“Raised voices lower esteem. Hot tempers cool friendships. Loose tongues stretch truth. Swelled heads shrink influence. Sharp words dull respect.”

Will someone else’s life be brighter tomorrow, because of what you have done today?

Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and character.

Our words reveal our thoughts; our manners mirror our self-esteem; our actions reflect our character; our habits predict the future.

Words, like tranquil waters behind a dam, can become reckless and uncontrollable torrents of destruction when released without caution and wisdom.

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

Friendship flourishes at the fountain of forgiveness.

There is one thing we can do better than anyone else: we can be ourselves.

A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.

In the face of unjust criticism we can become bitter or better; upset or understanding; hostile or humble; furious or forgiving.

Blessed is the person who sees the need, recognizes the responsibility, and actively becomes the answer.

Man, like the bridge, was designed to carry the load of the moment, not the combined weight of a year at once.

The pessimist borrows trouble; the optimists lend encouragement.

The greatest ideas, the most profound thoughts, and the most beautiful poetry are born from the womb of silence.

What you believe is more important than what you possess. What you live is more lasting than what you profess. Whom you inspire is more significant than whom you impress.

Success never resides in the world of weak wishes, but in the palace of purposeful plans and prayerful persistence.

A pinch of praise is worth a pound of scorn. A dash of encouragement is more helpful than a dipper of pessimism. A cup of kindness is better than a cupboard of criticism.

All deep, earnest thinking is but the intrepid effort of the soul to keep the open independence of her sea, while the wildest winds of heaven and earth conspire to cast her on the treacherous, slavish shore.

Happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous.

We get something to do and as soon as we’ve got it, it gets us.

Yes, you’ve got to sing from the depths of the heart.

Look closer and you’ll see something extraordinary, mystifying, something real and true. We have never been what we seemed.

Where are we really going? Always home.

O’er Ocean, with a thousand masts, sails forth the stripling bold- One boat, hard rescued from the deep, draws into port the old!

That which is so universal as death must be a benefit.