"97 Wise Thoughts About Us"

"I've decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
--- Martin Luther King, Jr. --- Submitted by Sonja Rideout --- California

"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."
--- Carl Jung --- Submitted by Jessica A. --- California

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life, but there was always some obstacle in the way; something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Nick Basalay --- Illinois

"Never underestimate the power to change yourself, and never overestimate your power to change others."
--- H. Jackson Browne, Jr. --- Submitted by Kristin G. --- New York

"Man you either alive and proud or you are dead."
--- Steve Bantu Biko --- Submitted by DT Ramosepele --- South Africa

"The ultimate secret of life is the sure knowledge of death, for without it, man would not strive to leave his mark upon the earth."
--- 1984 movie "Somewhere, Tomorrow" --- Submitted by Julie Melgares --- Idaho
--- Source information provided by Becky S. --- Texas

"Sometimes you spend a long time looking for the love of your life and you end up getting frustrated. It's only when you slow down, relax, and take things as they come do you realize they've been in front of you this whole time."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by C.N. --- Iowa

"Great men share ideas and react silently."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Atal Talukder --- Bangladesh

"The things now in life will mean more later in life."
--- Copyright © 2001 Courtney Gardener

"We think, therefore we are."
--- Plato --- Submitted by Betty Steverson --- Georgia

"Life's tough....get a helmet!"
--- Eric Matthews of Boy Meets World
--- Submitted by Mindi S., Age 13 --- Colorado
--- Submitted by James S., Age 18 --- Texas

"The universe is wider than our views of it."
--- Henry David Thoreau --- Submitted by Keith LaRose --- Massachusetts

"Love doesn't end in zeros."
--- Copyright © 2001 Lauren Bazan

"Our greatest illusion is reliance upon the security and permanence of material possessions. We must search for some other coin."
--- John Cudahy --- Submitted by Sharon Ogden --- Kentucky

"The title an employer gave you is not all that you have. Often times you are someone's mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, counselor, nurse, and/or friend. In all things you do, remember how important you are to so many others, and remember to embrace that at all times."
--- Copyright © 2000 Symone Walker

"If you think life is greener on the other side, take another look at your yard before crossing over."
--- N. Simasek --- Virginia

"If we don't change our direction, we're likely to end up where we are going."
--- Chinese Proverb --- Submitted by Amy M. --- Indiana

"If you are going to play follow the leader, be sure the leader is taking you where you want to go."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by C.P. --- Montana

"Most strident are the uncertain
The evil lie is the word not spoke
Sweep well your own house first
To wait is often the bolder action
Be not with fools nor they with you"
--- Johannes Van Dar Lippen (1637-1686)
--- Submitted by B. Yates --- Arkansas

"I once asked myself what is the purpose of work? It later dawned on me that I should be asking what is the work of my purpose?"
--- Copyright © 2001 Brad McKay

"Failure is something that happens. Why focus on our failures when we could focus on our success?"
--- Copyright © 2001 Grant McCoy

"The blade that severs life's failing ties must be sharp and used often."
--- Copyright © 2001 William Savage

"My dream is to have a child who will ask me,'Mommy, what was war?'"
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Megan-Kate V., Age 13 --- New Jersey

"True love is when you have to watch a friend leave, with the knowledge that you might never see him again but you know he'll be in your mind and heart forever."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Laura S. --- Ohio

PEACE OF MIND

Carry me out the ocean, where my drifting thoughts flow free.
Guide them to a far distant land, that only the mind can see.
There I shall paint a great portrait, of what this world should be.
A place without senseless wars, and human poverty.
--- Copyright © 2000 Robert M. Hensel

"Speak out and be heard or be silent and be forgotten."
--- Copyright © 2001 Kirk Solomon

"So many of us define ourselves by what we have, what we wear, what kind of house we live in and what kind of car we drive. If you think of yourself as the woman in the Cartier watch and the Hermes scarf, a house fire will destroy not only your possessions but your self."
--- Linda Henley --- Submitted by Wanda L. --- Texas

"We don't have an eternity to realize our dreams, only the time we are here."
--- Susan Taylor --- Submitted by Jennifer Yontz --- Florida

"A good insight of a blind man is worth more than a million foolish sighted men."
--- Copyright © 2000 Kenneth Aidelojie

"Intensity is the true window to the soul, thus allowing the eye to see more clearly."
--- Copyright © 2000 R. White

"The moment I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They are in each other all along."
--- Rumi --- Submitted by Jasmine Patel --- Washington

"If you don't have anything good to say about someone then you don't know them well enough to say anything bad."
--- Copyright © 1999 David Dayton

"How people see you first is what they hold hardest in their minds. It is the way of the world. You can step down from a throne, and even if you behave like a farmer in a pig sty, some part in each of them will remember that you did descend from a throne. But if they see only a young man first, a country man, they will resent him stepping up to his throne later, whatever his right, whatever his power."
--- Robert Jordan --- Submitted by Meredith D. --- Canada

"The best way to convince somebody is to set a good example. Setting a good example is not the main means of convincing, it is the only means."
--- Sir Isaac Newton --- Submitted by Phumezo Kwinana --- South Africa

"If you are a winner in the game of life, you are a winner in the most important game of all."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Trevor Murphy --- Canada

"Do not forget hospitality; for through it some, unbeknown to themselves, have entertained angels."
--- The Bible --- Submitted by A. Potschka --- Australia

"I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out the very marrow of life, to put to root all that is not life and not, when I had come to die, find out that I had not lived."
--- Henry David Thoreau --- Submitted by A. Potschka --- Australia
--- Author's name provided by Amanda C. --- Oklahoma
--- Author's name provided by Jacquelyn Barnard

"Of all the great things people have ever made or created, of all things ever found out in our technology, life itself STILL amazes me!"
--- Copyright © 2001 Lisa Anderson

Life begins with a breath
Existence only goes as far as we take it
Hate lives within us
Love grows around us
Our spirit changes as we learn
Time changes when we lose
Memories are what we thrive on.
--- Copyright © 2001 Carla Murphy

"When I was young I could not see, but now I cannot close my eyes."
--- Dorcas Wong --- Submitted by S.C. --- California

SMILE FOR YOU

Smiling is infection;
You catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner
And someone saw my grin,
When he smiled I realized
I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile
Then I realized its worth,
A single smile, just like mine
Could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,
Don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick,
And get the world infected.
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Amy Forbes --- Ohio

"Reflection; everything you say and do is a reflection of the inner you."
--- Copyright © 1994 Mike Feld

"Love does not mean putting up with one's mistake, but accepting that mistake and learning from it in order for love to grow."
--- Copyright © 2001 Han Hernan

"Art, if not nurtured within you, will surely fall by the way of dysfunctional regret."
--- Copyright © 2001 John F. Balestriere

"And it's so hard to do, and so easy to say, but sometimes, sometimes, you just have to walk away."
--- Ben Harper --- Submitted by Andrea Brown --- Michigan

"It's never too late to start living a boring life."
--- Copyright © 2001 Daniel Spendrup

"The real cost of Discipleship is living with the other Disciples."
--- Copyright © 1976 S.T. Pellant

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Erin Valentour --- Illinois

"Guilt is humanity's moral compass."
--- Copyright © 1999 Dawn Abbott

"Don't worry about today ending, it is already tomorrow in Australia."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Laura Keenan --- New Jersey

"Assumption is the mother of all screwups!"
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Chris Bishop --- Kentucky

"The challenge with raising children is that they don't come with owners manuals and the parts keep changing."
--- W.H. Mertz III --- Submitted by Kirk Scherz --- Washington

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer them."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by I.K. --- Alabama

"In the present day of so much struggle, the heart hungers the simplicity of genuine love."
--- Copyright © 2001 Linda Brewer

"Parents are just big kids trying to act like adults so that little kids don't get scared."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Alex Maraboli --- New York

"Humankind's salvation lies in the anguish of tears."
--- Copyright © 1999 Robert Cuda

"Did you recognize that 'IF' is the middle word in 'LIFE'??"
--- Dennis Hopper --- Submitted by Dennis Cushing --- Ohio
Dennis Hopper speaking to Martin Sheen in the Movie 'Apocalypse Now'

"The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour."
--- Japanese Proverb --- Submitted by Sharon Baldwin

"A man said to the universe: 'Sir, I exist!' 'However,' replied the universe, 'The fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.'"
--- Stephen Crane,1899 --- Submitted by Micki Baer --- Alabama

"We don't stop exercising because we get old. We get old because we stop exercising."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Mike Gough --- United Kingdom

"Make the choice, adventurous stranger. Strike the bell and bide the danger or wonder 'till it drives you mad what would have happened if you had."
--- C.S. Lewis --- Submitted by Traece Peters --- Louisiana

"Those who do not take time to learn their past are due to repeat it."
--- Copyright © 1999 Jaymes Redus

"A good deed confessed is no good deed at all."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Tanuj Nanda --- India

"Perfection - I've heard several friends tell me 'If I would stop making so many mistakes I would be perfect.' Remember there was only one perfect person that walked this earth and he was nailed to a tree, so give yourself some slack and enjoy life."
--- Copyright © 2001 Jeremy Jones

If you don't think and act you are stupid,
If you think and act you are intelligent,
If you think twice and act you are mature and intelligent,
If you think thrice then you are not going to act.
--- Copyright © 2001 K.K. Padmanabhan

"Where and who we are today is the product of the choices we made yesterday."
--- Copyright © 2001 Riva Capistrano

"Thought is a feeling in the mind. Love is a feeling in the heart. When the mind feels for the heart, love is just a thought. Some people go a lifetime and never love with the proper tool."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Tom Luce --- New York

"Insanity is doing the same things the same way, and expecting different results."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Paul Davidson --- Canada

"When we were young and naive, love meant never having to say you were sorry. But when we get older and wiser, love means wanting to say you are sorry and saying it."
--- Sim York Soo --- Submitted by John Lee --- Singapore

"A bird in the hand is worth six in the bush."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Tracee Taylor --- Alabama

"Inch by inch is a cinch; yard by yard is way too hard."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Jeff Robison --- Utah

"Do not complain about growing old; some people never get the chance."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Laura F. --- Australia

Lessons Learned

Don't judge me for what you can't see
For things aren't always as they seem
You don't have to be a supermodel to be beautiful
You don't have to have money to be rich
For things aren't always as they seem

Life goes on and we grow up
Forget our childish ways and listen up
People aren't always as we imagine them to be
And our best friend can be our worst enemy

We learn that love and lust are not the same thing
And that the easiest way out isn't always the best
But most importantly we learn not to judge a book by it's cover
And that things aren't always as they seem
--- Copyright © 2000 Allison Hoppe

"Life is like a cactus; thorny but beautiful."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Namita Bhattacharjee --- Delhi, India

"One must learn to distinguish between their needs and their wants. One can make a commitment to change their wants but one cannot expect to change their needs. A need is something one cannot do without; friendship, love, acceptance. A want is something that one can do without, love of one particular person or group of people, friendship of one particular person or group of people, acceptance of one particular person or group of people."
--- Copyright © 2000 David Cantera

"Smartness is power but willpower is greater."
--- Tia Rainey --- Submitted by Nicole Fuller --- North Carolina

"In this great future, never forget your past. It's the only thing that you cannot change."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Dan Molloy --- New York

"Sometimes I would rather that people take away years from my life than take away a moment."
--- Pearle Bailey --- Submitted by Chen Fawn Meng --- Malaysia

"I dread the day I make my last mistake because I know that will be my last day."
--- Elvis Roberts --- Submitted by Ed Roberts --- Texas

"To go through life as a dreamer, whose reality satisfies their dreams, this is utter bliss. To dream away, without fulfilling the imagined quest, this is pure torture."
--- Copyright © 2001 Christine Lloyd

"Don't cry because you didn't succeed. The only reason you should cry is when you are all out of chances."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by R.C. --- Wisconsin

"Good is not good enough when your best is expected."
--- Michael Hughes, USMC --- Submitted by Randy Hughes --- Alabama

"Even though you are genius, life is a mystery."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Hari Kiran T. --- India

"The best everlasting thing in life is love. Please share some today, because tomorrow is not promised."
--- Karla --- Submitted by Sonja Rideout --- California

"The loving are the daring."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Tara P.

"Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it."
--- Confucius --- Submitted by Ali Lafcioglu --- Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

"Young love is a gift from the earth. Old love is a gift from heaven."
--- Turkish Quote --- Submitted by Karen Beckett --- Minnesota

"Advice is least heeded when most needed."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Jennifer Gokmen --- Turkey

"All that is in the heart is written on the face."
--- Author Unknown --- Submitted by Jennifer Yontz --- Florida

"Pressure? It's only a game. This is not pressure. When you have your kids screaming for food, when you have no money ... that is pressure."
--- Kleivert (Dutch Soccer player) --- Submitted by Richard C. --- NSW, Australia

"97 Wise Thoughts About Us"

Thoughts Of The Day - 2001

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