excellence as long as you just keep chasing. So basically, you can chase, but you will never get to the end. That doesn't mean don't chase, because when you do chase, you will achieve excellence along the way. So chase your dreams, and you never know what might come out of them!

Daily Quote

"The love that lasts longest is the love that is never returned."

-W. Somerset Maugham

Sometimes, not receiving appreciation is better than receiving appreciation. When you do something good, its nice for people to notice. It makes you feel good about yourself. But there are some acts of love that are so strong that they should be quieter. Love that lasts you the longest is the love that people don't bother to return to you, especially if they either don't know it was you or just don't think that it was you. I know this might sound crazy, but the subtle everyday acts that nobody notices are special for you to be doing are the most special ones. Like doing someone's small household chore for them, without them even noticing. Or perhaps helping someone out with something without them asking you to (if they're the type of person that would let you do that). There are so many small acts that might seem everyday to the people you're doing them for, so the first thought that comes to their minds likely won't be that you just did something super nice for them and they need to thank you immediately. But you know you did it and you feel the love just from making someone else feel loved... Whether they know it or not. This type of love lasts a whole lot longer than the type that people notice and swoon over until you start to regret even doing it. Actually that's not true. You will just wish that they would stop. A little bit of praise is always good, but excess becomes uncomfortable. But seriously, the love that makes you feel love for the longest are the things where the love isn't necessarily returned.

Quote of the day

"It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure."

-Bill Gates

Celebrating success is good. It's healthy to reward yourself, even slightly, for something you've done well. But it is even more important to look at what you have done wrong and learn from it. The most valuable lessons are learned from whatever you didn't do the first time. If you fail at something, you can learn from what you did wrong so that you can get it right the next time. That's the beauty of failure. It might hurt to fail, but if you learn from your failure, in the long run, your failure won't be as awful. So go ahead and celebrate your success. But when you fail at something, and it will happen because nobody's perfect, learn from your mistakes and your mistakes will help you in the future.

Story of the day

                             One afternoon, a wealthy man was waiting for the train in a railway station in south India. A poor boy in torn clothes approached him and begged for some money. He said he was very hungry and did not get anything to eat on that day. Seeing his pitiable state, the man bought a packet of lunch from a stall and gave it to the boy. The boy thanked him and sat on a seat. He opened the packet and started to eat in a hurry. The man was sure that the boy was really hungry and turned to the pages of a book he was reading.

                            Suddenly he noticed that the boy had abruptly stopped eating and was packing the rest of the meal in a hurry. The man assumed that the boy was preparing to throw away the rest of the meal into the waste bin. He rose from his seat and angrily asked the boy why he was not eating the full meal. The boy was in tears. He told the man that he just remembered his younger sister who had nothing to eat on that day. In his exhaustion, he had started the meal forgetting her fate and was sorry for that. He ran with the packet to his home to share his meal with his hungry sister.

                             Mother Teresa once said about her unforgettable experience in a poor family in Calcutta. One day she learned that a poor Hindu family with several children was starving for several days. She rushed to the family, carrying in her hands a bag of rice for the family. The mother of the family thankfully received the bag of rice. The starving woman then divided the rice in the bag into two halves and went out with one half of the rice.

                            When she returned, Mother Teresa asked her where she had gone. The woman replied that she went to give a share of the rice to a neighbouring Muslim family which was in a similar state of poverty and starvation. Mother Teresa was touched by the love and compassion of the poor lady which made her share her meagre assets with her starving neighbours. She was happy to see them enjoy the joy of sharing.



Story from Moral Stories
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