The Best Things in Life Are Free by John Kremer

The Best Things in Life Are Free

John Kremer and Friends I often quot e mys elf. It adds spice to my conv er s a tio n. — Georg e Bernar d Shaw, playwrigh t

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A For in God we live, and mov e, and hav e our being. — Acts 17:28 No act of kindn e s s , no ma t t e r how small, is ever wast e d . — Aesop

Childre n are the rew ar d of life. Where ther e are no children, ther e is no wealth. — African prov er b When you pray, mov e your feet. — African prover b The gre a t e s t achiev e m e n t was at first and for a time a dre a m . The oak slee p s in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the high e s t vision of the soul, a waking ang el stirs. — Jame s Allen, auth or,

As a Man Think e t h In all the s e things I beh eld naug h t sav e the divine pow er, in a ma n n e r ass ur e dly indes crib a bl e; so that throu g h exce s s of marv eling the soul cried with a loud voice, saying, “This whole world is full of God!” — Bless e d Angela of Foligno A bird does n’t sing bec a u s e it has an answ e r, it sings bec a u s e it has a song. — Maya Angelou, poet Can you walk on wat er? You hav e don e no bett e r tha n a straw. Can you fly in the air? You hav e don e no bett e r tha n a blueb o t tl e. Conqu e r your hear t; the n you may beco m e som e b o d y. — Ansari of Herat, her mit

Art is our chief me a n s of bre aking bre a d with the dea d. — W. H. Auden, poet

Here is the test to find whet h e r your mission on eart h is finishe d. If you'r e alive, it isn't. — Richard Bach, auth or You are nev er given a dre a m withou t also being given the pow er to mak e it true. — Richard Bach, aut h or The reas o n birds can fly and we canno t is simply that they hav e perfec t faith, for to hav e faith is to

hav e wings. — Jame s Matth e w Barrie, childre n ' s aut h or

Som e ti m e s when I consid e r what tre m e n d o u s cons e q u e n c e s com e from little things, I am te m p t e d to think ther e are no little things. — Bruce Barton, adv er tising exec u tiv e When the first baby laugh e d for the first time, the laugh broke into a thous a n d piece s and they went skipping abou t and that was the beginnin g of fairies. — Jame s Matth e w Barrie, playwrigh t, Peter Pan If it is your time, love will track you down like a cruis e missile. — Lynda Barry, hu moris t A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedie n c e , loyalty, and the import a n c e of turning aroun d thre e

time s befor e lying down. — Robert Benchle y, hu moris t Anyon e who does n ' t believ e in miracles is not a realist. — David Ben- Gurion, Israeli lead e r Life beg e t s life. Energy beco m e s en er g y. It is by spe n din g ones elf that one beco m e s rich. — Sara h Bernh a r d t, actr e s s How do you know but every bird that cuts the airy way, is an imm e n s e world of delight, close d by your sens e s five? — William Blake, poet and artist

If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they’d imme di a t el y go out. — William Blake, poet and artist If the doors of perc e p tio n were clean s e d everyt hin g would app e a r to ma n as it is, infinite. — William Blake, poet and artist To see a world in a grain of sand And he av e n in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palm of your han d, And eter nity in an hour. — William Blake, poet and artist To cre a t e a little flower is the labor of age s . — William Blake, poet and artist

When you reac h the end of all the light ther e is and you mus t step out into the darkn e s s , rem e m b e r

that two things ma y happ e n : You eith e r will find som e t hin g to stan d on or you will be taug h t how to fly. — Book of Edges Kindne s s is a langu a g e the du mb can spe a k, and the de af can hear and und er s t a n d . — Christia n Bovee Beyond any reas o n a bl e doubt, we each shar e the ancie n t na m e of God in our bodies in the mos t intima t e way imagin a bl e. Each fiber of mus cle, each cryst al of bone, the tear s that we shed—all are God. — Gregg Brad e n, spiritu al philosop h e r I believ e you are your work. Don't trad e the stuff of your life, time, for nothing mor e tha n dollars. That' s a rott e n barg ain. — Rita Mae Brown, playwright and feminist When facing a difficult task, act as thoug h it is impos sible to fail. If you'r e going after Moby Dick, take along the tart a r sauc e. — H. Jackson Brown, Jr., auth or To the mind that is still, the whole univers e surre n d e r s . — Gaut a m a Buddh a, religious lead e r

Make no little plans; they hav e no ma gic to stir me n' s blood. Make big plans, aim high in hop e and work, rem e m b e r i n g that a noble logical diagr a m once record e d will nev er die, but long after we are gon e will be a living thing. — Daniel H. Burnh a m , archit ec t

C Risk mor e tha n oth er s think is safe. Care mor e tha n other s think is wise. Drea m mor e tha n oth er s think is practical. Expect mor e tha n other s think is possible. — cad e t maxi m, U.S. Military Acade m y, West Point

If your kne e s aren ' t gre e n by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re- exa mi n e your life. — Calvin of Calvin & Hobb e s comic strip I shall tell you a gre a t secr e t, my friend. Do not wait for the final judg m e n t . It take s plac e every

day. — Albert Camu s , exist e n ti alist Life is not me a s u r e d by the num b e r of bre a t h s we take, but by the mo m e n t s that take our bre a t h aw ay. — Georg e Carlin, com e di a n

If a child is to kee p alive his inborn sens e of wond e r, he ne e d s the comp a ni o n s hip of at leas t one adult who can shar e it, rediscov e rin g with him the joy, excite m e n t and mys t e r y of the world we live in. — Rach el Carson, environ m e n t a lis t At this very mo m e n t you are surrou n d e d by eter nity and can use its ener g y for your own sake. — Carlos Cast a n e d a , auth or and mys tic To seek freed o m is the only driving force I know. Freed o m to fly off into that infinity out ther e .

Freed o m to dissolve; to lift off; to be like the flame of a candle, which, in spite of being up agains t the light of a billions stars, rem ai n s intact, bec a u s e it nev er pret e n d e d to be mor e tha n what it is: a mer e candle. — Carlos Cast a n e d a , aut h or and mys tic We eith er mak e ours elv e s happ y or mis er a bl e . The amo u n t of work is the sa m e . — Carlos Cast a n e d a , aut h or and mys tic

The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly obs erv e d , will set off a revolution. — Paul Cezan n e , paint e r When you were born, you cried and the world rejoice d. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. — Cherok e e prov er b A char a c t e ris tic of the gre a t saints is their pow er of

levity. Angels can fly bec a u s e they can take the m s el v e s lightly. — G. K. Ches t e r t o n , ess a yis t and novelist We are part fire and part dre a m . We are the physical mirroring of the total univers e upon this eart h, our mot h e r. — Cheye n n e Fire Dog

A book is like a gard e n carried in the pocke t. — Chines e prover b A bit of fragr a n c e always clings to the hand that gives you rose s. — Chines e prover b True succ e s s is the exp erie n c e of the mirac ulou s . It is the unfolding of the divinity within us. It is the perc e p tio n of divinity wher e v e r we go, in what e v e r we perc eiv e—in the eye s of a child, in the be a u t y of a flower, in the flight of a bird. — Deep a k Chopr a, aut h or Any sufficiently adv a n c e d techn olo g y is indisting uis h a bl e from ma gic. — Arthur C. Clarke,

scienc e fiction auth or The only way to discov er the limits of the possible is to go beyo n d the m into the impos sible. — Arthur Clarke, scientis t and novelist

You mus t spe a k straigh t so that your words go as sunlight into our he art s . — Cochis e, Indian lead e r The world is too dan g e r o u s for anyt hin g but truth and too small for anyt hin g but love. — William Sloan e Coffin, minist e r There is a crack in everyt hin g. That' s how the light gets in. — Leonar d Cohen, sing er and songwrit e r The revolution mus t be born of Joy not of sacrifice. — Daniel Cohin- Brendt, social activist You mus t think abu n d a n c e , see abun d a n c e , feel abun d a n c e , believ e abu n d a n c e . Let no thoug h t of limitation ent er your mind. There is no lawful desire of yours for which, as far as the mind is conc er n e d ,

ther e is not abu n d a n t satisfac tion. — Robert Collier, aut h or, Acres of Diam o n d s An ideal is often but a flaming vision of reality. — Josep h Conra d, novelist Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; the n we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; the n I shall know fully, eve n as I am fully known. — I Corinthian s 12:12 And thou g h I hav e all faith, so that I could mov e mou n t ai n s , but hav e not love, I am nothing. — 1 Corinthians 13:2

All Things Are New !! If any ma n be in Christ, he is a new crea t u r e : old things are pas s e d aw ay; behold all things are beco m e new. — 2 Corinthian s 5:17 To touch the soul of anot h e r hum a n being is to walk on holy groun d. — Step h e n Covey, auth or

What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the bre a t h of a buffalo in the winter time. It is the little shad o w which runs acros s the gras s and loses itself in the Suns e t . — Crowfoot, Indian lead e r Listen; ther e ' s a hell of a good univers e next door: let's go. — e. e. cum mi n g s , poet

To be nobod y but yours elf, in a world which is doing its bes t to mak e you everyb o d y else, me a n s to fight the hard e s t battle which any hum a n being can fight, and nev er stop fighting. — e. e. cum mi n g s , poet I’d rath e r learn from one bird how to sing tha n to teac h ten thou s a n d stars how not to danc e. — e. e. cum mi n g s , poet

If a ma n throw s hims elf out of the fourth floor window, and you can’t mak e a sketch of him before he gets to the groun d, you will nev er do anyt hin g big. — Eugèn e Delacroix, paint er I hav e set befor e you life and dea t h , blessin g and cursing. Therefor e, choos e life. — Deut er o n o m y 30:19 Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, does n’t go aw ay. — Philip K. Dick, novelist

If I can stop one he art from bre aking, I shall not live in vain; If I can eas e one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nes t ag ain, I shall not live in vain. — Emily Dickinson, poet Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for truth. — Benja min Disra eli, British prime minist e r If you canno t find the truth right wher e you are, wher e else do you exp e c t to find it? — Dogen

It does n ' t inter e s t me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love for your dre a m for the adv e n t u r e of being alive. — Oriah Mount ain Drea m e r , aut h or, The Invitation

It does n ' t inter e s t me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ach e for and if you dare to dre a m of me e ti n g your hear t' s longing. — Oriah Mount ain Drea m e r , auth or, The Invitation

I want to know if you can be with joy mine or your own if you can danc e with wildnes s and let the ecst a s y fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes withou t cautionin g us to be careful be realistic rem e m b e r the limitation s of being hum a n . — Oriah Mount ain Drea m e r , aut h or, The Invitation

Everyt hin g you are agains t weak e n s you. Everyt hin g you are for emp ow e r s you. — Wayn e Dyer, psychologis t

May you build a ladd er to the stars, and climb on every ring, and ma y you stay forev er youn g. — Bob Dylan, singer and songwrit er He not busy being born is bus y dying. — Bob Dylan, singer and songwrit er

The mor e you notice the love, the miracles and the bea u t y aroun d you, the more love com e s into your life. — Betty Eadie, auth or We are bits of stellar ma t t e r that got cold by accide n t, bits of a star gon e wrong. — Arthur Eddingto n, physicist All throu g h the physical world runs that unknow n cont e n t which mus t surely be the stuff of our own conscious n e s s . — Arthur Eddingto n, physicist

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as thoug h nothing is a miracle. The oth er is as thou g h everyt hin g is a miracle. — Albert Einst ein, physicist Not everyt hin g that can be count e d , count s . And not everyt hin g that counts can be count e d . — Albert Einst ein, physicist The mos t bea u tiful and mos t profoun d emo tio n we can exp e ri e n c e is the sens a tio n of the mys tic al. It is the pow er of all true scienc e. — Albert Einst ein, physicist We shall not ceas e from explora tion. And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive wher e we start e d And know the plac e for the first time. — T. S. Eliot, poet, Little Gidding

Miracles: You do not hav e to look for the m. They are ther e , 24/7, be a mi n g like radio wave s all aroun d you. Put up the ant e n n a , turn up the volum e—s n a p ... crackle... this just in, every pers o n you talk to is a chanc e to chan g e the world. — Hugh Elliott, blogg e r, Stan din g Room Only The cre a tion of a thous a n d fores t s is in one acorn. — Ralph Waldo Emers o n , ess a yis t There is a gre a t public pow er on which he can draw, by unlocking, at all risks, his hum a n doors, and suffering the eth er e al tides to roll and circulat e throu g h him; then he is caug h t up into the life of the Univers e, his spe e c h is thun d e r , his thoug h t is law. — Ralph Waldo Emers o n , ess a yis t Only thos e who att e m p t the abs ur d will achiev e the impos sible. — M.C. Escher, artist

All that you are seekin g is also seekin g you. If you lie still, sit still, it will find you. It has bee n waiting for you a long time. — Clariss a Pinkola Estes,

myt h ologis t

Everyt hin g you put in your way is just a met h o d of puttin g off the hour when you could actu ally be doing your dre a m . You don' t nee d endle s s time and perfec t conditions. Do it now. Do it toda y. Do it for twent y minut e s and watch your hear t start bea tin g. — Sam Ewing, TV produc e r and writer

F Nothing is too wond e rful to be true. — Michael Farad a y, scientis t

I believ e ma n will not mer ely endur e , he will prev ail. He is immort al, not bec a u s e he, alon e amo n g crea t u r e s , has an inexh a u s ti bl e voice, but bec a u s e he has a soul, a spirit, cap a bl e of comp a s s io n and sacrifice and endur a n c e . The poet’s, the writer’s duty is to write abou t the s e things. It is his privileg e to help ma n endur e by lifting his hear t, by remindin g him of coura g e and honor and hop e and pride and comp a s sio n and pity. The poet’s voice ne e d not mer ely be the record of ma n; it can be one of the props to help

him end ur e and prev ail. — William Faulkner, novelist

There is a giant asle e p within every ma n. When the giant aw ak e s , miracles happ e n . — Fred erick Faust What e v e r you can do or dre a m you can, begin it. Boldne s s has genius, pow er and ma gic in it. Begin it now. Never contr a dict. Never explain. Never apologize. — Lord “Johnnie” Fisher, British ad mir al How wond e rful it is that nobo d y nee d wait a single mo m e n t before starting to improv e the world. — Anne Frank, auth or, The Diary of Anne Frank Every positive impuls e is a praye r. — Dian e Frank,

poet God, to me, it see m s , is a verb not a noun. — R. Buckmins t e r Fuller, inven t or and archite c t

Fire: What you see now is the sunlight unwinding from the log. — R. Buckmins t e r Fuller, invent o r and archit ec t

G The secr e t s of the univers e are discov e r e d when you bre ak things. — ga m e player s blog You mus t be the chan g e you wish to see in the world. — Mahat m a Gandhi, Indian lead e r God ma d e Truth with ma n y doors to welco m e every believ er who knocks on the m. — Kahlil Gibran, poet and artist

Give your hear t s , but not into each other’s keepin g, for only the hand of God can cont ain your hear t s . — Kahlil Gibran, poet and artist, The Proph e t

For what is it to die but to stan d nak e d in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to ceas e bre a t hi n g, but to free the bre a t h from its restle s s tides, that it ma y rise and exp a n d and seek God une nc u m b e r e d ? — Kahlil Gibran, poet and artist, The Proph e t One ough t nev er to buy anyt hin g exc e p t with love. Anyon e what e v e r , anyt hin g whats o e v e r , ough t to belong to the pers o n who loves it bes t. — Andre Gidé, novelist and critic Believe thos e who are seeking the truth. Doubt thos e who find it. — Andre Gidé, novelist and critic

Nothing splen did was ever crea t e d in cold blood. Heat is require d to forge anyt hin g. Every gre a t acco m plis h m e n t is the story of a flaming hear t. —

Arnold H. Glasow, auth or What e v e r you dre a m you can do, or believ e you can, begin it. Boldne s s has genius, pow er and ma gic in it. — Johann Wolfgan g von Goeth e , ess a yis t and poet If you tell the truth, you hav e infinite pow er supp ortin g you; but if not, you hav e infinite pow er agains t you. — Charles Gordon You can hav e anyt hin g you want if you want it des p e r a t e l y enou g h . You mus t want it with an inner exub e r a n c e that erupt s throu g h the skin and joins the en er g y that crea t e d the world. — Sheila Grah a m , aut h or The gre a t mo m e n t s , when the world che er s , are not the mo m e n t s that count. The ones that count are when it’s just you, and people hav e stopp e d believing in you. Thos e are the mo m e n t s that define you. — Bob Gree n e , columnis t

There is always one mo m e n t in childhoo d when the door ope n s and lets the future in. — Grah a m

Gree n e , novelist, The Power and the Glory

H Forgiven e s s is the answ e r to the child's dre a m of a miracle by which what is broke n is ma d e whole again, what is soiled is again ma d e clean. — Dag Ham m a r s kjold, UN secre t a r y- gen e r al The truth is that ther e is only one ter min al dignity— love. And the story of a love is not import a n t—w h a t is import a n t is that one is cap a bl e of love. It is perh a p s the only glimps e we are per mit t e d of eter nity. — Helen Hayes , actr e s s Nothing gre a t in the world has ever bee n acco m plis h e d withou t pas sion. — Georg e Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, philosop h e r

All you hav e to do is write one true sent e n c e . Write the true s t sent e n c e that you know. — Ernes t Hemingw a y, novelist

If everyo n e lived with a sens e of wond e r, their lives would be filled with joy. — Doug Henning, ma gicia n

For attr a c tiv e lips, spe ak words of kindn e s s . For lovely eye s, seek out the good in peopl e. For a slim figure, shar e your food with the hungr y. For bea u tiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers throu g h it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowled g e you'll nev er walk alon e. — Audrey Hepb ur n, actr e s s If you hat e a pers o n, you hat e som e t hi n g in him that is a part of yours elf. What isn't part of ours elv e s does n ' t distur b us. — Herm a n Hess e, novelist It is well to rem e m b e r that the entire popula tio n of the univers e , with one trifling exce p tio n, is ma d e up of other s . — John Andrew Holme s

I think it not improb a bl e that ma n, like the grub that prep a r e s a cha m b e r for the winge d thing it nev er has see n but is to be—th a t ma n may hav e cos mic des tinies that he does not und er s t a n d . — Oliver Wend ell Holme s , aut h or A mind once stre tc h e d by a new idea nev er reg ains its original dime n sio n s . — Oliver Wend ell Holme s , Jr., U.S. supr e m e court justice

Many people die with their music still in the m. Why is this so? Too often it is beca u s e they are always gettin g read y to live. Before they know it, time runs out. — Oliver Wend ell Holme s , auth or Succe s s is the mos t natur al thing in the world. The pers o n who does not succ e e d has place d hims elf in opposition to the laws of the Univers e. — Elbert Hubb a r d, ess a yis t Hold fast to dre a m s . For if dre a m s die.

Life is a broke n- winge d bird That canno t fly. — James Langs t o n Hugh e s , poet There is one thing stron g e r than all the armi e s in the world; and that is an idea whos e time has come . — Victor Hugo, novelist To love anot h e r pers o n is to see the face of God. — Victor Hugo, novelist, Les Miserables

The smalles t fact is a window throu g h which we can see the infinite. — Aldous Huxley, novelist After silenc e that which come s near e s t to expr e s sin g the inexpr e s si bl e is music. — Aldous

Huxley, novelist

I My fath e r always use d to say that when you die, if you'v e got five real friend s, the n you'v e had a gre a t life. — Lee Iacocca, auto m o tiv e exec u tiv e No ma t t e r what you'v e don e for yours elf or for hu m a nit y, if you can't look back on having given love and att e n tio n to your own family, what hav e you really acco m plis h e d ? — Lee Iacocc a, auto m o tiv e exec u tiv e In natur e ther e are neith e r rew ar d s nor punish m e n t s — t h e r e are cons e q u e n c e s . — Robert Ingers oll, orator and lawyer

May the road rise to me e t you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine war m upon your face.

May the rain fall soft upon your fields. And until we me e t again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand. — Irish toas t Natur e bre a k s throu g h the eye s of a cat. — Irish prover b Dance as if no one were watching. Sing as if no one were listenin g. And live every day as if it were your last. — Irish prover b

But they that wait upon the Lord shall ren e w their stre n g t h ; they shall mou n t up with wings as eagl e s; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. — Isaiah 40:31

J One ma n with coura g e is a majority. — Andrew Jackson, U.S. presid e n t

May sere nit y circle on silent wings and catch the whisp e r of the wind. — Cheew a James , aut h or You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. — John 8:32 I hav e com e that they may hav e life, and hav e it mor e abun d a n tl y. — John 10:10 Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that believ e s in me, the works that I do shall he do also, and gre a t e r works than the s e shall he do. — John 14:12

We me e t ours elv e s time and again in a thous a n d disguis e s on the pat h s of life. — Carl Jung, psycholo gis t Your vision will beco m e clear only when you look into your hear t. Who looks outsid e, dre a m s . Who looks inside, aw ak e n s . — Carl Jung, psycholo gis t Expect everyt hin g, I always say, and the unex p e c t e d nev er happ e n s . — Norton Juster, novelist, The Phanto m Tollbooth

You do not nee d to leav e your roo m. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not eve n listen. Simply wait. Do not eve n wait; be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be un m a s k e d . It has no choice. It will roll in ecst a s y at your feet. — Franz Kafka, novelist There are som e things one can only achiev e by a deliber a t e leap in the opposit e direction. — Franz Kafka, novelist I always paint my own reality. — Frida Kahlo, artist One can nev er cons e n t to cre e p when one feels an impuls e to soar. — Helen Keller The proble m s of the world cann o t possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whos e horizons are limite d by the obvious realities. We ne e d me n who

can dre a m of things that nev er were. — John F. Kenne d y, U.S. presid e n t God bre a k s the hear t ag ain and ag ain and again until it stays open. — Hazrat Inaya t Khan Expre s s everyt hin g you like. No word can hurt you. None. No idea can hurt you. Not being able to expr e s s an idea or a word will hurt you much mor e. As much as a bullet. — Jamaica Kincaid Our lives begin to end the day we beco m e silent abou t things that mat t e r . — Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights lead e r

You can' t deny laught e r; when it com e s , it plops down in your favorit e chair and stays as long as it wants . — Step h e n King, novelist Once I viewe d God as a verb inste a d of a noun, my perc e p tio n of life shifte d. Everyt hin g aroun d me, ma nife s t or no, bec a m e God. There was only God. When som e o n e spok e to me, it was with God’s voice; when I listen e d , it was with God’s hear t. — Jean- Claud e Koven, aut hor, Going Deep er: How to Make Sens e of Your Life Whe n Your Life Makes No Sens e

It only take s one good idea to chan g e our pictur e of reality. — Lawrenc e Krauss, cos m ologis t

There is nothing mor e outs t a n di n g, mor e unus u al tha n life. That mak e s life, any life, a miracle. So abun d a n tl y rare, it has got to be bea u tiful. — John Kreme r, auth or What does succ e s s me a n to me? It me a n s being able to live wher e I want — which, for me, me a n s living out in the countr ysid e of Iowa. I don' t like crowds. I hat e traffic. I det e s t city nois e. My wife and I live on a grav el e d country lane wher e we call it a traffic jam if two cars go by in the sa m e hour. Our near e s t neigh b or is a quart e r mile aw ay. The only nois e at night is the soun d of crickets and an occa sion al owl. The air is fres h. The stars are brilliant. — John Krem er, auth or and publish e r The mo m e n t you touch som e t hin g , you chan g e it

irrever sibly, and forev e r. Any cont a c t of any kind with anyt hin g res ults in chan g e—c h a n g e both in the thing and in you. You're nev er the sa m e again. You can' t be. And neith e r can it. — John Kreme r, aut h or In ones elf lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is ther e and the key is in your hand. Nobody on eart h can give you eith er the key or the door to ope n, exce p t yours elf. — Jeddu Krishn a m u r ti, spiritu al lead e r There is no nee d to go to India or anyw h e r e else to find peac e . You will find that de e p plac e of silenc e right in your roo m, your gard e n or eve n your bat h t u b . — Elisab e t h Kubler- Ross, psych ologis t

The fund a m e n t a l job of a toddler is to rule the univers e . — Lawrenc e Kutner, auth or

L It is not genius, nor glory, nor love that reflects the gre a t n e s s of the hu m a n soul; it is kindn e s s . — Henri- Dominiqu e Lacord air e The true me a s u r e of a ma n is how he tre a t s som e o n e who can do him absolut ely no good. — Ann Lander s , advice colum nis t

If peopl e conce n t r a t e d on the really import a n t things in life, ther e ' d be a short a g e of fishing poles. — Doug Larson, hu moris t Each snowflak e in an avala n c h e plea d s not guilty. — Stanislaw J. Lec, scienc e fiction novelist

Inde e d, the hum a n orga nis m in a condition of height e n e d aw ar e n e s s , exp erie n cin g the conn e c t e d n e s s of all things, flowing with univers al rhyth m s , can perfor m wond er s . — Georg e Leonar d, psycholo gis t

A new baby is like the beginnin g of all things— wond e r, hop e, a dre a m of possibilities. — Eda Le Shan, psych ologis t All sanity dep e n d s on this: that it should be a delight to feel hea t strike the skin, a delight to stan d upright, knowing the bon e s are moving easily und er the flesh. — Doris Lessing, novelist One can get just as much exult a tion in losing ones elf in a little thing as in a big thing. It is nice to think how one can be reckles sly lost in a daisy. —

Anne Morrow Lindber g h, aut h or I don't see why I am always asking for privat e , individu al, selfish miracles when every year ther e are miracles like white dogwoo d. — Anne Morrow Lindber g h , auth or The scientis t stops , wher e all me do, at the doors of birth and de a t h. He knows no mor e tha n you and I why a see d rem e m b e r s the oak of 20 million year s ago, why dus t acquire s the form of a wom a n , why we behold the eart h in spac e and time. He has n’t yet solved the secr e t of a single na m e upon the eart h. We may pluck the nym p h from the river, but we won’t pluck the river from ours elv e s : this coiled divinity is still all mur m u r o u s and stra n g e . There are sacr e d plac e s everyw h e r e . The world is still ma n’s druid grove, wher e he wand e r s hunting for the Tree of Life. — Ross Lockridg e

You can' t wait for inspiration. You hav e to go after it with a club. — Jack London, novelist I hav e a simple philosop h y. Fill what' s emp t y. Empty what' s full. Scratc h wher e it itches . — Alice Roos ev elt Longwort h, aut h or

It is a good mornin g exercis e for a res e a r c h scientis t to discar d a pet hypot h e si s every day before bre akf a s t. It keep s him youn g. — Konrad Lorenz, ethologis t For in the true natur e of things, if we rightly consid er, every gre e n tre e is far mor e glorious than if it were ma d e of gold and silver. — Martin Luther, religious refor m e r

M Work is not always requir e d. There is such a thing as sacr e d idlen e s s . — Georg e MacDon ald, fant a s y writer A dre a m is just a dre a m . A goal is a dre a m with a plan and a dea dlin e. — Harvey Mackay, busin e s s m a n and auth or All that is true and real is always simple, nat ur al, and life- supp ortin g. — Maharis hi Mahes h Yogi, guru

There is no gre a t e r pow er than the pow er of love. It can melt the rocks. — Maharis hi Mahes h Yogi, guru

Every hu m a n hear t is cap a bl e of picking up the entire song of cre a tion. — Maharis hi Mahes h Yogi, guru A real conqu e s t is that wher e the en e m y ceas e s to be an ene m y; he is left free to do as he likes, but is not in a position to att a ck or do any har m. — Maharishi Mahes h Yogi, guru God is a reality mor e concre t e than any of the realities of the entire cos mo s . — Maharishi Mahes h Yogi, guru A candle loses nothing by lighting anot h e r candle. — Erin Majors

Every gre a t ma s t e r pi e c e is a purification of the world. — Andre Malraux

Be ash a m e d to die until you hav e won som e victory for hum a ni t y. — Horac e Mann, educ a t o r All things are possible to him who believ e t h . — Mark 9:23 With God all things are possible. — Mark 10:27 Poetry is what Milton saw when he went blind. — Don Marquis, humo ris t We’re blues people. And blues nev er lets trag e d y hav e the last word. — Wynton Marsalis, jazz tru m p e t e r and comp o s e r Live every mo m e n t as if it were the mos t mirac ulou s thing you could ever imagin e, bec a u s e it is. — Ralph S. Marsto n Jr., auth or

If the only tool you hav e is a ha m m e r , you tend to see every proble m as a nail. — Abrah a m Maslow, psycholo gis t

Impre s sionis m is the news p a p e r of the soul. — Henri Matiss e, artist Seek ye first the kingdo m of God and his right e o u s n e s s , and all thes e things shall be add e d unto you. — Matth e w 6:33 Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be open e d unto you. — Matth e w 7:7 Do unto other s as you would hav e the m do unto you; for this is the law and the proph e t s . —

Matth e w 7:12 Life does not acco m m o d a t e you, it shat t e r s you. It is me a n t to and couldn' t do it bett e r. Every see d des tro ys its cont ain e r or else ther e would be no growt h, no fruition. — Florida Scott Maxwell We are continu ally faced with gre a t opport u nitie s , which are brilliantly disguis e d as unsolva bl e proble m s . — Margar e t Mead, anthr o p olo gis t Never doubt that a small group of thou g h tful, com mit t e d citizen s can chan g e the world. Inde e d, it is the only thing that ever has. — Margar e t Mead, ant hro p olo gis t One pers o n with a belief is equ al to 99 who hav e only inter e s t s . — John Stuart Mill, philosop h e r The mo m e n t one gives close att e n tio n to anyt hin g, eve n a blad e of gras s , it beco m e s a mys t e riou s , aw es o m e , indes crib a bly ma g nifice n t world in itself. — Henry Miller, novelist

Everyt hin g you'll ever nee d to know is within you; the secr e t s of the univers e are imprint e d on the cells of your body. — Dan Millman, auth or A ma n loses cont a c t with reality if he is not surrou n d e d by his books. — Fran çois Mitter a n d , French presid e n t Rules only mak e sens e if they are both kept and broke n. Breaking the rule is one way of obs erving it. — Thom a s Moore, religious lead e r Your eye s can fool you…bu t not smell. Smell rem e m b e r s and tells the futur e. — Cherrie Morag a If you surre n d e r e d to the air, you could ride it. — Toni Morrison, novelist Who walks with Beaut y has no ne e d of fear; the sun and moon and stars kee p pac e with him. — David

Morton, poet

When we try to pick out anyt hin g by itself, we find it hitch e d to everyt hin g else in the univers e . — John Muir, nat ur alist

If you want a kitte n, start out by asking for a hors e. — Naomi, age 15, Kid's Instruction s for Smart Living Nobody really care s if you’re mis er a bl e , so you might as well be hap p y. — Cynthia Nelms, aut h or You mus t hav e chao s within you to be able to give birth to a dancing star. — Friedrich Nietzsch e , philosop h e r Throw your dre a m s into spac e like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new countr y. — Anais Nin,

novelist The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are una bl e to say. — Anais Nin, novelist

Each friend repr e s e n t s a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this me e ti n g that a new world is born. — Anais Nin, novelist

O God spe a k s to us in ma n y differe n t ways, but one of the easie s t to recog niz e is throu g h the comp a s s io n he puts into our hear t s . Listen to your hear t. Follow what it says. You won’t be sorry. God will show you how to mak e every mo m e n t of your life count. — Joel Oste e n , pre ac h e r

You will nev er be truly fulfilled as a hu m a n being until you learn the simple secr e t of how to give your life aw ay. — Joel Oste e n , pre a c h e r

The only time you’re safe in your life is when your hear t is open. — Arnold Pate n t, aut hor, Living with an Open Heart I am pers u a d e d that neith e r dea t h , nor life, nor ang els, nor princip alities, nor pow ers nor things pres e n t , nor things to com e , nor heigh t, nor dept h, nor any oth er cre a t u r e shall be able to sep a r a t e us from the love of God. — Saint Paul, Ro m a n s 8:38- 9 How does one beco m e a butt e rfly? You mus t want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a cat er pillar. — Trina Paulus

You can mak e just abou t anyt hin g of your life— anyt hin g you will believ e or visualize, anyt hin g you will pray for and work for. Look de e ply into your mind. Amazing wond e r s are ther e . — Norma n Vincent Peale, minist e r and auth or Life is prett y simple: You do som e stuff. Most fails. Som e works. You do mor e of what works. — Thom a s J. Peters , ma n a g e m e n t cons ult a n t and aut h or Everyt hin g you can imagin e is real. — Pablo Picass o, paint er

Everyt hin g is a miracle. It is a miracle that one does not dissolve in one' s bath like a lump of sug ar. — Pablo Picas s o, artist The mind is not a ves s el to be filled but a fire to be kindled. — Plutarch, historian One truth is clear: what e v e r is is right. — Alexan d e r Pope, poet

Never let your hea d han g down. Never give up and sit and griev e. Find anot h e r way. And don' t pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shine s . — Beatrix Pott er, childre n’s novelist

This is the day the Lord has ma d e . We will rejoice and be glad in it. — Psalm 118:2 4

The thing that is really hard, and really am a zin g, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of beco mi n g yours elf. — Anna Quindle n, novelist

God is an unutt e r a bl e sigh, plant e d in the dept h s of the soul. — Jean Paul Richter The miracle s on eart h are the laws of heav e n . — Jean Paul Richter, novelist For the sake of thy friend s hip may we soar like birds far beyo n d the sun blazing with thy light. — Rig Veda 9:7:4:2 0

This is the miracle that hap p e n s every time to thos e who really love; the more they give, the more they poss e s s . — Rainer Maria Rilke, poet If we can get to the truth, we can chan g e anyt hin g. — Anthon y Robbins, peak perfor m a n c e coach and aut h or I hav e found that if you love life, life will love you back. — Arthur Ruben s t ei n, pianist

Out beyo n d ideas of right doing and wrong doing, ther e is a field. I’ll me e t you ther e. — Rumi, poet

A rock pile cea s e s to be a rock pile the mo m e n t a single ma n cont e m p l a t e s it, be aring within him the imag e of a cath e d r al. — Antoine de Saint- Exuper y, poet and aviator It is only with the hear t that one see s rightly. What is ess e n ti al is invisible to the eye. — Antoine de Saint- Exup ery, aut hor and aviator, The Little Prince The soul can split the sky in two, and let the face of God shine throu g h .

— Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet

A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. — Carl Sand b u r g , poet The world is not resp e c t a bl e ; it is mort al, tor m e n t e d , confus e d , delud e d forev e r; but it is shot throu g h with be a u t y, with love, with glints of cour a g e and laugh t e r ; and in the s e , the spirit bloo ms timidly, and strug gl e s to the light amid the thorns . — Georg e Sant a y a n a , philosop h e r and poet If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to hav e the m live on is to nev er stop loving the m. Buildings burn. People die. But real love lives forev e r. — Sara h, char a c t e r in The Crow TV show You nee d only claim the eve n t of your life to mak e yours elf yours. When you truly poss e s s all you hav e

bee n and don e, which may take som e time, you are fierce with reality. — Florida Scott- Maxwell, aut hor All things are conn e c t e d like the blood that unite s one family. What e v e r befalls the eart h befalls the sons of the eart h. If me n spit on the groun d, they spit on the m s e lv e s . — Chief Seat tle, Indian lead e r Be hum bl e for you are ma d e of dung. Be noble for you are ma d e of stars. — Serbian prover b Som e ti m e s the que s tion s are complica t e d and the answ e r s are simple. — Dr. Seus s

Nice guys finish first. If you don’t know that, you don’t know wher e the finish line is. — Gary Shan dling, com e di a n If you tell people the truth, mak e the m laugh or they'll kill you. — Georg e Bernar d Shaw, playwrigh t Every single one of us can do things that no one else can do—ca n love things that no one else can love. We are like violins. We can be used for

doors to p s , or we can mak e music. You know what to do. — Barb ar a Sher, auth or There are 199 ways to get bea t, but only one way to win: Get ther e first. — Willie Shoe m a k e r , jockey Beco m e one with the knot itself, til it dissolve s aw ay. swe e p the gard e n . any size. — Gary Snyd e r, poet The inner fire is the mos t import a n t thing ma nkind poss e s s e s . — Edith Sodergr a n

You can do what e v e r you want if you hav e faith. You are stron g; you are bea u tiful. You do not ne e d to build any walls to hide behind. You can live withou t ar m a m e n t s . — Doroth e e Soelle, auth or, Doroth e e Soelle: Esse n tial Writings What’s a good inves t m e n t ? Go hom e from work early and spen d the aftern o o n throwing a ball aroun d with your son. — Ben Stein, TV show host I hav e no bent toward gods. But I hav e a new love for that glitterin g instru m e n t , the hum a n soul. It is

a lovely and uniqu e thing in the univers e . It is always att a ck e d and nev er des tro ye d— b e c a u s e "Thou maye s t .” — John Steinb e ck, novelist, East of Eden

Making the decision to hav e a child—it’s mo m e n t o u s . It is to decid e forev e r to hav e your hear t go walking outsid e your body. — Elizab e t h Ston e, auth or

T More things are wroug h t by praye r tha n this world dre a m s of. — Alfred Lord Tennys o n, poet Spre a d love everyw h e r e you go. Let no one ever come to you withou t leaving bett e r and happier. Be the living expr e s sio n of God’s kindn e s s : kindn e s s in your face, kindn e s s in your eye s, kindn e s s in your smile, kindn e s s in your war m gre e tin g. — Mother Teres a , religious lead e r

Joy is praye r. Joy is stre n g t h . Joy is love. Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. — Mother Teres a , religious lead e r

When you are happ y, danc e arou n d and wag your entire body. — Things We Can Learn From a Dog

The force that throu g h the gre e n fuse drives the flower drives my gre e n soul. — Dylan Thom a s , poet Do not go gentle into that long, dark night but rag e, rag e ag ain s t the dying of the light. — Dylan Thom a s , poet Statistically, the prob a bility of any one of us being her e is so small that you' d think the mer e fact of existing would kee p us all in a cont e n t e d dazzle m e n t of surpris e. — Lewis Thom a s , biologist I hav e gre a t faith in a see d. Convinc e me that you hav e a see d ther e, and I am prep a r e d to exp ec t wond e r s . — Henry David Thore a u , ess a yis t

You mus t live in the pres e n t , launc h yours elf on every wave, and find your eter nity in eac h mo m e n t . — Henry David Thore a u , ess a yis t

Could a gre a t e r miracle take plac e tha n for us to look throu g h each oth er' s eye for an insta n t ? — Henry David Thore a u , ess a yis t If the day and the night are such that you gre e t the m with joy, and life emits a fragr a n c e like flowers and swe e t- scent e d herb s, mor e elas tic, mor e starry, mor e immor t al—th a t is your succ e s s . — Henry David Thore a u , ess a yis t, Walde n In proportion as one simplifies his life, the laws of the univers e will app e a r less comple x, and solitud e will not be solitud e , nor povert y povert y, nor weakn e s s weakn e s s . — Henry David Thore a u , aut h or, Walde n If I can put one touch of a rosy suns e t into the life of any ma n or woma n , I shall feel that I hav e

worked with God. — Henry David Thore a u , aut h or, Walde n If mor e of us value d food and che er and song abov e hoar d e d gold, it would be a merrier world. — J. R. R. Tolkien, novelist A miracle is nothin g mor e or less than this. Anyon e who has come into knowled g e of his true identity, of his onen e s s with the all-perv a din g wisdo m and pow er, this mak e s it possible for laws higher than the ordin ary mind knows of to be reve al e d to him. — Ralph Waldo Trine, aut h or This is the begin nin g of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can wast e it or use it for good. What I do toda y is import a n t , bec a u s e I am exch a n gi n g a day of my life for it. — Bob Tupes, aut h or

The true ma n of Tao walks throu g h walls withou t obstr uc tio n, stan d s in fire withou t being burnt. — Chuan g Tzu, spiritu al lead e r Grea t me n bre a t h e from their toes. — Chuan g Tzu, spiritu al lead e r To a mind that is still the whole univers e surre n d e r s . — Chua n g Tzu, spiritu al lead e r If you are too bus y to purr, you are too bus y. — Meow Tzu, Meow Te Ching

U Do anyt hin g, eve n the impos sible; it may only take a little longer when a miracle is require d. — unknow n

The gods are waiting for an invitation. — unknow n When God me a s u r e s a ma n, he puts the tap e aroun d his hear t, not his hea d. — unknow n

V God ma d e everyt hin g out of nothing, but the nothing n e s s show s throu g h . — Paul Valery, poet and critic All is miracle. The order of nat ur e, the revolution of a hundr e d million worlds aroun d millions of suns, the activity of light, the life of anim als, all are gran d and perp e t u al miracles . — Voltaire, philosop h e r

Dance, eve n if you hav e nowh er e to do it but your living roo m. — Kurt Vonne g u t Jr., novelist

W Without free anim al life I believ e we will lose the spiritu al equivale n t of oxyg e n . — Alice Walker, novelist, Living by the Word The day you really want to end all hung e r, ther e will be no mor e hung e r. — Neale Donald Walsch, aut h or, Conv er s a tio n s with God

For a decision—th e free s t of my actions just happ e n s like hiccups inside me or like a bird singing outsid e me. — Alan Watts, aut h or

We are all gods, all forces of natur e . We can des tro y, we can build. We are like oce a n s and like fires. — Barry White, sing er The time not to beco m e a fath er is eight e e n year s before a war. — E. B. White, humo ris t All things of the univers e are perfect miracle s, each as profoun d as any. — Walt Whitm a n , poet, Leav e s of Grass

And a mou s e is miracle enou g h to stag g e r sextillions of infidels. — Walt Whitm a n , poet, Leav e s of Grass To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, every cubic inch of spac e is a miracle. — Walt

Whitm a n , poet, Leav e s of Grass They say that every snowflak e is differe n t. If that were true, how could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our kne e s ? How could we ever recov er from the wond er of it? — Jeane t t e Winters o n

The only real poss e s sio n you'll ever hav e is your char a c t e r. — Tom Wolfe, journ alist Thanks to the hum a n hear t by which we live, Thanks to its ten d e r n e s s , its joys, and fears, To me the me a n e s t flower that blows can give Thoug h t s that do often lie too de e p for tear s. — William Wordsw ort h, poet With an eye ma d e quiet by the pow er of har m o n y,

and the dee p pow er of joy, we see into the life of things. — William Wordsw or t h, poet

If you can spen d a perfec tly useles s aftern o o n in a perfec tly useles s ma n n e r , you hav e learn e d how to live. — Lin Yutang The mou n t ai n s , rivers, eart h, gras s e s , tre e s , and fores t s are always em a n a ti n g a subtle, precious light, day and night, always em a n a ti n g a subtle, preciou s sound, de m o n s t r a ti n g and expo u n di n g to all people the unsur p a s s e d ultima t e truth. — YuanSou

Epilog If you like the abov e quot a tio n s , you’ll love the other books in the Quot a bl e Books series. For sa m pl e quot a tio n s from thes e books, see my Quot a bl e Books websit e: htt p :// w w w . q u o t a b l e b o o k s . c o m . The Art of Livin g : Artists, Photogr a p h e r s , Architect s , Design e r s , Cartoo nis t s , Poets, Writers, Novelists, and Critics on Art and Life The Big Bad Book of Ifs . . . The Boo b Tub e Guid e to Life Bum p e r Stick e r Wis d o m and Other Prover b s The Bu si n e s s of Life: Busines s people and oth er s on life, busin e s s , care e r s , jobs, the workplac e , inves t m e n t s , econo mic s, mon e y, and mor e Childr e n : A Quota bl e Guide for Pare n t s The Do’s an d Don’t’ s of Life Dou b l e Your Fun: Two Though t s Are Bett er Than One Foo d for Thou g h t : All abou t Food, Feas tin g, Diet,

Drinks, and Drugs Grea t n e s s an d Lea d e r s h i p : Two sides of the sa m e coin How to Act: Advice on How to Live and Act from Actors, Come di a n s , Directors , Produc e r s , Playwrigh t s , and Scre e n w rit e r s It’s Tim e for a Chan g e : Though t s on Chan g e , Growth, Progr e s s , Risk, and Evolution Life & De a t h : It’s Really a Simple Matter The Mag a zi n e Adv er ti s e r ’ s Guid e to Su c c e s s in Busine s s and Life The Magi c of Life The Musi c of Life: Singers , Musicians, Comp o s e r s , and Danc er s on Life and Music The Myria d We b s t e r s Dicti o n a r y : The Diction ar y of the People, by the People, and for the People The Ne v e r - Nev e r Land Guid e to Life The Ne v e r - Nev e r Land Guid e to Lov e an d Rom a n c e The Politi c s of Life: Though t s on life, de a t h, and politics from politicians , stat e s m e n , environ m e n t a lis t s , civil rights lead e r s , historia n s , econ o mi s t s , military lead e r s , and social com m e n t a t o r s The Rich n e s s of Life The Sci e n c e of Life: Scientist s, Invent or s , and Philosop h e r s on the Art and Scienc e of Living

The S e cr e t Life of Pet s an d Anim al s S e n i o r Mom e n t s : On Growing Older and Wiser The Spirit of Su c c e s s The Sp or t of Life: How to Win in Life and Sports Than k s for th e Me m o ri e s : The Role of Gratitu d e , Thankfuln e s s , Forgive n e s s , Kindne s s , Gen er o sity, and Resp e c t in Creating a Good Life Trav e l an d Hom e : All abou t the pleas u r e s of hom e , trav el, and everyw h e r e in betw e e n The TV Adv er ti s e r ’ s Guid e to Life The War Bet w e e n Men an d Wom e n : On Men, Wome n , Sex, Love, Relation s hip s, Dating, Marriag e , Divorce, and Much, Much More …

Illus tr a t e d Titl e s The Be s t Thin g s in Life Are Fre e : My Favorite Quot a tion s How to Live Your Dre a m s If at First You Don’t Su c c e e d , Try, Try Agai n If God Int e n d e d Man to Sm o k e , He’d Hav e S e t Him on Fire … and Other Conclusion s of God’s Work If I Had My Life to Live Ov er . . . The Miracl e of Life

Playi n g th e Perc e n t a g e s : Lies, Damn e d Funny Lies, Statis tics, and Everyt hin g in Betw e e n Wh e n in Dou b t , Kis s th e Fis h — And Other Extre m e l y Wise Advice

Joke Colle c t i o n s The Big Bad Book of Blon d e Joke s Moth e r - in- Law: The Mother of All Joke Books