Great Minds..... Great Thoughts
Selected and compiled by :
K. VIJAYARAGHAVAN 1C, “RamaniyamKrithika” 16, Thirumurugan Street, Kalakshetra Colony, Chennai – 600 090 (South India) (PHONES : 24913444, 24464535, 9884875691) EMAIL :kvyoga@gmail.com
'Great Minds....Great Thoughts' [Selected and Compiled by K. VIJAYARAGHAVAN, Chennai, South India Phones : 24913444, 24464535, 9884875691] -------------------------------------------------------------------------CONTENTS Sl. No.
Title
Page No.
1.
Lead Kindly
1
2.
Light A Psalm of Life
1
3.
Tagore’s poem
2
4.
Love’s Lantern
3
5.
The Footprints
3
6.
Words of St. Francis of Assissi
3
7.
`Are you Troubled’ by James Allen
4
8.
Vivekananda on Gita
6
9.
The Awesome Power to be Ourselves
7
10.
Recipe for Happiness
9
11.
`Worthwhile’ by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
10
12.
Seven Keys to Success
10
13.
Two passages of Johnson
15
14.
Quote from SBI
16
15.
E. Hoffer on being hurried
16
16.
Herold Nicholson on Sloth and Melancholy
16
17.
Norman Vincent Peale on Positive Thinking
16
18.
Tamil Quote on ` Speech’
17
19.
From Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography
17
20.
Arthur Conon Doyle on brain as an attic
18
21.
Lin Yutang on elimination of non – essentials
18
22.
W. Somerset Maugham on Conflicts
18
23.
Ayn Rand’s summing up her philosophy
19
24.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s quote
19
25.
Horace Walpole on "feeling" and "thinking"
19
26.
Poem `Don’t Quit’
19
27.
Extracts from “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”
19
28.
On Perseverance by Longfellow
21
29.
Very Striking & Remarkable Pieces of Wisdom
21
30.
Think Positive
22
31.
Wordsworth in `Tintern Abbey Lines”
22
32.
`IF’ by Rudyard Kipling
22
33.
Malcom Maltz on `SUCCESS’ and ‘FAILURE’
23
34.
Poem of Thomson on `Sacred, substantial , 23 never fading bliss’
35.
Yogi Sri Krishna Roy
36.
Swamy Satyananda Saraswati on Conflicts, 24 Difficulties and Disappointments
37.
Shakespeare on `Adversity’
38.
Norman Lewis ‘Magnanimous’
39.
Rajaji on ‘Bakthi’
40.
Extracts from Dick Carlson’s `How to Develop 25 Personal Power’
41.
Whose Job is it ?
26
42.
What is LIFE ?
26
43.
The Best Day, The Great Sin etc.
27
44.
All Things Bright and Beautiful
27
45.
Miller of the Dee
27
46.
Abou Ben Adhem
28
Prem’s letter to Dilip Kumar 24
on
‘Indefatigable’
24 and 24 25
47.
Certain Quotes from 'The Bible'
29
48.
Certain Particular Inspiring Quotes
29
49.
Certain Quotes on Pursuit of One's Dreams
31
50.
“Climb Every Mountain”
32
51.
Final portion of “ I have Confidence”
32
52.
“My Favourite Things”
33
53.
Buddha on “Not pursuing the past” and on 34 “Living alone”
54.
Thomas Gray’s immortal lines “Full many a gem 34 of purest ray….”
55.
Alphabetical Index
35
5
LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT ! Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom Lead Thou me on ; The night is dark, and I am far from home : Lead Thou me on . Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene, one step enough for me. I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou Shouldst lead me on ; I loved the garish day, and spite of fears, Pride ruled my will ; remember not past years. So long Thy power has blest me, sure it still Will lead me on, O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till The night is gone, And with the morn those angel faces smile Which I have loved long since , and lost awhile. Cardinal Newman (1801-90)
A PSALM OF LIFE Tell me not , in mournful numbers, `Life is but an empty dream!’ For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real ! Life is earnest ! And the grave is not its goal; `Dust thou art, to dust returnest,’ Was not spoken of the soul. Not enjoyment andnot sorrow , Is ourdestined end or way ; But to act, that each tomorrow Finds us farther than today. Art is long, and Time is fleeting , And our hearts , though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. In the world’s broad field of battle, In the bivouac of life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
6
Be a hero in the strife ! Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant ! Let the deadPast bury its dead ! Act, act in the living Present ! Heart within, and God o’ erhead ! Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And,departing , leave behind us, Footprints, on the sands of time; Footprints, that perhaps another , Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again. Let us then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labour and towait. H.W. Longfellow ( 1807-82)
A POEM TO REMEMBER Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free, Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth ; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection, Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever- widening thought and action into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake RabindraNath Tagore (1861 -1941) Santiniketan
7
Because the road was steep and long and through a dark and lonely land, God set upon my lips a song And put a lantern in my hand. Joyce Kilmer, “Love’s Lantern” THE FOOTPRINTS … One night a man had a dream : He was walking along the beach with the `Lord’. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of foot- prints on the sand, one belonging to him and the other to the `Lord’ . When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints on the sand, He noticed that many times along the path of his life therewas only one set of footprints. He also noticed that this happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. He questioned the `Lord’ about it : “Lord , you said that once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But, I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of foot prints. I don’t understand why You would leave me when I needed you most”. The `Lord’ replied : “My son, my precious child I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of foot prints, it was then I carried you.” -Author unknown Words of great humility “ Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt , faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console ; to be understood as to understand; to be loved, as to
8
love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying ( to the self ) that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen - St. Francis of Assissi
Selections from the article in Bhavan’s Journal of Feb. 16, 1981 ARE YOU TROUBLED? JAMES ALLEN LIFE is a combination of habits, some baneful, some beneficent, all of which take their rise in the one habit of thinking. The essential difference between awise man and a fool is that wise man controls his thinking, the fool is controlled by it.
the
A wise man determines how and what he shall think, and does not allow external things to divert his thought from the main purpose, but a fool is carried captive by every tyrant thought as it is aroused within him by external things, and he goes through life as the helpless tool of impulse, whim and passion. The intellect must be trained to comprehend the principles of virtue, and to understand all that is involved in their practice. Its energies must be restrained from wasteful indulgence in vain subtleties, and be directed in the path of righteousness and the way of wisdom. The thinker must distinguish, in his own mind, between reality and assumption. He must discover the extent of his actual knowledge. He must know what he knows. He must also know what he does not know. He must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions about facts, between belief and knowledge, error and truth. In his search for the right attitude of mind which perceives truth, and works out a wise and radiant life, he must be more logical than logic, more merciless in exposing the errors of his own mind than the most sarcastic logician is in exposing the errors of the minds of others. After pursuing this course of discrimination for a short time, he will be astonished to find how small is the extent of his own knowledge; yet he will be gladdened by its possession, for , small as it is, it is the pure gold of knowledge; and what is better, to have a few grains of gold hidden away in tons of ore, where it is useless, or to extract the gold and throw away theore ? As the miner sifts away sparkling diamond, so the spiritual miner, the true thinker sifts away from his mind the accumulation of opinions, beliefs, speculations and assumptions to find the bright jewel of Truth which bestows upon its possessor wisdom and enlightenment.
9
The wrong -thinker is known by his vices; the right -thinker is known by his virtues. Troubles and unrest assail the mind of the wrong thinker , and he experiences no abiding repose. He imagines that others can injure, snub, cheat , degrade, and ruin him. Knowing nothing of the protection of virtue, he seeks the protection of self, and takes refuge in suspicion, spite, resentment and retaliation, and is burnt in the fire of his own vices. When slandered he slanders in return; when accused, he recriminates; when assailed , he turns upon his adversary with double fierceness. “ I have been treated unjustly !” exclaims the wrong- thinker , and then abandons himself to resentment and misery. Having no insight, and unable to distinguish evil from good, he cannot see that is his own evil, and not his neighbour’s, that is the cause of all his trouble. The right-thinker is not concernedwith thoughts about self and self – protection, and the wrong actions ofothers towards him cannot cause him trouble or unrest. He cannot think -“This man has wronged me.” He understands that his welfare is in his own hands, and that none but himself can rob him of repose. Virtue is his protection, and retaliation is foreign to him. He holds himself steadfastly in peace , and resentment cannot enter his heart. Temptation does not find him unprepared, and it assails in vain the strong citadel of his mind. Abiding in virtue, he abides in strength and peace. The right-thinker has discovered and acquired the right attitude of mind towards men and things – the attitude ofa profound and loving repose. And this is not resignation, it is wisdom, it is not indifference, but watchful and penetrating insight. He has comprehended the facts of life; he sees things as they are . He does not overlook the particulars of life, but reads them in the light of cosmic law; sees them in their right relations as portions of the universal scheme. He sees that the universe is upheld by justice. He watches, but does not engage in the petty quarrels and fleeting strives of men. He cannot be a partisan.His sympathy is with all. He cannot favour one portion more than another. He knows that good will ultimately conquer the world, as it has conquered individuals, that there is a sense in which good already conquers, for evil defeats itself. Good is not defeated; justice isnot set aside. Whatever man may do, justice reigns , and its eternal throne cannot be assailed and threatened, much less conquered and overthrown; and this is the source of the true thinker’s abiding repose. Having become righteous, he perceives the righteous law; having acquired Love, he understands the Eternal Love; having conquered evil, he knows that good is supreme.
10
He onlyis the true thinker whose heart is free from hatred, lust and pride; who looks out upon the world through eyes washed free from evil; whose bitterest enemy arouses no enmity, but only tender pity in his heart; who does not talk vainly about things of which he has no knowledge, and whose heart is always at peace. And by this a man knows that his thoughts are in accordance with Truth – that there is no more bitterness in his heart, that malice has departed from him, that he loves what he formerly condemned. A man may be learned, but if he is not wise, he will not be a true thinker. Not by learning will a man triumph over evil; not by much study will he overcome sin and sorrow. Only by conquering himself will he conquer evil; only by practicing righteousness will he put an end to sorrow. Not for the clever, northe learned, nor the self - confident is the life Triumphant, but for the pure, the virtuous, the wise.The former achieve their particular success in life, but the latter alone achieve the Great Success, a success so invincible and complete that even in apparent defeat it shines with added victory. Virtue cannot be shaken; virtue cannot be confounded; virtue cannot be overthrown. He who thinks in accordance with virtue, and acts righteously, whose mind is the servant of Truth, he it is who conquers in life and in death;for virtue must triumph, and Righteousness and Truth are the pillars of the universe.
FROM SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S 'THOUGHTS ON GITA’ We read in the Bhagavad -Gita again and again that we must all work incessantly. All work is by nature composed of good and evil. We cannot do any workwhich will not do some good somewhere , there cannot be any work which will not cause some harm somewhere. Every work must necessarily be a mixture of good and evil; yet we are commanded to work incessantly.Good and evil will both have their results, will produce their Karma. Good action will entail upon us good effect, bad action, bad. But good and bad are both bondages of the soul. The solution reached in the Gita in regard to this bondage -producing nature of work is that if we do not attach ourselves to the work we do, it will not have any binding effect on our soul. This is the one cause of misery; we are attached , we are being caught. Therefore, says the Gita:Work constantly; work, but be not attached; be not caught. Reserve unto yourself the power of detaching yourself from everything, however beloved, however much
11
the soul might yearn for it, however great the pangs of misery you feel if you are going to leave it; still reserve the power of leaving it whenever you want.
SELECTIONS FROM 'THE AWESOME POWER TO BE OURSELVES' By ARDIS WHITMAN [Reader’s Digest – July 1983] I think of a homely little man in Athens more than 2,000 years ago who died because he asked dangerous questions. His audiences were very small; yet there is no literate person in the world today who has not heard of Socrates. I think of St. Francis of Assisi, who gave upa pampered life to live in poverty while comforting the poor and the sick, and ofMohandas Gandhi, who freed his people from the most powerful empire of his time without any force except what he called “ truth force”. Uncanny power. What do these individuals have incommon ? They all spoke and acted as themselves, resolutely standing up for what they believed. They had the inner purity of people true to their ideals. They were “authentic”. Many critics nowadays decry the “be yourself” philosophy as leading to selfishness . But authenticity doesn’t do this. It proceeds from the centre ofa person’s life but it is not self -centred. It sets a glowing example forothers and moves them to action. This is the uncanny power, and it is available to all of us. The concept that we ought to know and be ourselves goes back to the first time a human wondered. Who am I ?Socrates taught that to “know thyself ” is the basis of all knowledge; Shakespeare wrote , “To thine own self be true ….thou canst notthen be false to any man”. Like all the great ideas, the concept rises and falls with the tides of history . Always, we seem to be asking, “How can I make my life count for something?” Authenticity makes each person’s life count by restoring power to the individual . To be oneself is a natural, human and universal power, which brings with it a cornucopia of blessings. A sense of direction : Authentic people recognize the direction in which their lives are meant to go. When Albert Schweitzer, the great missionary doctor , was a boy, a friend proposed that they go up in the hills and kill birds. Albert was
12
reluctant , but afraid of being laughed at, he went along. They arrived at a tree in which a flock of birds were singing; the boys put stones in their catapults. Then the church bells began to ring, mingling music with birdsong. For Albert, it was a voice from heaven. He shooed thebirds away and went home. From that day on, reverence for life was more important to him thanthe fear of being laughed at, His priorities were clear. Self generated energy : Fatigue is a common symptom of people who have suppressed what is truly themselves. They are not really tired but tired of. One psychotherapist described patients so fatigued that they could scarcely drag one foot after the other. Summing them up, she said, “ the sense of loss of muscular power was really a sense of loss of power on the part of the soul!” We too, are often tired, not from “the loss of muscular power” but from the effort not to be ourselves. We are actors trying to impress other people. That’s hardwork. By contrast, the authentic person does not dissipate energy in contradictions. His selfhonesty reduces internal conflicts, and he feels alive, exhilarated. His energy is turned on by doing what matters to him. He does not dissipate energy on conflicts or deceits. The power of example: The authentic person also mobilizes the energies of others, by inspiring them. Justby being himself, he makes a statement about what is to be done. During the French occupation of the Saar in the 1920s, when German feelings were running high against reported excesses by black colonial troops, Roland Hayes, the great black singer, faced a noisy and hostile audience in Berlin. For almost ten minutes, he stood quietly but resolutely by the piano, waiting for the hissing to cease. Then he signaled his accompanist and began to sing softly Schubert’s “Due bist die Ruh” (“Thou Art Peace”). With the first notes of the song, a silence fell on the angry crowd . As Hayes continued to sing, his artistry transcended the hostility and a profound communion between singer and audience took place. The power of self – love: A person who respects and values himself is much more likely to be able todo the same for others. When we are not sure who we are, we are uneasy. We try to find out what the other person would like us to say before we speak, would like us to do before we act. When we are insecure, our relationship to others is governed not by what they need but by our needs. ( How many marriages founder on that sandbar !) Authentic people, on the other hand, are there , not only for themselves but for others. No energies are wasted in protecting a shaky ego.
13
The power of the spirit: No one can summon spiritual power just by wanting to. But it seems to come often to those most centred on the deep self where discovery begins. I think of Martin Luther King, Jr. marching between the swinging police clubs and the baying dogs to Selma, Alabama, and electrifying a huge audience in Washington. It was impossible to be with him for any length of time without realizing that the spirit was the spring from which he took his life’s responses. Few of us can be great leaders, but any person who is true to himself enhances his access to this power of the spirit. STRIVING for authenticity is not easy. It’s a lifetime endeavour, and nobody ever makes it all the way. It is becoming rather than an ending, something we learn day byday. Here are some ways to begin : Pay attention to what is going on in your life , inwardly and outwardly: Keep a journal to see how you change over time and to discover what muffled longings are being expressed. Few of us are so monolithic that we don’t harbor conflicts within ourselves. Admit them. Listen to the dialogue within and record it in your journal. Accept the idea that nothing is wrong with being different from other people. The truth is, all of us are different, and we are meant to be. “Each one of us”,rote Philosopher Paul Weiss, “is a unique being confronting the rest of the world in a unique fashion”.Seek your deepest convictions and stand by them, live by them. Spend time with yourself : Solitude is at the heart of self knowledge, because it is when we are alone that we learn to distinguish between the false and the true, the trivial and the important, “Solitude, said Nietzsche , “makes us tougher towards ourselves and tenderer towards others”. As with the splitting of the atom, the opening of the self gives us access to a hidden power. Authenticity is a sensitizing and blessed power. It comes with feeling at home with oneself and therefore at home in the universe. It is the greatest power in the world - the power to be ourselves.
ON SMILE & LOVE:
14
“Recipe for Happiness”(taken from a display India Assurance Staff college, Madras -34)
at the office
of New
Take two heaping cups of patience . One heartful of love. Two handfuls of generosity, a dash of laughter. One headful of understanding; sprinkle generosity with kindness . Add plenty of faith and mix well. Spread over a period of life time. Serve to everyone you meet.
On continued cheerfulness and equanimity in Victory and defeat, the spirit can be summed upin the extract of this poem : “ IT is easy enough to be pleasant , When life flows along like a song ; But the man worthwhile is the one who will smile When everything goes dead wrong” -Ella Wheeler Wilcox, ‘Worthwhile’
From Reader’s Digest, Jan.1963 SEVEN KEYS TO SUCCESS ByWILLIAM LEDERER Co- author with Eugene Burdick , of `The Ugly American’IN HAWAII, they say that a falling coconut will never strike the bald and shiny head of Henry Kaiser, because the tempestuous builder and improviser never stands in one place long enough. At 80 , Kaiser dashes around with the velocity ofa teenager who has a hornet in his pants. With no thought of retirement, he is currently building a community for 50,000 people in a previously barren area of Hawaii, and he is planning an international medical centre and a system for helping backward countries to develop industry, agriculture and education. Kaiser is noisy and flamboyant. He attacks every project with ferocity and glee. When he inspects a construction job, he flays his arms like a windmill, while shouting orders and questions to everyone within visual distance., His organisation sprawls all over the world. It grosses about a thousand million dollars - annually. Watching him at work recently, I found it hard to believe that as a young man Henry Kaiser was a failure.
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In 1895, when he first started looking for ajob at the age of 13, people in his home town of Sprout Brook, New York, shook their heads . Who would want to employ a fellow like him ? Frail, painfully shy, he messed up everything he attempted. By trial and error over the years, however, Kaiser stumbled upon a formula which he claims guarantees success to anyone who has the courage to apply it . “Anyone can do what I havedone,” he now says modestly. “Anyone who observes my seven principles can’t help being a success “. During many principles to me.
interviews,
Kaiser
carefully explained
his
1. Most people use only one tenth of their total capacity for work and original thought. Harness your full powers and you will be amazed at the results. At 16, the then out of work Kaiser timidly approached the proprietor of a photographic studio. “Mister”, he said , shaking with fright, “I want a job . I think I can treble your profits in two months”. “You can do what ?” laughed the proprietor “Yes , sir. If I don’t treble your profits, I’ will work for nothing. And if I succeed, I want half the extra profits”. “You treble the profits and I’ll make you my partner,” said the owner amused. “At first , “ Kaiser told me, “I was scared. But I had made a commitment, in front of witnesses. Now I had to act. “First I put up signs saying that we gave aone –day photo service. The boss said this could never be done. I assured him that I could do the extra work, and I did . I worked sometimes until four o’ clock in the morning . The boss warned me that I’ d have a nervous breakdown. But a strange thing happened. Working 18 hours a day didn’t tire me. I had a specific goal. I began enjoying myself. I didn’t need as much sleep as previously. Business became so heavy that I had to devise a new studio lighting system and a method of continuous processing tostay ahead of it. At the end of two months, the profits had almost quadrupled. I became a partner .” 2. If you persevere , and push, and hang on long enough, you will wear down the opposition.
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Everyone associated with Kaiser recognizes how powerful a force his persistence is .One of his partners said , “Henry is like a happy elephant . He smiles, and leans against you. After a while you know there’s nothing left to do but move in the direction he’s pushing”. One of the first people to discover this quality in Henry was a hardware proprietor by the name of McGowen. Tiring of the photographic business, Kaiser approached McGowen for a job as a salesman. ‘There’s no job opening here “, said McGowen tartly. But day after day for two weeks, Kaiser returned. On the 15thmorning , before McGowen could say no again, Kaiser said, “Mr.McGowen , just let me show you one urgent matter”. Kaiser pointed. “There are a lot of goods here that haven’t moved because they ‘ re tarnished. I’ll polish them for you…” “Polish the darn stuff. Sell it” McGowen exasperation. “Just stop pestering me”.
moaned
in total
Kaiser started the job. But the next day he cornered the boss again. “Mr.McGowen , it wont work. Polishing that stuff is too slow. I want some boys to help me”. Once more McGowen told Kaiser to get out. However, the following morning Kaiser appeared again, this time with the local banker. “Mr.McGowen , “ said the banker. “Henry wants to borrow enough money to buy some of your tarnished stock. He does’nt have any security but, knowing his perseverance and honesty , I’m willing to lend the money if the price is right.” The surprised McGowen threw his hands into the air. “All right ! All right ! Henry, I give up. Go and get yourself 20 boys. I’ll put you on the staff just to get you off my back”. Kaiser sold the goods at a profit and, within three months, was sales manager of the store. 3. Decide what your real dreams They are closer than you think.
are-
then reach for them.
“Many people”, Henry Kaiser says, “have grand dreams . But they feel these dreams are impossible. They shilly – shally around, wasting their time on routine jobs. They spend their energy telling themselves why it cant be done.
17
“If you think you don’t know what you want to do, just ask yourself, `What do I want most out of life ?” That’s your dream. And no matter how silly or far fetched it appears, you can reach it. First announce what your dreams are . Then look for the ways and means.” How does Henry Kaiser put his own applications into hard reality? Here is what his son, Edgar, said : “At the beginning of the second world war, my father wanted to build ships. Everybody told him it was impossible. So my father called the staff together for an `impossibility conference’. “We listed every reason why we should fail . We had no steel, no shipyard, no experienced shipbuilding personnel, no plans, no money. My father tackled one `reason for falling’ at a time.He had no ship plans and no ship designers . `O.K.’, he said `we ‘ll be our own designers.’ Having no past experience to restrict his thinking, he devised an original method of ship construction based on prefabrication. “This helped us with some of our other roadblocks. The prefabrication system required fewer experienced workers than did traditional methods. We even employed grandmothers as welders in our yards. “The system meant a less complicated shipbuilding, so the problem of getting a shipyard was reduced. The bankers, seeing how our first problems were being minimized , were more inclined to finance us. “And that’s how it is: you solve a small portion of the tough parts, and the remainder falls into place. The reasons for failure appear staggering if viewed collectively; individually they are notso formidable. “Dad became the most successful shipbuilder in the world. He launched a ship a day , about 1,500 of them. He did this by asking , `Why cant it be done ?’ and then eliminating the reasons piecemeal”. 4. Serve the public. Find projects that fill public needs. The more people who benefit , the better it is for you, too. In 1954 Henry Kaiser, then 72 years old, decided holiday in Hawaii. But he had trouble finding a Thousands of tourists had been turned down.
to spend a hotel room.
“A lot of people want to spend money in Hawaii”, said Henry . “Iam going to extend my trip and build some hotels”.
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Some Hawaiian business tycoons laughed when they heard what Kaiser was up to. Where could he build a hotel ? The only sites left in the Waikiki area consisted mostly of mud flats and slums. But it was these mud flats and slums that Kaiser bought. He and his partner, Fitz Burns, brought in 30,000 cubic yards of white sand, turning the mud flats into one of the largest and finest beaches in Waikiki. They cleared the slums and laid foundations. Months later, 875 of the 5000 rooms of the Hawaiian Village Hotel were completed. Guests registered enthusiastically and have ever since. As Kaiser says, “Those who do good for the public usually end up doing well for themselves”. 5. You seldom accomplish the assistance of others.
very much by yourself. You must get
“I make progress,” says Kaiser, “by having people around me who are shrewder than I am and listening to them. And I assume that everyone is shrewder about something than I am”. Kaiser goes about this by constantly seeking opinions. He listens, questions, and listens. When an employee gives him a bright idea, Kaiser usually says, “That ‘s fine . I like it. You’ve just acquired an extra job. Put your idea into action – starting this afternoon .” It makes no difference who the idea man is, the person who shows the initiative is given added responsibility. One result is that the majority of the 60 Kaiser companies are headed by executives who became managers when they were under 32 years of age. 6. Achieving distractions.
success
demands
total
effort.
Beware
of
If you want success, you must pay a price. When you have theurge for diversion – social visits, cards , the cinema, golf - you must evaluate it by asking, “will this expenditure of time and energy help me realize my purpose in life ?” Success is a selfish taskmaster. Read the biographies of famous people – the Curies, Einstein, Edison, Michelangelo, Paderewski. All of them, and nearly everyone else who has achieved greatness, were at their jobs from first morning light until after midnight. Kaiser is like this, too. Watching him embark on a new project is like seeing a man with blinkers on. He only looks ahead – never glances to one side. He is always pushing, pawing, scratching, moving forward. 7. Conduct your affairs as if you expect today to be your last day alive.
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Henry Kaiser is one of the most time conscious people in the world. Even the five hours he allots himself for sleep are productive. This is what he calls his “idea period,” and he always has a pad and pencil next to his bed. People who don’t know him are often amazed when he telephones them at 3 a.m . “Say, Smitty,” comes an almost sinfully cheerful voice. “I’ve just had an idea ..”. Kaiser believes that by saving a few minutes here anda few hours there, it is possible to add many years of usefulness to your life. Every morning, he mentally lists everything he wants to accomplish before midnight . In the late afternoon, he goes over the list. Every project must be completed – just as if Kaiser would not be around tomorrow to take care of loose ends. This practice permits him to start each day “ neat and uncluttered”. It forces him to make decisions as they come up, instead of playing for time. THESE SEVEN principles have catapulted Henry Kaiser from being a sickly, stammering poverty ridden youth to great wealth, vigour, prestige , longevity and happiness. Is it possible for the average person to use these same principles successfully? Henry Kaiser thinks so, “First decide what you want to do, and then have the courage to start towards thegoal, no matter how impossible it looks”, he says. “If you want to get there badly enough, nothing can stop you.”
TWO PASSAGES OF JOHNSON : 1. On perseverance in overcoming and systematic work:
big obstacles by persistent
“All the performances of human art, at which we look with praise or wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance; it is by this that the quarry becomes a pyramid and the distant countries are united by canals. If a man was to compare the effect of a single stroke of a pickaxe, or of one impression of the spade, with the general design and last result, he would be overwhelmed by the sense of their disproportion; yet those petty operations, incessantly continued, in time, surmount the greatest difficulties, and mountains are leveled, and oceans bounded, by the slender force of human beings .” 2. On proper use of time and the rewards that would accrue thereby :
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“The proverbial oracles of our parsimonious ancestors have informed us that the fatal waste of fortune is by small expenses , by the profusion of sums too little singly to alarm our caution, and which we never suffer ourselves to consider together. Of the same kind is prodigality of life. He that hopes to look back hereafter with satisfaction upon past years must learn to know the present value of single minutes, and endeavour to let no particle of time fall useless to the ground. An Italian philosopher expressed in his motto that time was his estate, an estate, indeed that will produce nothing without cultivation, but will always abundantly repay the labours of industry, and satisfy the most extensive desires, if no part of it be suffered to lie waste by negligence to be overrun by noxious plants, orlaid out for show rather than for use.” (Both passages reproduced for “Paraphrasing” in Wren & Martin’s `High School English Grammar and Composition’ )
From display at SBI, Madras 90 : “You are not dressed for the day unless you wear a smile.”
A thought provoking quote of E. Hoffer on the act of being hurried and being extremely `busy’ in life : “The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and havingno time. It is, rather, born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life.” [E.Hoffer in “Reflection on the Human Condition” [Reader’s Digest June 1987 – Quotable Quotes )
“I regard sloth as the major cause of melancholy , in that it provokes a sense of inadequacy and therefore of self reproach and therefore of guilt and finally of fear. Melancholy is caused less by the failure to achieve great ambitions or desires than by the inability to perform small necessary acts.”
[Harold Nicolson, as quoted in “ Points to Ponder” – Reader’s Digest Dec. 1960 issue ]
CERTAIN OTHER INSPIRING QUOTES : Norman Vincent Peale in “The Amazing Power of Positive Thinking” [Chapter on “ Kind of People people like”]
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“When people get rid of fear, anxiety and self -centredness , they develop a kind of ecstatic joy and delight in living. The world seems so different and newly wonderful that they tend to love everybody and everything…. Self consciouspeople are often who have not accepted themselves. It is a very misery producing state of mind and self defeating too. Because the individual is suffering inwardly, other people unconsciously pick up tension and rigidly from his attitude. He never quite makes the grade with them. At least, he thinks he doesn’t and in thinking it, he helps to create unsatisfactory relationships.”
ON SPEECH (From a Tamil quote) 1. "Anbaka Pesu" - Speak with love 2. "Inimayaka Pesu" - Speak with sweetness 3. "Unmaye Pesu" - Speak only truth 4. "Nanmaye Pesu" - Speak only that which is beneficial 5. "Methuvaka Pesu" - Speak softly 6. "Chinthithu Pesu" - Speak after thinking 7. "Samayamarinthu Pesu" - Speak after ascertaining the appropriate time 8. "Sabayarinthu Pesu" - Speak, considering the forum in which you are 9. "Pesamalirinthum Pazhagu" - Also learn to avoid speaking
FROM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY : “ … I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurred to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short precept, which fully expressed the extent I gave to its meaning. These names of virtues with their precepts were : 1. Temperance – Eat not to dullness drink not to elevation. 2. Silence - Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation 3. Order –Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. 4. Resolution - Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. 5. Frugality – Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e. waste nothing 6. Industry- Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cutoff all unnecessary actions.
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7. Sincerity- Use no hurtful deceit, think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly 8. Justice- Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty. 9. Moderation- Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve. 10. Cleanliness – Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloths or habitation 11. Tranquility – Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable. 12. Chastity – Rarely use venery but for health or off –spring, never to dullness , weakness or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation . 13. Humility – Imitate Jesus and Socrates. ……..” From Arthur Conon Doyle’s `Study in Scarlet’ [Chapter 2] “I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now, theskillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain- attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these, he has a large assortment and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that the little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it, there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge, you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.” -Sherlock Homes _____________________________________________________________________ MISCELLANEOUS QUOTES 1. “Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non –essentials”. - Lin Yutang 2. “We are none of us all of a piece; more than one person dwells within us, often in uneasy companionship with his fellows”. -W. Somerset Maugham 3. Ayn Rand sums up her philosophy -“My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the
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moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity and reason as his only absolute … Your life, your achievement , your happiness, your person are of paramount importance. Live upto your highest vision of yourself no matter what the circumstances you might encounter. An exalted view of self - esteem is a man’s most admirable quality.” [From her introduction to her play “Night of January 16 th”]. 4. “ Be simple, be innocent, Be natural, Be practical”. - Maharishee Mahesh Yogi 5. “Life is a comedy for those that think and a tragedy for those that feel .”- Horace Walpole in a letter to Horace Mann _____________________________________________________________________ DON’T QUIT When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As everyone of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don’t give up though the pace seems slowYou might succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up When he might have captured the victor’s cup. And he learned too late, when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out The silver tint of the clouds of doubtAnd you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems afar; So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hitIt’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit. -Author unknown _____________________________________________________________________ EXTRACTS FROM RICHARD BACH’S SEAGULL - A STORY”
“JONATHAN
LIVINGSTON
What he had once hoped for the Flock, he now gained for himself alone; helearned to fly, and was not sorry for the price that
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he had paid. Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed. He learned more each day. He learned that a streamlined high speed dive could bring him to find the rare and tasty fish that schooled ten feet below the surface of the ocean: he no longer needed fishing boats and stale bread for survival. He learned to sleep in the air, setting a course at night across the offshore wind, covering a hundred miles from sunset to sunrise. With the same inner control, he flew through heavy sea fogs and climbed above them into dazzling clear skies … in the very times when every other gull stood on the ground, knowing nothing but mist and rain. He learned to ride the high winds far inland, to dine there on delicate insects. Jonathan’s instructor , Sullivan to Jonathan : “Most of us came along every so slowly. We went from one world into another that was almost exactly like it, forgetting right away where we had come from, not caring, where we were headed, living for the moment. Do you have any idea how many lives we must have gone through before we even got the first idea that there is more to life than eating, or fighting, or power in the Flock ? A thousand lives, Jon, ten thousand ! And then another hundred lives until we began to learn that thereis such a thing as perfection, and another hundred again to get the idea that our purpose for living is to find that perfection and show it forth. The same rule holds for us now, of course, we choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to over come .” “You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there .” “Each of us is in truth an idea of the Great Gull, an unlimited idea of freedom, “ Jonathan would say on the evenings of the beach, “ and precision flying is a step toward expressing our real nature. Everything that limits us we have to put aside. That’s why all this high speed practice, and low -speed and aerobatics…..” .. and his students would be asleep, exhausted from the day’s flying. They liked the practice, because it was fast and exciting and it fed a hunger for learning that grew with every lesson. But not one of them, not even Fletcher Lynd Gull, had come to believe that the flight of ideas could possibly be as real as the flight of wind and feather.
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“Your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip,” Jonathan would say, other times, “is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body , too …”. “The only true law is that which leads to freedom, Jonathan said, "There is no other”. Fletcher Seagull to Jonathan : “ I don’t understand how you manage to love a mob of birds that has just tried to kill you.” “Oh, Fletch, you don’t love that ! You don’t love hatred and evil, if course. You have to practise and see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and to help them see it in themselves. That’s what I meanby love. It’s fun, when you get the knack of it. “I remember a fierce young bird, for instance Fletcher Lynd Seagull, his name . Just been made Outcast, ready to fight the Flock to the death, getting a start on building his own bitter hell out on the Far Cliffs. And here he is today building his own heaven instead, and leading the whole Flock in that direction .”
On perseverance – an excellent poem by H.W Longfellow : The heights by great men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight, But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night. -From “ The Ladders of St. Augustine .”
VERY STRIKING & REMARKABLE PIECES OF WISDOM : “ In making a living today, many no longer leave room for life .” Joseph Sizoo [Reader’s Digest, Aug’89 `Quotable Quotes’] . “When a resolute man steps up to that great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find that the beard comes off in his hand, that it was only tied on to frighten away timid adventures .” -Oliver Wendell Holmes [Reader’s Digest, Aug’89 `Quotable Quotes’] “Men are sometimes cruel but Man is kind. Men are sometimes greedy but man is generous. Men are mortal but man is
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immortal .” -Adlai Stevenson `Quotable Quotes']
[Reader’s Digest
, March
1969,
THINK POSITIVE Say to yourself every morning : *Today is going to be a great day ! *I can handle more than I think I can ! *Things don’t get better by worrying about them! *I can be satisfied if I try to do my best ! *There is always something to be happy about ! *I am going to make someone happy today! *It’s not good to be down! *Life is great, make the most of it ! BE AN OPTIMIST
FROM `TINTERN ABBEY LINES’ [1770 -1850]
OF WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
And this prayer I make, Knowing that Nature never did betray, The heart that loved her, it is her privilege, Through all the years of this our life, to lead From joy to joy, for she can so inform The mind that is within us, so impress With quietness and beauty, and so feed With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues , Rash judgments , nor the sneers of selfish men, Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all The dreary intercourse of daily life, Shall e’er prevail against us, or disturb Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold Is full of blessings.
`IF’ a poem by Rudyard Kipling [1865 – 1936] If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowances for their doubling too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or , being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated don’t give wayto hating,
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And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim, If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same: If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ‘ em up with worn- out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch - and - toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings, And never breathe a word about your loss: If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And sohold on when there is nothing in you Except the willwhich says to them : “Hold on!” If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men countwith you, but not too much: If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And – which is more – you’ ll be a Man, my son !
Malcolm Maitz’s elaboration of ` Success’ and `Failure’, as noted his book `Psycho Cybernetics’.
in
a. `SUCCESS’ – Characterised by seven qualities ,each standing for the seven letters in the word `Success’ itself (i) Sense of Direction ; (ii) Understanding;(iii) Courage;(iv) Charity;(v) Esteem;(vi) Self -confidence ;(vii) Self- acceptance. b. `FAILURE’ , also as characterized by seven qualities, each standing for the seven letters in the word, FAILURE - (i) Frustration;(ii) Aggressiveness ( misdirected);(iii) Insecurity;(iv) Loneliness ;(v) Uncertainty;(vi) Resentment ;(vii) Emptiness
POEM OF THOMSON (As reproduced in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography)
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“Father of light and life, thou Good Supreme ! O teach me what is good; teach me Thyself ! Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, From every low pursuit, and fill my soul With knowledge , conscious peace, and virtue pure; Sacred, Substantial , never fading bliss !”
ON PERSEVERANCE IN THE FACE OF DIFFICULTIES I) The following is an extract from a letter by Yogi Sri Krishna Prem to Dilip Kumar Roy, the singer “You say you find it hard to go on. That is a good sign. This path is the hardest path in the world and as long as we find it easy, we may be sure that we are not getting very far but just free wheeling easily along a level road. O yes, we may be happy and peaceful for a time but that happiness or peace is illusory. Anything can disturb it and we achieve nothing. His peace is something quite different, something that has its being in the very heart of tremendous winds, winds which would shatter us to atoms. It is only when the strain begins to tell on us, when the breath comes short, that we can know thatwe are really climbing. Till then all that we have done almost is to go over rapidly the ground we covered in a previous life. This life begins when the strain comes on - scarcely before. There is no attainment of Him until the eggshell of self is broken. Why then should we complain when the breaking strain begins to come on. With pains, we are born both physically and spiritually. Why do you not sing only to Him ?. If you do, I’m sure that , that which is within you will burst its banks and flow in a great tide. Forget your problems, settle downto aspiration and devotion leaving it to Krishna to do what He is sure to do in His own right way and time.” II) Talking about the Bhagavad Gita’s ` Yoga of Dejection’, Swamy Satyananda Saraswathi says, “Unless your soul faces conflicts, unless your mind faces difficulties and disappointments , it will not become active …” III) Shakespeare on “Adversity” “Sweet are the uses of adversity , Which like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head” [ As you Like it –II, I] QUOTES FROM NORMAN LEWIS AND RAJAJI 1. Norman Lewis’s description of the ` indefatigable’ person ( in his `Word Power Made Easy’) :
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“Arnold Bennet once pointed out that we all have the same amount of time – twenty four hours a day. Strictly speaking that’s as inconclusive an observation as Bennet ever made. It’s not time that counts but energy – and of that wonderful quality , we all have very different amounts, from the person who wakes up tired no matter how much sleep he’s had, to that lucky, well - adjusted mortal who hardly ever needs to sleep. Energy comes from a healthy body of course, it also comes from a psychological balance, a lack of conflicts and insecurities. And this man apparently has boundless, illimitable energy – he’s on the go from morning to night, and often far into the night, working hard, playing hard, never tiring, never “pooped” or “bushed” - and getting twice as much done as any three other people - He is INDEFATIGABLE”. 2.Norman Lewis also conceives of the ` magnanimous’person as – “He’s the most generous about forgiving a slight, an insult, an injury. Never does he harbor resentment, shore up petty grudges or waste energy or thought on means of revenge or retaliation . How could he ? He’s much too big a person - He’s MAGNANIMOUS. 3. C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) on `Bhakti' “When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life and issues out in action it becomes `Bhakti’ . Knowledge, when it becomes fully mature, is `Bhakti’. If it does not get transformed into `Bhakti’, such knowledge is useless tinsel”.
Extracts from“How to Dick Carlson
Develop
Personal
Power”
by
“Personal power is fundamental to achievement in any field, it is the key to the realization of self the development of one’s potential capabilities of service. It is the final measure of a person’s worth to himself and to others regardless of properties and titles that maybe registered in his name on the court’s records. Experience has led me to believe that personality is the total of one’s inherent characteristics and the visible results of one’s habits as evidenced in the expression of his intellectual traits, emotional traits and physical traits.
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Why are some people always welcome everywhere while some are regarded as bores ? Do your acquaintances find you charming or uninteresting ? Are those persons with whom you come into contact impressed with your pleasantness, your range of information, your cultivation of worthwhile things and your ability to think straight and talk well ? Do you want them to be impressed ? “Where is no vision, there people perish.” Plans tend to harden into realities, first the ideal and then the reality. The distinguished men and women from all walks of life have won the honour and recognition because they developed into realities the visions of a constructive imagination. They visusalised possibilities, developed plans and then produced their visions in realities and achievement. Your purpose in life is of vital importance. When once you have established a purpose fortified by a determination to succeed, you will naturally begin to study ways and means of attaining your desired goal. Your purpose will unconsciously prompt your efforts and you will see yourself finding and taking the best, easiest and quickest ways of obtaining your major objectives.”
WHOSE JOB IS IT ? This is a story of four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that , because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done. WHAT IS LIFE ? LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE LIFE
IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS
A CHALLENGE - MEET IT A GIFT - ACCEPT IT AN ADVENTURE – DARE IT A SORROW - OVERCOME IT A TRAGEDY - FACE IT A DUTY - PERFORM IT A GAME – PLAYIT MYSTERY – UNFOLD IT A SONG - SING IT AN OPPORTUNITY – TAKE IT A JOURNEY - COMPLETE IT A PROMISE - FULFILL IT A LOVE - DISCOVER IT A BEAUTY – PRAISE IT
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LIFE IS A PUZZLE -SOLVE IT LIFE ISA GOAL - ACHIEVE IT The The The The The The The The The The The
Best Day – Today Great Sin – Fear Best Gift - Forgiveness Meanest Feeling - Jealousy Greatest Need – Commonsense Most Expensive Indulgence –Hatred Greatest Trouble Maker – Talking too much Greatest Teacher - One who does what he thinks right Worst Bankrupt – The soul that has lost its enthusiasm Cheapest, Easiest , Stupidest thing – Finding fault Best Part of anyone’s religion – Greatliness and cheerfulness
ALL THINGS Alexander
BRIGHT &BEAUTIFUL
-By Cecil
All things bright and beautiful All creatures great and small All things wise and wonderful The good god made them all. Each little flower that opens Each little bird that sings He made their glowing colors He made their tiny wings. The purple headed mountain The river running by The morning and the sunset That brightens up the sky. The cold wind in the winter, The pleasant summer sun, The ripe fruits in the garden He made them everyone. He gave us eyes to see them And lips that we might tell How great is god almighty Who has made all things well. THE MILLER OF THE DEE By C. MACKAY (1814 – 1889) There dwelt a miller, hale and bold,
Frances
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Beside the river Dee, He wrought and sang from morn to night, No lark more blithe than he, And this he burden of his song For ever used to be, “I envy nobody, not I, And nobody envies me”. “Thou’rt wrong, my friend !” said Old King Hal, “Thou’rt wrong as wrong can be ; For could my heart be light as thine, I’ d gladly change with thee. And tell me now what makes thee sing With voice so loud and free, While I am sad, though I’ m the King, Beside the river Dee ?” The miller smiled, and doffed his cap: “I earn my bread ,” quoth he; “ I love my wife, I love my friends, I love my children three ; I owe no penny I cannot pay, I thank the river Dee, That turns the mill that grinds the corn, To feed my babies and me.” “Good friend !” said Hal, and sighed the while, “Farewell and happy be ; But say no more if thou’dst be true, That no one envies thee. Thy mealy cap is worth my crown, -Thy mill, my kingdom’s fee ! Such men as thou art England’s boast, O miller of the Dee !” Abou Ben Adhem JAMES HENRY LEIGH HUNT (Born October 19 , 1784, died August 28, 1859) Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase !) Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, And saw, within the moonlight in his room, Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom, An Angel writing in a book of gold : Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, And to the Presence in the room he said, “What writest thou ?” The Vision raised its head,
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And with a look made of all sweet accord Answered, “ The names of those who love the Lord”. “And is mine one ?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,” Replied the Angel . Abou spoke more low, But cheerly still; and said, “ I pray thee , then, Write me as one that loves his fellow – men .” The Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night It came again with a great wakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed, And , lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest !
CERTAIN QUOTES FROM ‘THE BIBLE’; “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free “ (John , VIII, 32 ) “Enter the sacred place barefoot “ ( Exodus , 3, 5) “Be careful for nothing -- but in prayer, supplicate to God (Philipians : 4,6) “Be still and know that I am God” ( Psalms : 46, 10) On “Faith and works” ( dealt with in James : 2, 20 – “Faith without works is dead”. “He that is without sin, cast the first stone ( John: 8,7) “ …… Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” ( Mathew 19,21) “ Go sell all you have , give to the poor and follow me (Mathew 19, 21) “ I have fought the good fight , finished the race … kept faith (2, Timothy : 4, 7) “Whatsoever things are fresh, pure, lovely …. think on those things - (Philippians - 4, 8) “Faith can move mountains” – Summary of Mathew : 17,20
CERTAIN PARTICULAR INSPIRING QUOTES
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1. Spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak ( Bible - Mathew – 26,4) ; Similar message of Kalidasa in ‘Kumara Sambhavam’ – Fifth Canto; Verse -33, “ The body comes first when it comes to any accomplishment” . Similar by Thirumoolar “I nutured my body , thus nurtured my life”. 2. “Life lived by choice in conscious action, while life lived by chance is unconscious reaction “ ( Neale Donald Walsh – ‘Conversations with God’) 3. “Human nature is so construed that it gives affection most readily to those who least seem to demand it”- ( Bertrand Russel in `Conquest of Happiness’) 4. “Angels fly because they take themselves lightly (G.K. Chesterton ; Reader’s Digest ; `Quotable Quotes’ : April , 1971) 5. `Swetasvatara Upanishad’ – sums up the yoga this
attainments
through
Feeling of lightness, health, freedom from cravings, clear complexion , good voice, exuding good smell, passing just the minimal quantity of stools and urine - these are the first signs of entering yoga”. (Chapter II, Verse – 13 ) 6. The concept of “joy within , peace within and light within” - `anta sukah, atararamah, antarjyothi” - (Bhagavad Gita, 5,24) 7. When the power of love becomes more than the love of power, there will be peace” – Author unknown. 8. Old Sanskrit quote:“Snakes live on air, they are not weak, the wild elephants live only on dried grass; ascetics carry on with just roots and fruits ; in contentment and true happiness (‘Santosha’), lies man’s real wealth”. 9. “A pot is gradually filled by drops of water falling into it. This is the way to gain all knowledge , virtue and wealth” - From `Hitopadesha’. 10. “The calmer we are , the less disturbed our nerves, the more shall we love and the better and our work be” - Vivekananda 11. “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy is when men are afraid of the light” –Plato.
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12. “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened”. ( From the desk calendar, 2005 of `Enercon’) 13. “Small streams of caring become a river of love” 14. “ He that eats till he is sick must fast till he is well”. - Thomas Fuller ( as in the consolidation of Reader’s Digest’s ‘Quotable Quotes’) 15. “Sometimes to be noticed , all your
need is to be quiet”.
16. “There is never a wrong time to do the right thing.” 17. “The search for happiness is one of the main reasons for unhappiness . Accept the life the way it comes. You will find happiness in every moment you live”. - (“From a SMS message ) 18. “For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, “It might have been”. - John Greenleaf Whittier in `Maud Muller’ 19. And of all words of prose and rhyme, the gladdest are, “Act while there yet is time” – F.P. Adams 20. “Powerlessness – real or imagined - is one of the major causes of frustration, stress and burn out .When people feel that they have no power even over their own daily work schedules, the results are instantly stressful.” - ( Mark Gorkin, as quoted in the article , `Diffuse power struggles in time’ in ` The Hindu’ dt.July 4,2007) 21. “Human nature is so construed that it gives affection most readily to those who seem least to demand it” - Bertrand Russel in ` Conquest of Happiness’ (Ch. XII `Affection’) 22. “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment” – Jim Rohn 23. “When a man is eager and willing , the Gods join in” – Aeschyles 24. “Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless pace that they hurry past it” - - Kierkegaard , Eitherlor, 1843. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certain Quotes on Pursuit of One’s dreams: 1. “Genius does what it must ; Talent does what it can” – Edward Bullwer
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(`Econ.Times , Management Buffer’ – dt. Sep. 20, 1999) 2. Concept of “Climb Every Mountain ------ Till you find your dream” . 3. “ It may be those who do most , dream most” – Stephen Leacock ( `Econ. Times’, Management Bytes dt. Sep 22, 1999) 4. The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up (Reader’s Digest , Quotable Quotes - June 1985 – by JMP) 5. The old Sanskrit quote “Chintita Manoradah Avaaptirasthu” - “May what you aspire for be accomplished” also same message in “ManoradahVaanchaPhalaSiddhirashu” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Three Songs from “Sound of Music” : Song -1
Climb Every Mountain Climb ev’ry mountain Search high and low Follow every byway Every path you know . Climb ev’ry mountain Ford every stream Follow every rainbow Till you find your dream. A dream that will need All the love you can give Every day of your life For as long as you live. Climb ev’ry mountain Ford every stream Follow every rainbow Till you find your dream. A dream that will need All the love you can give Every day of your life For as long as you need Climb ev’ry mountain Fold every stream Follow every rainbow Till—you – find – your – dream!
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Song -2
Final portion of “I have confidence” With each step I am more certain, Everything will turn out fine. I have confidence, The world can all be mine! They’ll have to agree I have confidence in me. I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in rain. I have confidence that spring will come again! Besides, which you see I have confidence in me. Strength doesn’t lie in numbers. Strength doesn’t lie in wealth, Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers, When you wake up, wake up! It tells me all I trust I leave my heart to , All I trust becomes my own! I have confidence in confidence alone! Besides which you see , I have confidence in me! Song -3
My Favorite Things Raindrops on roses, And whiskers on kittens, Bright copper kettles And warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages Tied up with string, These are a few of my favorite things. Cream colored ponies, And crisp apple strudel. Doorbells andsleighbells And schnitzel with noodles, Wild geese that fly With the moon on their wings , These are a few of my favorite things. Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes, Silver white winters that melt into springs These are a few of my favorite things.
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When the dog bites, When the bee stings, When I’ m feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, And then I don’t feel so bad! Buddha on “Not pursuing the past” and on “living alone” (From the book, “Our Appointment with Life”, by Thich Nhat Hanh) “When someone thinks how his body was in the past, how his feelings were in the past, how his perceptions were in the past, how his mental factors were in the past, how his consciousness was in the past, when he thinks like that and gives rise to a mind which is enslaved by those things which belong to the past, then that person is pursuing the past .” “When someone thinks about the way his body was in the past, the way his feelings were in the past, the way his perceptions were in the past, the way his mental factors were in the past, the way his consciousness was in the past; when he thinks about these things but his mind is neither enslaved by nor attached to these things which belong to the past, then that person is not pursuing the past” On “living alone”, Buddha’s observations : “Let go of what is past. Let go of what is not yet. Observe deeply what is happening in the present moment, but do not be attached to it. This is the most wonderful way to live alone.” “A person who knows the better way to live alone is someone who lives at ease, not bound by the internal formations which are based in the objects of the six senses, ie in form, sound, smell, taste, touch and the objects of the mind.” … .. “ To live alone does not mean to reject the world and society. The Buddha said that living alone means living in the present moment deeply observing what is happening. If we do that, we will not be dragged into the past or swept away into thoughts about the future. The Buddha said that if we cannot live in the present moment, even if we are alone in the deepest forest, we are not really alone. He said that if we are fully alive in the present moment, even if we are in a crowded urban area we can still be said to be living alone .”
Thomas Gray’s immortal lines from the poem, ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’ Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
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Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
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ALPHABETICAL INDEX Abou Ben Adhem
28
Adlai Stevenson
21
“All Things Bright and Beautiful”
27
Ardis Whatman
7
“Are You Troubled” By James Allen
4
Awesome Power to be Ourselves
7
Ayn Rand
19
Benjamin Franklin –from his autobiography
17
Best Day, Great Sin etc.
27
Bhakti – Rajaji’s quote
24
Bible – Certain Quotes
29
Buddha on “Not Pursuing The Past” and “Living Alone”
34
Cardinal Newman
1
Cecil Frances Alexander
27
“Climb Every Mountain”
32
Conon Doyle
18
Dick Carlson
25
“Don’t Quit” – Poem
19
Dreams – Certain Quotes
31
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
10
Franklin Benjamin
17
“Foot Prints” Poem
3
“Full Many a Flower”
34
Gray Thomas – Elegy
34
Herold Nicholson on Sloth and Melancholy
16
Hoffer E. on Being Hurried
16
41
Holmes Oliver Wendell
21
Horace Walpole on ‘Feeling’ and ‘Thinking’
19
If- Poem by Kipling
22
“I Have Confidence”
32
Inspiring Quotes
29
James Allen
4
Johnson- Two Passages
15
Johnathan Livingston Seagull- Extracts
19
Joseph Sizoo
21
Joyce Kilmer, “Love’s Lantern”
3
Kipling Rudyard
22
Krishnaprem Yogi’s letter
24
Leigh Hunt, “Abou Ben Adhem’
28
Lin Yutang
18
Life- What it is
26
Longfellow
1, 21
Love’s Lantern
3
Mackay C- “Miller of the Dee”
27
Malcolm Maltz on ‘Success’ and ‘Failure’
23
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
19
Maugham Somerset on conflicts
18
“Miller of the Dee”
27
Newman Cardinal
1
Norman Lewis on ‘Indefatigable’ and ‘magnanimous’
24
Norman Vincent Peale
16
Oliver Wendell Holmes
21
Peale Norman Vincent
16
Perseverance – Longfellow
21
42
Psalm of Life
1
Quotes – Certain Inspiring Ones
29
Rajaji on Bhakti
24
Recipe for Happiness
9
Rudyard Kipling
22
SBI Quote
16
Seven Keys to Success
1o
Shakespeare on Adversity
24
“Smile” – SBI Quote
16
Somerset Maugham on Conflicts
18
‘Sound of Music’ –Three songs
32’33
Stevenson, Adlai
21
St. Francis of Assisi
3
‘Success’ and ‘Failure’ – Malcom Maltz
23
Swamy Satyananda on Conflicts etc.
24
Tagore’s Poem
2
Tamil Quote on Speech
17
Think Positive
21
Thomson’s Poem on “Sacred, Substantial….Bliss”
23
Thomas Gray’s Elegy (Extracts)
34
Tintern Abbey Lives by Wordsworth
22
Vivekananda on Gita
6
Walpole Horace on ‘feeling’ and ‘thinking’
19
Whose Job is It?
26
William Lederer – “Seven Keys to Success”
10
Wordsworth William ‘Tintern Abbey Lives’
22
‘Worthwhile’ By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
10
43
Yogi Sri Krishnaprem’s letter to Dilip Kumar Roy
24