My favorite quote is:
"Gentlemen. You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
Spoken by Peter Sellers' character (The President of the United States) in the movie "Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stopped Worrying and Love the Bomb"
The irony of the quote makes me laugh as the President is concerned with people not fighting, while he negotiates with the Russians over a fight they're mutually embroiled in. He makes this statement as he's involved in a geopolitical crisis that could lead to the mutual destruction of the great powers of the day.
In essence, he makes this quote in a room devoted to the art of fighting, although there is to be no fighting or other unruly behavior in this room.
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One of my favorite quotes is: "Life doesn't let you down. Your expectations do!"
How many times have I been let down because of my expectations? Sometimes we expect more from people than they are capable or willing to give. In this instance, we will be let down because we expected too much or more than a person is willing or able to give. Be careful of expecting too much from people. We can only control ourselves. We cannot control other people.
What a tough question. There are so many wonderful quotes to choose from. One of my favorite quotes is: "We are only limited by our own imaginations."
I have recently come to love another quote: "You are not special." This comes from David McCullough Jr.'s graduation speech. As a teacher, I appreciate what he said. Too often, schools and parents have become placid--graduating students who do not deserve it and parents who make excuses. Our graduating students need to realize that they are not special, in the same way that I am not special. BUT, our job from this day out it to be special for actually doing something that not everyone else has already done. This quote reminds me that I cannot stand by the side and simply let the rest of the "not-specials" to pass by.
My favorite is a question:
Which are you drinking, the water or the wave?
This quote is from The Magus, by John Fowles, and it appears in the book first in Greek and then in translation. I have tried, unsuccessfully, to trace the origin of the quote, but I have come to the tentative conclusion that it is simply something that Fowles wrote himself.
This is a powerful metaphor for me, asking whether my choices and experiences are life-sustaining or life-enhancing.
Two quotes that I find particularly inspiring come from two of the great moral leaders of the 20th century, Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Gandhi suggested that we should each "be the change you want to see in the world," which very succintly advises that we are all responsible for social action, social change, and we must accept this responsiblity ourselves before expecting others to do so.
King famously said that...
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"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. And hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." The wisdom in these words is clear. Again, we are advised to choose the right path to change and not simply react, reciprocate and "give what we get".
One that I like is "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." This is attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt. I like it because I think that many people come to feel they are inferior to others, particularly when they are teens. This quote is useful as a way to remind us that we have some control over this sort of feeling.
And I must say here (because of your user name) that I hope very strongly that the Miami Heat have to accept failure in the next week or so...