Blame is a Cop Out

A man can fail many times,
but he isn't a failure until
he begins to blame somebody else.
- John Burroughs

No one "does it to you."
You do it to yourself through other people.
- Anonymous

When you blame others, you give up your power to change.
- Robert Anthony

Those who are dedicated to a life of wisdom
understand that the impulse to blame
something or someone is foolishness,
that there is nothing to be gained in blaming,
whether it be others or oneself.
- Epictetus

It is an act of great Courage to forsake all Blame.
Take responsibility for your whole life -
regardless of circumstances.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: No Fault Living

Criticism and Complaint

Judge Not


Why I Choose to Believe that Others are Never the Cause of My Unhappiness
    

Peace and Joy Come Only From Within

'Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley

The works of man do not endure. Ancient Egypt thrived for thousands of years before its civilization was overthrown. America, at less than 300 years, isn't even out of diapers. Security and happiness cannot come from physical things, whether cars, homes, or seemingly indestructible monuments of civilization. Lasting joy can only come from within and from connection with Spirit.

When you find peace within yourself,
you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.
- Peace Pilgrim

It is important to expect nothing,
to take every experience,
including the negative ones,
as merely steps on the path,
and to proceed.
- Ram Dass

Peace comes from within.
Do not seek it without.
- The Buddha

Further reading: Seeds of Faith

Choosing Your Purpose

Being at Peace
      

Think for Yourself

Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Many people allow their need for other people's approval to control their lives.
They spend their lives worrying about what others think of them.
- Rick Warren

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.
- Elbert Hubbard

For those men who, sooner or later,
are lucky enough to break away from the pack,
the most intoxicating moment comes
when they cease being bodies in other men's command
and find that they control their own time,
when they learn their own voice and authority.
- Theodore H. White

It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinions;
it is easy in solitude to live after your own;
but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd
keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Attempting to "fit in" is not a worthy objective.
There is no point in feeling sad or upset when your plans, your ideas,
or even your fundamental nature do not "fit in" with the majority view.

Be the courageous hero and stay committed to your greatest ideas and ideals,
however they are received by those around you.

Further reading: Don Miguel Ruiz: The Four Agreements - The Wisdom of the Ages in Four Sound-Bites 

Be Yourself

Appreciate Yourself

Think for Yourself

Believe and Take Action
     

Forget Your Separateness

We build too many walls and not enough bridges.
- Isaac Newton

The walls we build around us
to keep sadness out
also keep out the joy.
- Jim Rohn

Love recognizes no barriers.
It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls
to arrive at its destination full of hope.
- Maya Angelou

Looking at a sunset, just for a second
you forget your separateness:
you are the sunset.
That is the moment when you feel the beauty of it.
But the moment you say that it is a beautiful sunset,
you are no longer feeling it;
you have come back to your separate,
enclosed entity of the ego.
Now the mind is speaking.
- Osho

Further reading: Living from Your Heart

Another Door

Rattlesnake of the Mind

Progress
     

Beyond Yourself

The full measure of a man is
not to be found in the man himself,
but in the colors and textures that
come alive in others because of him.
- Albert Schweitzer

If you can give your child only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.
- Bruce Barton

Grown men can learn from very little children
for the hearts of little children are pure.
Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them
many things which older people miss.
- Black Elk

If a child lives with criticism,
he learns to condemn.
...
If a child lives with fear,
he learns to be apprehensive.
...
If a child lives with encouragement,
he learns to be confident.
...
If a child lives with acceptance,
he learns to love.
- Dorothy Law Nolte

Further reading: Fully Living Your God-Given Life

Legacy to Future Generations

Honor Both Tradition and Change

What We Contribute Gives Meaning