“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
Quotes
Dying vs Living
“Dying’s easy… Living’s hard.”
“Memory” Vorkosigan Saga #10 – Lois McMaster Bujold
Worth Living For…
“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 Lost…
“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
Where You Start: Stop Thinking
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.
Stories About Essential Matters
Tell, Ask for, and Listen to Stories About Each Others’ “Essential Matters”
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.
Enlightenment Cannot Be Enforced
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”
The Storytelling Animal
“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.
Be Proud of All You Do
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”
Anger punishes
I like this quote. It rings true for me.
“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
It is commonly attributed to Buddha. In fact I most recently saw it and a bunch of other powerful quotes on this Buddha Quotes page that a friend happened to like or comment about on social media. But as this page on a “Fake Buddha Quotes” website shows the phrasing of this quote makes that very unlikely. In fact the Fake Quotes site has an entire page dedicated to the veracity the the first Quotes Page, showing that many of the quotes were not “from” Buddha. Continue reading Anger punishes