®   Volume 22, # 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February, 2007

©

Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!

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An Educated Man . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich, p. 83

    "The real meaning of the word ‘educate’…is derived from the Latin word ‘educo,’ meaning educe, to draw out, to develop from within.

    An educated man is not necessarily one who has an abundance of general or specialized knowledge. An educated man is one who has so developed the faculties of man’s mind that he may acquire anything he wants, or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others.

    Any man is educated who knows where to get knowledge when he needs it, and how to organize that knowledge into definite plans of action."

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A World to Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christophers News Notes, 3/79

"Making a difference depends on us. It involves a conscious decision to do something positive and constructive with our lives. And that decision requires a knowledge of self.     To arrive at that knowledge we have to ask such questions as: What are my abilities? What are my interests? What are my basic beliefs? Who, really, am I? Why am I here?

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National Morality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Washington

    "Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

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Just Cause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abraham Lincoln

    "The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."

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Every Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johann Wolfgang Goethe

    "One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words."

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Wiser Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daily Word, April 1992

    "I am wiser today than I was yesterday. I have grown in understanding and good judgment. Past events take their place in the flowing stream of life. I direct my attention to today and to living today to the best of my ability."

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Three Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward

"Three gifts we each can give today:
a cheerful smile,
an encouraging word, and
a helping hand."

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Ground of Authenticity . . . . . . . . . . . John Carmody, The Progressive Pilgrim

"Beyond knowing there is doing, and doing spotlights moral conversion. Moral conversion is turning from advantage to goodness. It is coming to choose and act reasonably rather than pragmatically. The basic thrust of moral conversion is to transcend selfishness.     …The ground of authenticity, in other words, is transcendence towards honesty and love without restriction. And, that is what religious conversion entails. It is a surrender to Mystery, to honesty and love’s More."

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Wise Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown

"Wise men are not always silent,
but know when to be."

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Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . Ernest Kurtz, The Spirituality of Imperfection, p. 31

    "Spirituality involves, first, an awareness—‘if you are aware of your surroundings’—that comes not through the eyes, the ears, the hands, or any specific sense but through a larger openness, a general opening up to life’s experiences. And that awareness implies a sensitivity to others: We first discover that spirituality is there, in the world, because we notice its effects not in ourselves but on others."

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Lincoln on Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Donald T. Phillips, p. 6

"The life of Abraham Lincoln, especially his presidency, demonstrated that he possessed all of the great leadership qualities. Some of his inherent abilities were natural; others were consciously developed over the course of his life. Qualities such as honesty and integrity, empathy for the common man, and devotion to the rights of individuals were products of his upbringing.…     He learned to express himself and demonstrate to others his beliefs and thoughts. Most importantly, he refined his ability to persuade, direct, and motivate people. In running for public office Lincoln became an excellent orator and speech writer. In fact, he so dramatically increased his ability to speak and write that he is today regarded as a model for poetic and artistic expression.     Lincoln combined an extraordinary wit with a gift for storytelling to become an effective communicator."

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Disciplines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Rohn

    "All disciplines affect each other. Mistakenly the man says, ‘This is the only area where I let down.’ Not true. Every let down affects the rest. Not to think so is naive."

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God Save Us… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Marshall

    "God save us from hotheads who would lead us foolishly, and from cold feet that would keep us from adventuring at all."

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The Boy & the Orange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown

    During the darkest hours of the Civil War a tall, thin man with very long legs and a frowning wrinkled face walked along a Washington street. His eyes were fixed on the pavement; his lips were moving and he looked crossed.

    There was a ragged young urchin standing barefoot on the curb, his dirty hands clutched behind him, his lips twisting and his big eyes fixed on a pile of oranges in a vendor’s cart. The vendor’s back was turned while he made change for a customer. The tall man passed the boy, stopped suddenly, plunged his hand in his pocket and bought a large orange. He gave it to the boy and went on.

    The boy was grinning and had already sunk his teeth into the orange, when a passerby asked him if he knew who gave him the orange. The boy shook his head. "That was President Lincoln," he was informed. "Now, hurry and go thank him."

    The boy ran, caught the tails of Lincoln’s long black coat, and as the stern face turned sharply toward him, the boy shouted, "Thank you, Mr. President!’

    Suddenly that frowned face beamed into a beautiful smile. "You’re welcome, boy. You wanted to steal that orange while the man’s back was turned, didn’t you? But you wouldn’t because it wasn’t honest. That’s the right way. I wish some men and women I know were more like you."

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It Couldn’t Be Done . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edgar Guest

"Somebody said that it couldn’t be done, But, he with a chuckle replied That ‘maybe it couldn’t,’ but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it. Somebody scoffed: ‘Oh, you’ll never do that; At least no one has done it;’ But he took off his coat and he took off his hat, And the first thing we knew he’d begun it. With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin, Without any doubting or quiddit, He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it. There are thousands to prophesy failure There are thousands to point out to you one by one, The dangers that wait to assail you. But just buckle it in with a bit of a grin, Just take off your coat and go to it; Just start to sing as you tackle the thing That ‘couldn’t be done’, and you’ll do it."

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