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Volume 30, # 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . September 2014 |
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![inspiration, motivation, Apple Seeds, [Apple]](AppleSeeds-1c.jpg)
![inspiration, motivation, Apple Seeds, [Apple]](AppleSeeds-2c.jpg)
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Apple Seeds® begins its thirtieth year of sowing "seeds" of inspiration and motivation. The intent of this publication is to provide quotations and short stories from eclectic sources that promote positive attitudes and personal development of holistic human potential – from tiny seeds to ripened fruit. Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!
On Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Roger Rowe, Rancho Santa Fe School, CA
"Education is to be aware of the uniqueness of each individual and to treat that uniqueness with loving concern. To provide each student with the opportunities appropriate to his or her abilities and interests. To encourage each to develop an ‘I Will, I Can’ attitude. To help kids go a step above and beyond what they themselves, or others, might expect of them."
Individual Commitment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coach Vince Lombardi
"Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
Think! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, TOR
"It has taken far too long to figure out that in life dumb just will happen, but stupid always is a choice, a decision, and stupid has consequences. Our goal in life is to keep dumb and stupid far apart. Remember, stupid always is a choice, and it usually has stupid consequences. Think!"
Fibre of Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James Buckham
"Trials, temptations, disappointments – all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fibre of a character, but strengthen it. Every conquered temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before."
Reform Ourselves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Peter of Alcantara
"Truly, matters in the world are in a bad state; but if you and I begin to reform ourselves, a really good beginning will have been made."
My Lord God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude
"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone."
Happiest People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winfield C. Dunn
"The happiest people I know are those who have learned to live beyond their own special interests by discovering the rewards that come from giving of themselves."
Choices We Make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eleanor Roosevelt
"One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility."
On Adversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward
"Adversity causes some men to break;
others to break records."
Pursuit of Victory . . . . . . . . Vince Lombardi, Jr., What It Takes to Be #1, Vince Lombardi on Leadership
"Vince Lombardi…expressed the opinion forcefully and unapologetically, that the pursuit of victory – fairly and squarely, and within the rules – was life’s great challenge. Not victory for its own sake, but victory as a test – a test of how far you could push yourself to your limits and beyond, a test of your ability to overcome your doubts and weaknesses, and a test of how much of your God-given talent and ability you were willing to expend in the pursuit of success and victory."
To Succeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crossroads #2
"If you want to succeed, you have to work at it. If you don’t succeed, you can’t necessarily blame it on lack of talent. One thing that could keep you from becoming a success might be laziness."
Opening the Mind . . . . . . . . . . . Donald De Marco,
The Many Faces of Virtue, p. 21"In criticizing the notion of the ever-open and never-closed mind, as espoused by H.G. Wells, G.K. Chesterton stated: ‘I think he thought that the object of opening the mind is simply opening the mind. Whereas I am incurably convinced that the object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.’"
Key to a Better Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Josephson,
CharacterCounts
"The key to a better life:
• Complain less, appreciate more.
• Whine less, laugh more.
• Talk less, listen more.
• Want less, give more.
• Hate less, love more.
• Scold less, praise more.
• Fear less, hope more."
Defines Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sourcebook of Wit & Wisdom, p. 34
"Potter Stewart, former Supreme Court Justice defined ethics as, ‘Knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is the right thing to do.’"
Lived as a Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ronald Reagan
"The house we hope to build is not for my generation but for yours. It is your future that matters. And I hope that when you are my age, you will be able to say as I have been able to say: we lived in freedom. We lived lives as a statement, not an apology."
Chronicles of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Rohn
It is said that in God’s Chronicles of Life there are two chapters. The first contains the Book of Examples; the second is the Book of Warnings.
At the end of each person’s days their life’s story will be written down in only one Book. Will if be written as an example for others, or as a warning to guard against.
Doing What You Believe In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Earl Nightingale
Renoir was laughed at and rejected not only by the public but by his fellow artists. Today we look at a painting by Renoir and marvel that anything so fine and beautiful could ever be an object of scorn.…When he brought one of his canvasses to one of the eminent Parisian teachers, the expert glanced at the work and said, "You are, I presume, dabbling in paint to amuse yourself." And Renoir replied, "Of course, when it ceases to amuse me, I’ll stop painting." Everything he painted delighted him and he painted everything.
Even Manet said to Monet, "Renoir has no talent at all. You, who are his friend, should tell him kindly to give up painting."
A group of artists who were rejected by the establishment of their time formed their own association in self-defense. Do you know who were in that group? They were Degas, Pissarro, Monet, Cezanne and Renoir. Five of the greatest artists of all time, all doing what they believed in, in the face of total rejection.
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