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Nagesh Belludi

Inspirational Quotations #522

April 6, 2014 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Every condition of life has its perils and its advantages; and the office of religion is, not to change that in which Providence has placed us, but to strengthen and sanctify our hearts that we may resist the temptations, and improve the opportunities of blessings presented to us.
—George Washington Bethune

What a heavy burden is a name that has too soon become famous.
—Voltaire (French Philosopher)

Have you learned lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned great lessons from those who rejected you, and braced themselves against you, or disputed the passage with you?
—Walt Whitman (American Poet)

Failure is nature’s plan to prepare you for great responsibilities.
—Napoleon Hill (American Author)

Things of the spirit differ from things material in that the more you give the more you have.
—Christopher Morley (American Journalist)

Some men can live up to their loftiest ideals without ever going higher than a basement.
—Theodore Roosevelt (American Head of State)

Work and play are words used to describe the same thing under differing conditions.
—Mark Twain (American Humorist)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotations #521

March 30, 2014 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

For suffering and enduring there is no remedy, but striving and doing.
—Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Writer)

Changes are not only possible and predictable, but to deny them is to be an accomplice to one’s own unnecessary vegetation.
—Gail Sheehy (American Journalist)

Herein lies the tragedy of the age: not that men are poor-all men know something of poverty; not that men are wicked-who is good? Not that men are ignorant-what is truth? Nay, but that men know so little of men.
—W. E. B. Du Bois (American Civil Rights Activist)

Wars are, of course, as a rule to be avoided; but they are far better than certain kinds of peace.
—Theodore Roosevelt (American Head of State)

If there be no enemy there’s no fight. If no fight, no victory and if no victory there is no crown.
—Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Writer)

Life-complication Theory: Given a choice between an easy solution and a complicated one, the loser will usually opt to travel the complicated path. Don’t ignore a solution just because it’s simple.
—Robert Ringer (American Entrepreneur)

The tragedy of life is not so much what men suffer, but rather what they miss.
—Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Writer)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotations #520

March 23, 2014 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Great perils have this beauty, that they bring to light the fraternity of strangers.
—Victor Hugo (French Novelist)

Biography is the most universally pleasant and profitable of all reading.
—Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Writer)

To yackety-yak about the past is for me time lost. Every morning I wake up saying, ‘I’m still alive—a miracle.’ And so I keep on pushing.
—Jacques Cousteau (French Military Leader)

Philosophy is a purely personal matter. A genuine philosopher’s credo is the outcome of a single complex personality; it cannot be transferred. No two persons, if sincere, can have the same philosophy.
—Havelock Ellis (British Sexologist)

The wise man in the storm prays God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Philosopher)

People praise virtue, but they hate it, they run away from it. It freezes you to death, and in this world you’ve got to keep your feet warm.
—Denis Diderot (French Philosopher)

It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.
—Robert G. Ingersoll (American Atheist Politician)

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Inspirational Quotations #519

March 16, 2014 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

You don’t hear things that are bad about your company unless you ask. It is easy to hear good tidings, but you have to scratch to get the bad news.
—Thomas J. Watson (American Businessperson)

The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.
—Robert G. Ingersoll (American Atheist Politician)

There is great treasure there behind our skull and this is true about all of us. This little treasure has great, great powers, and I would say we only have learnt a very, very small part of what it can do.
—Isaac Bashevis Singer (Polish-born American Children’s Books Writer)

Probably the greatest harm done by vast wealth is the harm that we of moderate means do to ourselves when we let the vices of envy and hatred enter deep into our own natures.
—Theodore Roosevelt (American Head of State)

I am a little deaf, a little blind, a little impotent, and on top of this are two or three abominable infirmities, but nothing destroys my hope.
—Voltaire (French Philosopher)

Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.
—Denis Diderot (French Philosopher)

There is no wisdom like frankness.
—Benjamin Disraeli (British Head of State)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotations #518

March 9, 2014 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change.
—Barbara De Angelis (American Lecturer)

You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.
—Walt Disney (American Entrepreneur)

Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Philosopher)

The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it’s the same problem you had last year.
—John Foster Dulles (American Lawyer)

Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.
—Voltaire (French Philosopher)

As much as we need a prosperous economy, we also need a prosperity of kindness and decency.
—Caroline Kennedy (American Author)

Hope is the only universal liar who never loses his reputation for veracity.
—Robert G. Ingersoll (American Atheist Politician)

To talk about the need for perfection in man is to talk about the need for another species.
—Norman Cousins (American Journalist)

The punishment of criminals should be of use; when a man is hanged he is good for nothing.
—Voltaire (French Philosopher)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotations #517

March 2, 2014 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

I have found that the greatest help in meeting any problem with decency and self-respect and whatever courage is demanded, is to know where you yourself stand. That is, to have in words what you believe and are acting from.
—William Faulkner (American Novelist)

Happiness is a by-product. You cannot pursue it by itself.
—Sam Levenson (American Humorist)

Men of great genius and large heart sow the seeds of a new degree of progress in the world, but they bear fruit only after many years.
—Giuseppe Mazzini (Italian Philosopher)

It is nonsense to say there is not enough time to be fully informed … Time given to thought is the greatest timesaver of all.
—Norman Cousins (American Journalist)

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has killed a great many philosophers.
—Denis Diderot (French Philosopher)

It’s hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.
—Adlai Stevenson (American Diplomat)

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Inspirational Quotations #516

February 23, 2014 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

If there’s anything worse than self-questioning coming too early in life, it’s self-questioning coming too late.
—Philip Roth (American Novelist)

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 (American Author)

True affection is a body of enigmas, mysteries and riddles, wherein two so become one that they both become two.
—Thomas Browne (English Christian Author)

Days are scrolls: write on them only what you want remembered.
—Bahya ibn Paquda (Spanish Jewish Philosopher)

Courage from hearts and not from numbers grows.
—John Dryden (English Poet)

Optimism doesn’t wait on facts. It deals with prospects. Pessimism is a waste of time.
—Norman Cousins (American Journalist)

Who can confess his poverty and look it in the face, destroys its sting: but a proud poor man, he is poor, indeed.
—Letitia Elizabeth Landon (English Poet)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotations #515

February 16, 2014 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.
—Winston Churchill (British Head of State)

When my horse is running good, I don’t stop to give him sugar.
—William Faulkner (American Novelist)

Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.
—Marianne Williamson (American Activist)

Those that embrace the entire universe with love, for the most part love nothing, but their narrow selves.
—Johann Gottfried Herder (German Lutheran Philosopher)

The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions.
—Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Buddhist Religious Leader)

Show me the man you honor, and I will know what kind of a man you are, for it shows me what your ideal of manhood is, and what kind of a man you long to be.
—Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Writer)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

No Duty is More Pressing Than That of Gratitude: My Regret of Missing the Chance to Thank Prof. Sathya

February 12, 2014 By Nagesh Belludi 1 Comment

I’d like to relate an incident that reiterated the value of human relationships and genuine outreach.

Guruswamy Sathyanarayanan, Lehigh University and Indian Institute of Science

Prof. Guruswamy Sathyanarayanan was a Fulbright scholar at the Indian Institute of Science, where I worked as a research assistant in the year 1999. “Sathya,” as he was fondly known, was a visiting professor from Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA.

Upon our acquaintance, I had observed that Sathya seemed stressed out from his work and had struggled to get his computer programs to run. I had offered to help him with computer programming and research on manufacturing processes. Our interaction had quickly evolved into a bond of mentorship. He was not particularly joyful, but was always genial and inquisitive. Over coffee breaks, we had many an interesting conversation about the relevance of Eastern Philosophy in the modern world.

At that time, I was applying for graduate school in the United States. Sathya had advised me on the schools to which I should apply based on my specific interests, the nuances of the application process, and the many components of the applications. On a particular day when my applications were due to be dispatched, he had me revise my personal essay repeatedly until he felt it was succinct enough to reflect my academic ideas and interests. When I thanked Sathya, he asked me to thank him only after receiving an admission and to keep him updated on my applications.

Three months later in March 2000, one late night, I received a call from a prestigious school. The school had admitted me to its graduate program with a 100% tuition waiver and a generous stipend for research in my area of choice, a precursor to 3D Printing. I was extremely delighted, but did not call Sathya because it was late at night.

The next morning, I learnt that Sathya had died the previous night of sudden heart attack. When I visited his home that afternoon, Sathya’s wife informed me that he had complained of uneasiness after a heated debate with a fellow-researcher on the progress of their research work. Sathya’s death came as a shock to me since he was only 47 years old and had a six-year old son.

I profusely regret not having called Sathya on that fateful night to express my gratitude for his mentorship of my application process. I am given to wonder if my success could have cheered him after his tense conversation with the research colleague—I’ll never know.

I never thanked Sathya in person, but I dedicated my master’s thesis to his memory.

Thesis Dedication: To the memory of my mentor and a great friend, Dr. Guruswamy Sathyanarayanan, Lehigh University

Call to Action: Practice Gratitude

There’s plenty of anecdotal and empirical evidence that practicing gratitude can considerably increase our sense of social well-being and happiness, yet we fail to acknowledge our blessings and thank people who’ve made a difference in our lives.

“The learned have prescribed penance for the murderer of a pious man, a drunkard, a thief or for one who has violated a solemn vow. But there is no pardon for the ungrateful,” asserts the Panchatantra, a collection of animal fables from ancient India.

Dear readers, there is no excuse for not conveying your feelings to your loved ones today. There is no excuse for not expressing your gratitude and appreciation today. There is no excuse for not taking a few minutes of your time to check-in on somebody who has influenced your life with his or her gift of kindness.

NOW is the time to appreciate the people who have helped you. This is your opportunity to do it—RIGHT NOW, while there is time.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Kindness: A Debt You Can Only Pass On
  2. A Grateful Heart, A Happy Heart // Book Summary of Janice Kaplan’s ‘The Gratitude Diaries’
  3. Gratitude Can Hold You Back
  4. Confucius on Dealing with People
  5. If You Want to Be Loved, Love

Filed Under: Living the Good Life, Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Emotions, Gratitude, India, Kindness, Virtues

Inspirational Quotations #514

February 9, 2014 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.
—William Faulkner (American Novelist)

There are many things that seem impossible only so long as one does not attempt them.
—Andre Gide (French Novelist)

Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated; you can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.
—David Lloyd George (British Head of State)

Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.
—Pierre-Marc-Gaston, duc de Levis

Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.
—Sam Levenson (American Humorist)

Love’s greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred.
—Barbara De Angelis (American Lecturer)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

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About: Nagesh Belludi [hire] is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based freethinker, investor, and leadership coach. He specializes in helping executives and companies ensure that the overall quality of their decision-making benefits isn’t compromised by a lack of a big-picture understanding.

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Unless otherwise stated in the individual document, the works above are © Nagesh Belludi under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license. You may quote, copy and share them freely, as long as you link back to RightAttitudes.com, don't make money with them, and don't modify the content. Enjoy!