The Serenity of Simple Pleasures

If thou wilt make a man happy,
add not unto his riches but take away from his desires.
- Epicurus

Life is really simple,
but we insist on making it complicated.
- Confucius

To live a pure unselfish life,
one must count nothing as one's own
in the midst of abundance.
- The Buddha

As you simplify your life,
the laws of the universe will be simpler;
solitude will not be solitude,
poverty will not be poverty,
nor weakness weakness.
- Henry David Thoreau

What if happiness were found in the serenity of simple pleasures.
What if we didn't need the newest gizmo... the highest high?
What if happiness is in the air we breathe...
slowly, deeply, and consciously?
What if happiness is one fresh grape, savored with gratitude?
What if happiness is in our oneness with all creation?
What if happiness is about enjoying life exactly as it comes to us -
without chasing after it?
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Simple Life

Bounty of the Earth

Giving of Yourself
    

What You Have That Money Can't Buy

He is a wise man who does not grieve
for the things which he has not,
but rejoices for those which he has.
- Epictetus

If you want to feel rich,
just count all of the things you have that money can't buy.
- Anonymous

Be content with what you have,
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.
- Lao Tzu

Count your blessings.
Once you realize how valuable you are
and how much you have going for you,
the smiles will return, the sun will break out,
the music will play, and you will finally
be able to move forward the life that God intended
for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.
- Og Mandino

Further reading: Become Conscious of Your Wealth

A Life of Abundance

Thankful and Content

A Simple Life
     

Allowing Others the Right of Free Speech

I disapprove of what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
- Voltaire

To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains,
but to live in a way that respects
and enhances the freedom of others.
- Nelson Mandela

Free speech is meant to protect unpopular speech.
Popular speech, by definition, needs no protection.
- Neal Boortz

Without free speech, no search for truth is possible.
- Charles Bradlaugh

The whole point of Freedom-of-Speech
is supporting the right of others
to say things you find personally offensive.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.
- Abraham Lincoln

Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game.
Free speech is life itself.
- Salman Rushdie

It is easy to believe in freedom of speech for those with whom we agree.
- Leo McKern

We should silence anyone who opposes the right to freedom of speech.
- Boyle Roche (hopefully said satirically)

One of the surest ways to cause
yourself great suffering
is to insist upon being right -
to demand that all others view life
exactly as you view it.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Independence - Liberty - Freedom

Point of View

Our Bond of Humanity
         

Fight the Fight of Freedom

We are free only if we face the challenge of freedom, do the work of freedom, fight the fight of freedom and die the death for freedom.
- Charles G. Adams

Jesus preached more and taught more about helping the poor and the sick and the hungry than he did about heaven and hell. Shouldn't that tell us something?
- John Grisham

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
- 1 John 3:17

The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.
- Jimmy Carter

Further reading: The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Conscious Breathing to Relieve Stress

Mother Teresa prayer

Compassion is the basis of morality. - Arthur Schopenhauer

Jimmy Carter: We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children.
             

April Fool's Day 2019

The burden of the self is lightened when I laugh at myself.
- Rabindranath Tagore

The smaller the mind the greater the conceit.
- Aesop

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
- e. e. cummings

A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.
- William Shakespeare

Dare to wear the foolish clown face.
- Frank Sinatra

Life is short,
Break the Rules.
Forgive quickly,
Kiss SLOWLY.
Love truly.
Laugh uncontrollably
And never regret
ANYTHING
That makes you smile
- Mark Twain

Further reading: Power of Laughter

Never Let Anyone Get Your Goat

As a Child Again

Life Is Not Meant to be Serious

Sense of Humor