The late Pope John Paul II urged the church of the 21st century to heed the advice of St. Paulinus of Nola: “Let us listen to what all the faithful say, because in every one of them the Spirit of God breathes” (Tertio Millennio Adveniente, No. 45).
       America Magazine – catholic weekly magazine:

There is no such thing as can't, only won't. If you're qualified, all it takes is a burning desire to accomplish, to make a change. Go forward, go backward. Whatever it takes! But you can't blame other people or society in general. It all comes from your mind. When we do the impossible we realize we are special people.

       Jan Ashford

Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.

       Robert Louis Stevenson

Everyone's life is under someone's control - it might as well be under your own so that you can direct your destiny.

       Harry Tucker

Many people like to think that they'll find balance AFTER they find success. But in reality, achieving balance IS success.

       Brian Koslow

I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.

       Jimmy Dean

No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined.
No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled.
No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined.

       Harry E. Fosdick

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards:
they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so they will be happier.
The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.

       Margaret Young

Life is like riding a bike.
It is impossible to maintain your balance while standing still.

       Linda Brakeall

Believe while others are doubting.
Plan while others are playing.
Study while others are sleeping.
Decide while others are delaying.
Prepare while others are daydreaming.
Begin while others are procrastinating.
Work while others are wishing.
Save while others are wasting.
Listen while others are talking.
Smile while others are frowning.
Commend while others are criticizing.
Persist while others are quitting

Believe while others ..
             By William Arthur Ward

A life lived with integrity - even if it lacks the trappings of fame and fortune is a shinning star in whose light others may follow in the years to come.

       Denis Waitley

We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us.

       Virginia Satir

The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those, which fail.

       Napoleon Hill

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
       Albert Schwietzer

Find purpose, live longer.
Add years to your life, by adding life to your years.
Purpose gives you fulfillment and joy and that can bring you the experience of happiness.
Consider your Gifts, Values and Passion.
That is your calling. Ask yourself: What are my unique skills, who are my heroes.
If I had all the money and time in the world, how would I use my talents to serve humanity?

Koenig quotes:

We find fulfillment in activities that develop a skill, challenges us, and provide ongoing feedback…called FLOW.
Koenig explains, people who believe in God often feel that in itself is the reward that gives life meaning.

It is the sense that God has a purpose for humanity and for all creation. And that each of us has a special role in that divine plan.

Volunteer in something that is meaningful to you. There is no such thing as can't, only won't.
If you're qualified, all it takes is a burning desire to accomplish, to make a change.
Go forward, go backward. Whatever it takes!

But you can't blame other people or society in general. It all comes from your mind.
When we do the impossible we realize we are special people.

       Jan Ashford

Be careful of the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful of the friends you choose for you will become like them.

       W. Clement Stone

The size of the future you actually experience will largely be determined by one factor: the people you choose to connect with. When you invite people who are truly committed to growth into every aspect of your life, your own potential for growth becomes truly unlimited. (10/8/2008)

       Dan Sullivan

"Lack and limitation can only exist when we make room for them in our mind"

-        Bob Proctor

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

       George Bernard Shaw

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.

       Jim Rohn

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

       William James, Oct 2, 2008 Feast of Our Guardian Angels

You can't help someone get up a hill without getting closer to the top yourself.

       H. Norman Schwarzkopf

A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.

       Benjamin Franklin

Success comes from taking the initiative and following up... persisting... eloquently expressing the depth of your love. What simple action could you take today to produce a new momentum toward success in your life?

       Anthony Robbins

In order to do what really matters to you, you have to, first of all, know what really matters to you.

       Dr. Edward Hallowell

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

       William James

The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is that interests you and that you can do well, and when you find it put your whole soul into it - every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have.

       John D. Rockefeller III

Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.

       W. Clement Stone

Believe in yourself and there will come a day when others will have no choice but to believe with you.

       Cynthia Kersey

“Jesus, I trust this situation to your unfailing love. You are my refuge and my stronghold. Help me to look beyond my circumstances to see your mighty power!”

      Isaiah 56:1,6-7;?Psalm 67:2-3,5-6,8;?Romans 11:13-15,29-32

Father, free me from anger, guilt, uncertainty, and fear. I want to receive your mercy and live in freedom today, a vessel pouring out mercy to all whom I meet.”

      Ezekiel 12:1-12; ?Psalm 78:56-59,61-62

The liar s punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.

       George Bernard Shaw

The great use for life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.

       William James

The civilization of love is not about getting rid of ordinary life, but about living it in an extraordinary way. In a transfigured way. And in a way that invites others to see the face of Jesus and be transfigured too,”

       Cardinal Turcotte said in closing

Character is to man what carbon is to steel.

       Napoleon Hill

If you want a life with no bumps, you'll never learn how to take your lumps.

       Kent Krive

Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and character.

Adversity cause some men to break; others to break records.

       William Arthur Ward

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."

       Arnold Schwarzenegger

You are going to let the fear of poverty govern your life and your reward will be that you will eat, but you will not live.

       George Bernard Shaw

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength but by perseverance.

       H. Jackson Brown

Jesus, I surrender. I give you all of my sickness, all of my wounds, all of my grief: You are my only hope, Lord. Stretch out your hand, and touch me with your love.”

       A prayer

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.

       Sir Winston Churchill

It doesn't matter how strong your opinions are. If you don't use your power for positive change, you are, indeed, part of the problem.

       Coretta Scott King

The world is a great mirror. It reflects back to you what you are. If you are loving, if you are friendly, if you are helpful, the world will prove loving and friendly and helpful to you. The world is what you are.

       Thomas Dreier

Can there be anything more exciting than knowing that we have been anointed to be Jesus’ hands and feet in this world? He has promised us that “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these” (John 14:12).

      A reflection

Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.

       Melba Colgrove

Money is one of the most important subjects of your entire life. Some of life's greatest enjoyments and most of life's greatest disappointments stem from your decisions about money. Whether you experience great peace of mind or constant anxiety will depend on getting your finances under control.

       Robert G. Allen

"An attentive listening to the Word is fundamental to a personal encounter with God,        Instrumemtum laboris

"The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them."

       Benjamin Jowett (1817-1893), British theologian

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.

       Les Brown

For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, "It might have been".

       John Greenleaf Whittier

Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.

       John Wooden

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

       Robert F. Kennedy

You can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.

       Charles F. Kettering

A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.

       Patricia Neal

Self-discipline is when your conscience tells you to do something and you don't talk back.

       W.K. Hope

A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.

       Arnold Glasgow

One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.

       Andre Gide

People may fail many times, but they become failures only when they begin to blame someone else. Experience is determined by yourself -- not the circumstances of your life.

       Gita Bellin

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do.

       Henry Ford

"May Almighty God bless you always and comfort you with his grace and his peace, so that through the care you offer to the entire human family, you can continue to be of service to him."

       Pope Benedict’s blessing the UN staff in New York

Live as you will wish to have lived when you are dying.

       Christian Furchtegott Gellert

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.

       Hugh Downs

Giving connects two people, the giver and the receiver, and this connection gives birth to a new sense of belonging.

       Deepak Chopra

It has been a joy for me to witness the faith and devotion of the Catholic community here,”

       Benedict said at the farewell ceremony.

It is not the cards you are dealt with, …. but what you do with them that counts!

       Anonymous

Micah 6:8

What Micah so aptly described can be summed with one word – faith. Faith in Jesus Christ is the answer and nothing else can ever please God. Many substitute religious works – church attendance, piety, good works, etc. – anything in place of faith.

       4/16/2008 Pope Benedict speaking at the White House S. Lawn

There is a time when we must firmly choose the course we will follow, or the relentless drift of events will make the decision for us.

       Herbert Prochnow

What’s unfamiliar is what brings us God’s revelation. One of the marks of true revelation is that it stretches us, takes us into territory, and opens us up to realities we cannot imagine.

And that is why we sometimes experience dark nights of the soul in our faith and religious beliefs. Essentially what a dark night of the soul does is clear away false debris, false securities, and the manipulative images of God that we created for ourselves.

      Rev. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI March 2008 perspectives

It is the personal thoughtfulness, the warm human awareness, the reaching out of the self to one's fellow man that makes giving worthy of the Christmas spirit.

       Isabel Currier

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.

       Oren Arnold

One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; but in the choices one makes. We shape our lives and we shape ourselves with the process until we die.

       Eleanor Roosevelt

The next time you encounter a situation that provokes you to an emotional response, don’t deny your feelings or condemn yourself for not being holy enough. Instead, bring your reactions to the Lord. Ask him to purify them, and let him make you fully alive!

       (WAU) Word Among Us

The price of excellence is discipline. The cost of mediocrity is disappointment.

       William Arthur Ward



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       Collected through the years./ea