FORWARD: When I come upon a quote that is particularly meaningful to me, I don’t think it happened by accident.
I believe that when it appears in my universe, does so because I have decided that I need it, or something like it at that moment in my life.
For instance, when I feel I’m ready for a heady dose of expansion, like when I need to break out of some old habit or pattern of living, usually the first things that show up are things that I should have confronted and handled long ago; things that may have been inhibiting my ability to move out and expand to other areas.
These things tend to presenting themselves to be handled once I make the decision to expand. Like cleaning out a closet that is long overdue in having order put in, it’s a mess when I first start. Persistence and endurance will win the day however, and order will once again prevail.
So it is with most aspects of my life. Once I decide that I am going to set upon a course for expansion of some type, the weakest link in the process inevitably and invariably shows up to command my attention until it’s taken care of. I never shy away from this phenomena, instead, I welcome it. It proves to me that I have ignored, neglected, or hidden from things that I should have faced head on, long ago. Now I have the chance to address these issues and put them terminatedly behind me, exposing an exciting new future to move into!
So – because they appeared in my universe – the quotes to follow are some of my favorite ones, in no particular order. I’ve also included some of my own, because they also fit the criteria I’ve set for inclusion.
I hope you find one or more that may hold some meaning for you as well.
- daniel w. jacobs
MY FAVORITE QUOTES
Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. – Oliver Wendell Holmes
The price of freedom is never too great – when the cost of indifference is so dear. – daniel w. jacobs
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. -Abraham Lincoln
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. – Albert Schweitzer
We project ourselves on everyone else. We see hate in others because we ourselves hate. We see love in others because we ourselves love. We see talent and potential in others because we believe those qualities are in ourselves. When we see others as a hopeless case, it’s because we feel that way about ourselves. – Brian Austin Whitney
Nothing can truly harm you – unless you have decided priorly that such a thing is harmful. When you set up the idea that anything is too painful to experience, you also set it up so that you can be harmed by that thing. – daniel w. jacobs
A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy. What a man can be, he must be. – Abraham Maslow
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. – Theodore Rooevelt
People have an insatiable demand and desire for surprise. – daniel w. jacobs
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Your power to expand is infinite – so is your ability to limit yourself. – daniel w. jacobs
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. — George Bernard Shaw
It’s never too late to be who you really are . . . and who you have always been. – daniel w. jacobs
My creed for art in general is that it should enrich the soul; it should teach spirituality by showing a person a portion of himself that he would not discover otherwise . . . a part of yourself you never knew existed. – pianist Bill Evans
Your future unfolds with inexorable certainty but in minute increments. Thereby, even a slight shift of viewpoint can precipitate enormous changes in your life. Large changes do occur, but only when preceded by countless smaller ones. We all carry with us the seeds of our future – planted and given life and sustenance by our continued attention on them. – daniel w. jacobs
The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. – Hans Hoffman, abstract expressionist painter.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill
Every time I’ve done something that doesn’t feel right, it’s ended up not being right. – Mario Cuomo
Criticism can often expose hidden harmful intent. Sometimes it is only revealed by subtle signs embedded in the words or actions of the critic exposing the existence of something not apparent in the message. Stay alert; listen with your eyes, see with your ears, trust your instincts and act or re-act accordingly. – daniel w. jacobs
Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others. – Sir Winston Churchill
Wisdom begins by calling things by their right name.- Ancient Chinese proverb
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo Da Vinci
Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. – George Washington
The willing contribution, coordination and cooperation of the individuals in the group can lead to a strong and expanding entity. Moreover, the relationship is symbiotic, as the group thus empowered becomes a greater source of strength and power for the individuals responsible for it’s continued creation. – daniel w. jacobs
Our enemies of today are the forces of privilege and greed within our own borders. – Franklin Roosevelt
A steady diet of canned media chatter can lead to truth decay. – daniel w. jacobs
In all recorded history there has not been one economist who has had to worry about where the next meal would come from. – Peter Drucker
