Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. --Neil Postman
The Life We Have Planned
“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” --E.M. Forster
Great Man
“A man is great by deeds, not by birth.” --Chanakya
Becoming and Being
“Always place your becoming above your current being.” ― Jordan B. Peterson
Build Me a Son
“Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
“Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee - and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
“Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.
“Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
“And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the weakness of true strength.
“Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, ‘I have not lived in vain.’” —General Douglas MacArthur, a prayer for his son
5 Behaviors Guaranteed to Increase Happiness: #3 of 5
“View yourself as actively capable of making changes in your life, rather than as a passive, helpless victim. Make use of your own agency. Take responsibility for being the architect of much of your own misery, and choose to build success instead.” —Dr. Stephen Marmer; December 9, 2022; The Dennis Prager Show
May You Live
May you live all the days of your life. -- Jonathan Swift
Small Dreams
Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of men. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
A Chance
“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.” —Albert Camus
It Seems Like a Lot of Work
“It seems like a lot of work. And it’s worth it.” — D., Anonymous Client
Nobility and Superiority
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self. —Ernest Hemingway
If I Am
“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?” —Rabbi Hillel
Predict the Future
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” —Peter Drucker