Words To Live By

“...proverbs, adages, sayings, words in general, that help govern their thinking and state of mind?

I have several. Too numerous to post all. But, here are some that are good to start this off:

No more important duty can be urged upon those who are entering the great theatre of life than simple loyalty to their best convictions
---E.H. Chapin

The greatest wealth is contentment with a little
---Unknown to me

Knowledge without sense is two-fold folly
---Spanish proverb

Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom
---Unknown tome

A man as he manages himself, may die old at 30, or be young at 80
---Unknown to me

Children are people under construction
---Unknown to me

Education is the best provision for old age
---Aristotle

If you have a clear conscience and good health, if you have a
few good friends and a happy home, if your heart has kept its
youth and your soul its honesty, then cheer up --- you are one
of life's fortunate millionaires. ---American Salesman

Courtesy is owed; respect is earned; love is given. ---Ruth Brown

Some rules for living from Robert Louis Stevenson:

1. Make up your mind to be happy --- learn to find pleasure in
simple things.
2. Make the best of circumstances. No one has everything, and
everyone has something of sorrow.
3. Don't take yourself too seriously.
4. Don't let criticism worry you --- you can't please everyone.
5. Don't let your neighbors set your standards --- be yourself.
6. Do things you enjoy doing, but stay out of debt.
7. Don't borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear
than actual ones.
8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish enmities or
grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
9. Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about
places.
10. Don't hold post-mortems or spend time brooding over sorrows
and mistakes.
11. Don't be the one who never gets over things.
12. Keep busy at something. A very busy person never has time
to be unhappy.

I put quite a few on there. But, see if you folks have one or two that hit you in the gut and share them. Thanks...”

“"Never fry bacon without a shirt on."

-Nigal”

“Live is tough, tougher if you’re stupid.”

“Everything happens for a reason.”

“"Just when ya think life's a bltch it has puppies."

-unknown”

“Never tell people how to do things.
Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

George Patton Jr.”

“Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

John Lennon”

“Those are great Treebeard, thanks. I'm not sure who said this or how close I am to the quote, but here's one I like:

Having good character means doing the right thing even when no one is looking.



Oh yeah, here's one more: Man with hole in pocket feel cocky all day.”

“Love.”

“Nonconformist, you're reaching, dude.......

All You Need Is Love!!”

“It's not about the mistakes you make, it's about what you have learned from them.




#&%!$ happens.”

“"If at first you don't succeed, try try again...Then give up. There's no use being a damn fool about it."

W.C. Fields”

“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be
greater and lesser persons
than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements
as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.


Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical of love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune.


Do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


from The Poems of Max Ehrman
(Boston: Humphries, c. 1948)”

“Remember...the Oxen are slow, but the Earth is patient!

A donut for anyone who knows what movie that's from.”

“"You can pick your nose and you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your friend's nose."”

“high Road to China”

“Wow! I'm surprised. I'll owe you!”

“Confusius say:
Woman who fly upside down have crackup”

“don't be too impressed. I Googled it. LOL!

CHEATER!!”

“no donut for Nigal”

“See the happy moron.
He doesn't give a damn.
I wish I were a moron.
My God, perhaps I am.
- Anonymous -”

“Never fry bacon without pants on!”

““Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast... a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.”
Edward Abbey”

“if you shake it more than twice you're playing with it”

“All you need is love.

in honor of the 25 anniversary for John Lennon's death”

““All you need is love...and body armor.”

“all you need is love, and a box of kleenex”

“that most belief systems have as a fundemental base "Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you".


That seems to be the bedrock of good human interaction and is imbedded in beliefs systems of every nature. The rest of the trimmings (the bible, jesus, the koran, the pope, the menorah, prayer rugs, imans, etc etc) are all just crapping up the original message.

To whit:

Some "Ethic of Reciprocity" passages from the religious texts of various religions and secular beliefs:

Bahá'í World Faith: "Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not."

"Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself." Baha'u'llah

"And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself." Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Brahmanism: "This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you". Mahabharata, 5:1517

Buddhism: "...a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?" Samyutta NIkaya v. 353

Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." Udana-Varga 5:18

Christianity: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12, King James Version.

"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke 6:31, King James Version.

"...and don't do what you hate...", Gospel of Thomas 6. The Gospel of Thomas is one of about 40 gospels that were widely accepted among early Christians, but which never made it into the Christian Scriptures (New Testament).

Confucianism: "Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you" Analects 15:23

"Tse-kung asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?' Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'shu' -- reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'" Doctrine of the Mean 13.3

"Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence." Mencius VII.A.4

Ancient Egyptian: "Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do." The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 109 - 110 Translated by R.B. Parkinson. The original dates to 1970 to 1640 BCE and may be the earliest version ever written. 3

Hinduism: "One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself." Mencius Vii.A.4

"This is the sum of the Dharma [duty]: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you." Mahabharata 5:1517

Humanism: "(5) Humanists acknowledge human interdependence, the need for mutual respect and the kinship of all humanity."

"(11) Humanists affirm that individual and social problems can only be resolved by means of human reason, intelligent effort, critical thinking joined with compassion and a spirit of empathy for all living beings. " 4

"Don't do things you wouldn't want to have done to you, British Humanist Society. 3

Islam: "None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." Number 13 of Imam "Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths." 5

Jainism: "Therefore, neither does he [a sage] cause violence to others nor does he make others do so." Acarangasutra 5.101-2.

"In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self." Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara

"A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated. "Sutrakritanga 1.11.33

Judaism: "...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.", Leviticus 19:18

"What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary." Talmud, Shabbat 31a.

"And what you hate, do not do to any one." Tobit 4:15 6

Native American Spirituality: "Respect for all life is the foundation." The Great Law of Peace.

"All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One." Black Elk

Roman Pagan Religion: "The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves."

Shinto: "The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form"

Sikhism: Compassion-mercy and religion are the support of the entire world". Japji Sahib

"Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone." Guru Arjan Devji 259

"No one is my enemy, none a stranger and everyone is my friend." Guru Arjan Dev : AG 1299

Sufism: "The basis of Sufism is consideration of the hearts and feelings of others. If you haven't the will to gladden someone's heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone's heart, for on our path, no sin exists but this." Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order.

Taoism: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien.

"The sage has no interest of his own, but takes the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind: for Virtue is kind. He is faithful to the faithful; he is also faithful to the unfaithful: for Virtue is faithful." Tao Teh Ching, Chapter 49

Unitarian: "We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent of all existence of which we are a part." Unitarian principles.

Wicca: "An it harm no one, do what thou wilt" (i.e. do what ever you will, as long as it harms nobody, including yourself). One's will is to be carefully thought out in advance of action. This is called the Wiccan Rede

Yoruba: (Nigeria): "One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts."

Zoroastrianism: "That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself". Dadistan-i-dinik 94:5

"Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others." Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29




Some philosophers' statements are:
Epictetus: "What you would avoid suffering yourself, seek not to impose on others." (circa 100 CE)

Plato: "May I do to others as I would that they should do unto me." (Greece; 4th century BCE)

Socrates: "Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you." (Greece; 5th century BCE)

Seneca: "Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your superiors," Epistle 47:11 (Rome; 1st century CE)”

“hunt and fish and mess around with your friends
BS
10:33:04 AM
12/08/05
ignore this user

...where's this leadin?”

“Mister Natural sez, "Keep a clean azzhole."”

“Yea, Abbey was quite the noncomformist.”

“"Never tell a lie...Unless lying is one of your strong points."
George Washington Plunkett”

“keepin the body active and alive I suppose...”

“"OH MY GOD, THEY KILLED KENNY!"”

“Yessir, just keep on truckin'!!”

“If you rant to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”

“"Nothing is quite as embarrassing as watching your boss do something you assured him could't be done."”

“My personal favorite:

"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." (Peter Drucker)

I love the Ed Abbey quote.”

“Last one for me

"Trust only those who stand to lose as much as you when things go wrong."”

“don't eat yellow snow.”

“Get on the good foot...........OOOWWWW!!!

James Brown”

“Happiness is a decision you make, not something someone else does to you.

Naked people have more fun.”

“The best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him your friend.”

“Do you feel as safe as Sharon Tate?”

“At work, never open a thread with the word "atonement" in the title.”

“The Earth Laughs in Flowers.”

“Never argue with a drunk German.

Grace Slick”

“Get In
Sit Down
Shut Up
Hold On”

“BS , I have a lamenated copy of the Abbey quote on the font of my clip board at work. I read it nearly everyday.”

“Laugh and Death Loses.
Bearmagnet 11/05.”