“Sometimes, you have to step outside of the person you’ve been and remember the person you were meant to be. The person you want to be. The person you are.”
– HG Wells
PERSONAL NOTE: Commonly attributed to H.G. Wells, but I have been unable to find a definitive source in online searches for this from his published works, letters, or papers. Regardless of whether he actually said it, I believe it holds a deep Truth, as I find this is what meditation does for me.
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
– Helen Keller
NOTE: As usual I later looked back for the original source of this quote and verify its attribution to Keller. Turns out she did say it, but some original version of the saying was around before then, and its many sources and variations is muddled if interesting (to me). Regardles, the saying is another of those that I find very True.
“Dying’s easy… Living’s hard.”
“Memory” Vorkosigan Saga #10 – Lois McMaster Bujold
“It’s easy to find something worth dying for. Do you have anything worth living for?” — Lorien
More sci-fi philosophy…This quote is from Babylon 5, Season 4 Episode 2 ‘Whatever Happened To Mr. Garibaldi?’. The series as a whole has some great quotes, but this episode alone had a bunch of powerful lines, most coming from the enigmatic character of Lorien, ‘The First One’.
The quote above comes from the beginning of an exchange between the character of Sheridan and Lorien, which ends a few lines later with these two lines: Continue reading Worth Living For…
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
I love this quote and it means many things to me. Just this line alone is awesome, but the entire stanza of the poem that it comes from is also pretty amazing and deep and bears quoting too. So for good measure, here’s that stanza:
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
More Stargate Spirituality, this time courtesy of Stargate Atlantis…
WEIR: Rodney … I still believe there’s a chance you can ascend if you put your mind to it.
McKAY: We both know that that is a waste of time. Maybe you could do it, but …
WEIR: I don’t know if I could, but you are certainly selling yourself short by not even trying.
McKAY: To be honest, I don’t have the first clue where to start.
WEIR: Stop thinking.
McKAY: See, I don’t understand that.
When we share our stories with one another, that is when we truly connect and recognize ourselves and the Universe in one another. That is when we move beyond separation and opposition and into partnership and power and possibility.
It’s a pop sci-fi action / adventure TV show, talking about a bunch of super-evolved alien ancestors, but it also seems to be saying so much more; a more I happen to agree strongly with… Those who are truly “enlightened” do not force, judge or condemn those who have yet to find it; know that it is a never-ending quest; and are aware that there are many different paths to find it.
“I can’t speak for everyone in my galaxy, but in my own humble opinion, I don’t believe that any individual or society can achieve enlightenment through fear-mongering and force and servitude no matter what power is presented as evidence… Don’t get me wrong, we should all be trying to better ourselves. If Ascension is the ultimate end we’re all trying to achieve, then so be it, but we should all be allowed to get there or not of our own free will. Kill me for saying that, but that is what I believe. Nothing you say or do will ever change my mind.” – Daniel Jackson, Stargate SG-1 S09E03 “Origin”
“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” – The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by JONATHAN GOTTSCHALL
I haven’t read this book, but stumbled on this quote which I really like and it rings very true for me. I may decide to check this out from library, as it has good reviews, doesn’t sound too technical and it supposedly a quick and entertaining read. Regardless, I want to remember this quote.
Much of what I do would be considered blue-collar, manual labor. And I kind of like it. You can see what you have accomplished each day. I care what other’s think of my work and ethic, but mostly, I care what I think about it.
“People call this blue-collar. I don’t care what color your shirt is. You bring pride to the job, people notice. Even if they don’t, you notice.”
– NCIS S12E17 “The Artful Dodger”
