Shallow men believe in luck, believe in circumstances -- it was somebody's name, or he happened to be there at the time, or it was so then, and another day would have been otherwise. Strong men believe in cause and effect.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Trials, temptations, disappointments -- all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fibre of a character, but strengthen it. Every conquered temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.
- James Buckham

"What you DO speaks so loudly I can't hear what you say."

NJC

"A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the
support of Paul."
George Bernard Shaw

Note: Sourced from Donna Dickinson Schneider

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation,

which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius

"Never lie, steal,cheat or drink. However if you must lie, lie in the arms of someone you love, if you must steal, steal the moments, if you must cheat, cheat death, and if you must drink, drink with your friends."

From the Movie Hitch

Andrew Largeman Will Smith's character

The Lotus Touts - distributed by the Anthony Robbins Organization

however as received by email today - 2/16/07

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

"Knowledge is the antidote to fear."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hearts are not had as a gift, But hearts are earned...
William Butler Yeats

"If you can take the worst, take the risk."
Dr, Joyce Brothers

Thoughts For Valentines Day
Love is always open arms.  If you close your arms about love you will find that you are left holding only yourself
-Leo Buscaglia
Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give
- Katharine Hepburn
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye
Antoine de Saint-Exupery<
Love is a fruit season at all times, and within reach of every hand
Mother Teresa<
Forget love - I'd rather fall in chocolate
~Sandra J.
Note: The above Sourced by Kenneth H. Kaufman

"The habit of giving only enhances the desire to give
Walt Whitman

"Money is a good servant but a bad master."
Francis Bacon

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
R.W. Emerson

Every day you may make progress.
Every step may be fruitful.
Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path
You know you will never get to the end of the journey.
But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.
Sir_Winston_Churchill

"The unwillingness to accept anything short of victory, that underlying fury, is the fundamental building block of my bottomless motivation to succeed. It is my credo in all that I do in life from battling cancer to bicycle racing
Lance Armstrong

TFTD - Superbowl Sunday
“When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something."
Dick Butkus
Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck.” Don Shula
"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan. "  Tom Landry
Football is like life, it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.   --Vince Lombardi
"It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog."
Archie Griffen, two-time Heisman winner

"Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least."
Van Goethe
Note: Sourced by NJC

I SKATE TO WHERE THE PUCK IS GOING TO BE, NOT WHERE IT HAS BEEN.
WAYNE GRETZKY
Note: Sourced by Kenneth Kaufman

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed...every morning in Africa a lion wakes up.  It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.  It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle when the sun comes up, you'd better be running." --Anonymous
Note: Sourced by NJC