“For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends. Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

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.

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.

Mercy,’ I love conceptually because I feel like you can either think about it as if it were a girl – which it sounds like it could be about a girl – but I like to picture it as ‘pleading for mercy for my career’ type of thing.

You have been having our rights so long, that you think, like a slave-holder, that you own us. I know that it is hard for one who has held the reins for so long to give up; it cuts like a knife. It will feel all the better when it closes up again.

I write to feel closer to you.

The loss of life is only truly felt by the living.

Photograph not only what you see but also what you feel.

If I could trade places with any of my sisters for a day, it would be Kim. I want to see what it’s like…The only time she sleeps is on the airplane. It’s just crazy. I feel bad for her, but I still want to know what it’s like.

A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.

What causes us to think of prayer as the last option rather than the first? I can think of two reasons: feelings of independence and feelings of insignificance.