When you encounter difficulties and contradictions,
do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.
- Saint Francis de Sales
A tree that is unbending, is easily broken.
- Lao Tzu
Read the Aesop fable
The Oak and the Reeds
Do not attempt to conquer the world with force,
for force only causes resistance.
- Lao Tzu
Resistance creates suffering.
Stress happens when your mind resists what is...
The only problem in your life is your mind's resistance to life as it unfolds.
- Dan Millman
A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else.
- George Savile
Further reading:
The Secret of Happiness
The River of Life
Enjoy the Journey
All men should strive to learn before they die,
what they are running from, and to, and why.
- James Thurber
We tell lies when we are afraid...
afraid of what we don't know,
afraid of what others will think,
afraid of what will be found out about us.
But every time we tell a lie,
the thing that we fear grows stronger.
- Williams Tad
The most difficult phase of life is not when no one understands you,
it is when you don't understand yourself.
- Anonymous
A good question is never answered.
It is not a bolt to be tightened into place
but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed
toward the hope of greening the landscape of idea.
- John Ciardi
Further reading:
Where Are You Going?
A Truly Successful Life
Eyes on the Heavens
To Serve
We all have a fear of the unknown.
What one does with that fear will make all the difference in the world.
- Lillian Russell
The challenge before us is to savor the unknown
and delight in the taste of possibility.
- Mary Anne Radmacher
Have no fear of moving into the unknown.
Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you,
therefore no harm can befall you;
all is very, very well.
Do this in complete faith and confidence.
- Pope John Paul II
Fear of the unknown is
the greatest fear of humankind,
and death the greatest unknown.
Acknowledging these doubts and fears
is a powerful beginning.
It is liberating to say,
"Yes, I don't know, and yes, I am afraid."
Beyond that, the path to happiness
lies in living in the moment -
enjoying what you are doing today.
You don't need a reason to be happy,
just a choice.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Further reading:
The Edge of All You Know
Choose to Soar
Spread Your Wings
A Life Without Fear
You have heard that it was said,
"Love your neighbor and hate your enemy."
But I tell you: Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you.
- Jesus (Matthew 5:43-44)
When we hate our enemies, we are
giving them power over us:
power over our sleep, our appetites,
our blood pressure, our health, and our happiness.
Our enemies would dance with joy if only
they knew how they were worrying us,
lacerating us, and getting even with us!
Our hate is not hurting them at all,
but our hate is turning our own days
and nights into a hellish turmoil.
- Dale Carnegie
That which you hate to be done to you,
do not do to another.
- Ancient Egyptian Proverb
[Most ancient cultures independently created their own version of "The Golden Rule."]
An "enemy" is a mirage -
an image of self reflected on the sands of Hell.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Further reading:
Keep the Golden Rule
More Understanding, Less Hate
Allow Love to Conquer Hate
Three Wise Monkeys
Judge Not
As you awaken,
may your dreams greet you by name,
and may you answer, "Yes!"
- Mary Anne Radmacher
Happiness is a choice.
You grieve, you stomp your feet,
you pick yourself up and choose to be happy.
- Lucy Lawless
There are as many pillows of illusion
as flakes in a snow-storm.
We wake from one dream into another dream.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky;
then I awoke.
Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly,
or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?
- Zhuangzi
Further reading:
The Quiet Voice of Courage
Choose Your Attitude
Honor Your Heart
