Right Attitudes

Nature is not cruel, only pitilessly indifferent. This is one of the hardest lessons for humans to learn. We cannot admit that things might be neither good nor evil, neither cruel nor kind, but simply callous—indifferent to all suffering, lacking all purpose.
—Richard Dawkins (British Ethologist, Atheist)

When you go into court you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.
—Norm Crosby (American Comedian)

The way to peace and joy is the way of letting go. Let go of people and things: Let God take over!
—Dada J. P. Vaswani (Indian Hindu Philosopher)

The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies.
—Ray Bradbury (American Science-Fiction Writer)

How great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from its birth an angel commissioned to guard it.
—Jerome (Greek Priest)

When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples.
—Stephen Crane (American Writer)

The pleasure of reading without application is a dangerous pleasure. Useless books we should lay aside, and make all possible good use of those from which we may reap some fruit.
—John Foster Dulles (American Politician)

There is no substitute for virtue. Keep your thoughts virtuous. Rise above the filth that’s all around you in this world and stand tall in strength and virtue. You can do this and you will be happier for it for as long as you live. God bless you in cherishing, developing and holding on to this great gift, the quality of personal virtue.
—Gordon B. Hinckley (American Mormon Religious Leader)

Love shall be our token; love be yours and love be mine.
—Christina Rossetti (English Poet)

Old men are twice children.
—Greek Proverb

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; but, define yourself.
—Harvey Fierstein (American Actor)

There are two kinds of fools. One says, “This is old, therefore it is good.” The other says, “This is new, therefore it is better.”
—William Ralph Inge (English Anglican Clergyman)

No art or learning is to be pursued halfheartedly…and any art worth learning will certainly reward more or less generously the effort made to study it.
—Murasaki Shikibu (Japanese Diarist, Novelist)

We are more disturbed by a calamity which threatens us than by one which has befallen us.
—John Lancaster Spalding (American Catholic Clergyman)

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
—Arthur Ashe (American Tennis Player)

Try not to get too depressed in the part of the journey, because there’s a professional responsibility. If you are depressed, you can’t motivate your staff to extraordinary measures. So you have to keep your own spirits up even though you well understand that you don’t know what you’re doing.
—Andrew Grove (Hungarian-born American Businessperson)

Nobody abuses us more than we abuse ourselves.
—Miguel Angel Ruiz (Mexican Spiritualist Author)

The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.
—Ralph Washington Sockman (American United Methodist Pastor)

Patience in adversity, magnanimity in ascendancy, eloquence in assembly, bravery in battle, aspiration for eminence and engrossment in the scriptures are the self-evident attributes of great men.
—Subhashita Manjari (Sanskrit Anthology of Proverbs)

In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy.
—Ivan Illich (Austrian Philosopher)

Man is a gregarious animal, and much more so in his mind than in his body. He may like to go alone for a walk, but he hates to stand alone in his opinions.
—George Santayana (Spanish-American Poet, Philosopher)

An honest God is the noblest work of man.
—Robert G. Ingersoll (American Lawyer, Orator, Agnostic)

The test and the use of man’s education is that he finds pleasure in the exercise of his mind.
—Jacques Barzun (American Cultural Historian)

HISTORY: gossip well told.
—Elbert Hubbard (American Writer)

Words are like money; there is nothing so useless, unless when in actual use.
—Samuel Butler

Whatever is not nailed down is mine. What I can pry loose is not nailed down.
—Collis Potter Huntington (American Industrialist)