Quotes to Live By.

My Collection of Meaningful Quotes

Over the years, I have collected quotes that have meaning to me.  Some are inspirational, some are warnings, some are quizzical, but at the core of each is a quality that rings true.  They are not really in any order of preference or significance, but I know that you will find a great deal of useful wisdom in these words because I have.   I hope you will take the time to glance over these, download them and print them, and let their message speak to you wherever you are in life.  If you have a saying or quote that speaks volumes, send it on.  I'd like to have it. 

Don’t fight a problem, decide it.” – Gen. G. Marshall, 1942

“Never take counsel of your own fears.” -- G. Patton, 1943

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” -- H. Ford, 1931

"If it is to be, it is up to me." - J. Jackson, 1971 - (the 10 greatest 2-letter words)

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." -R. Reagan

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”  -- A. Maslow, 1954

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” --A. Nin, 1904

"Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see."

"How many of you believe in telekinesis?  Raise my hand." - A. Watkins

"The probability of someone watching you is proportional to the stupidity of your action."  - Unk.

"Youth and skill are no match for experience and treachery." - Unk.

"The only place where success precedes work is in the dictionary." - Unk.

“There is no “I” in the word “Team.” N. Lord, 1979

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     “Always remember

1.    Worship God

2.    Love People

3.     Use Money.

Never get these nouns and verbs out of order. -- My Mother, 1965

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"Those who live by the sword get shot by those that don't." - MSG E. Thompson

“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.”  --P. Valery

"There is only one endeavor in which you can start at the top, and that's digging a hole."    --Anon.

"Nothing's impossible for those that don't have to do it." - Unk.

"Go the extra mile.  It's never crowded."  - A. Watkins

Win without boasting.  Lose without excuses." -  H.J. Brown, Jr.

“There is no distance on this earth as far away as yesterday.” --R. Nathan

“Don’t try.  There is no try.  You must do or not do, for “trying” is wasted effort.”  -- Dr. L. Fox, 1978

"Change your thoughts, and you will change your world." - N.V. Peale  

"Take away the cause and the effect ceases."  - Unknown

"The victor will never be asked if he told the truth." - A. Hitler

"When you judge others, you do not define them.  You define yourself." -- J. Leiderbach

"I freely admit a bias against racists and bigots." - D. Fulton 1993

"Cowards die many times before their death; the valiant taste of death but once." - W. Shakespeare

            “The old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everyone blind.” --M.L. King, Jr.  

       "One should forgive one's enemies, but not before they are hanged." - H. Heine

“You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him.”  --B. Washington  

"It is better to suffer the worst right now than to live in perpetual fear of it."  - J. Caesar

“Nothing is so firmly believed as what is least known.” --M. E. de Montaigne

“There is no pillow as soft as a clear conscience.”  --European proverb

"An army of sheep led by a lion are to be feared more than an army of lions led by a sheep." -- Chambrias 

“Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box.” --Italian proverb

"Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it." - H.L. Menken

"When Moses came down from the mountain, he wasn't carrying the Ten Suggestions."        --A. Watkins

“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” --t s eliot

When you strike a king, you must kill him."  -- R.W. Emerson

"People will believe anything if you whisper it.” --Anonymous

"Diamonds are only lumps of coal that stuck to their jobs." - Unk.

There will be no veterans of World War III."  - W. Mondale

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."  - A. Einstein

"You can't say that civilization don't advance, because in every war, they kill you in a new way." -W. Rodgers

"Of course old men send children to war...why do you think they call it the infantry."  - A. Watkins

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the Sons of God." - Matthew 5:9

"My Rod and my Reel, they comfort me." - A. Watkins

"Share your knowledge.  It's a way to achieve immortality." - Unk.

"It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” --E. Ionesco

"The journey IS the reward." - Chinese proverb

“It is only those that never do anything who never make mistakes."  --A. Favre  

"If you chase two rabbits, both will escape." - Unk.

“Show them the death, and they will accept the cure.” --Arab proverb

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”   --S. Kierkegaard

"Cultivate in yourself those qualities you admire most in others." --A. Glasgow

"The time is always right to do what is right." - M.L. King, Jr.

"The greatest risk is not taking one."  - Unk.

"Every man is guilty of the good he didn't do."  - Voltaire

A closed mouth gathers no foot." - Unk.

"The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.”  --P. de Courbertin  

It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees." -- D. Ibarruri

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when adults are afraid of the light.”    --Plato

(I)"Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then." - B. Seeger

“Experience is a hard teacher.  She gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.” --Anonymous

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality .” --D. Alighieri

“The graveyards are full of indispensable men.” – C. De Gaulle, 1946

"If the thunder don't get you, then the lightning will." - J. Barlow 

“Nobody forgets where they buried the hatchet.” – F.M. Hubbard, 1927

"No pressure, no diamonds." - Anon.

"Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought." - W. Shirer

"What worries you, masters you." - J. Locke

"Let us cross the river and rest in the shade of the trees."- Last Words - Gen T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson(CSA), 1863

"Everybody, sooner or later, sits down to a banquet of consequences" - R.L. Stevenson

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."-- A. Huxley

"The only completely consistent people are the dead." - Anon.

"I don't like that man.  I must get to know him better." - A. Lincoln

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."- S. Clemmons

"If I were really 'two-faced,' would I be wearing this one?" - A. Lincoln

"When the character of a man is unclear to you, look at his friends." - Japanese proverb

"When there is no enemy within, the enemies on the outside cannot hurt you." - African Proverb

"A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds." - F. Bacon

"Dad... how do soldiers killing each other solve the world's problems?" - Elijah Watkins

"Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy."  J. Campbell

"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend." - W. Blake

"Life is change.  Growth is optional.  Choose wisely." - Anon.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."  - E. Burke

"Tell me whom you love and I will tell you who you are." - S. Watkins, My Mother

"What we love we shall grow to resemble." - Anon.

"If you stood on the bottom rail of a bridge and leaned over, and watched the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you would suddenly know everything there is to be known." - Winnie the Pooh

"You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb." -A. Carnegie

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong.  The amount of work is the same." - C. Casteneda(D. Juan)

"Truth sits on the lips of dying men." - Unk.

"Do you wish to find out the really sublime?  Repeat the Lord's Prayer." - N. Bonaparte

"Philosophy is a walk on the slippery rocks ... religion is a smile on a dog."-E. Brickell, 1988

"Every dogma has it's day." -S. Clemens - 1910

"All heiresses are beautiful." - G. Marx

"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggy' until you can find a rock."- T. Zeigler

"How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." - R. Reagan

We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." - L. D. Brandeis

"The more laws, the less justice." - Cicero

      "The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has." - W. Rogers

"Do not fear death so much but rather the inadequate life."-- B. Brecht

"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do.  There can be no courage unless you're scared." - Unk.

       "When it becomes more difficult to suffer than to change...you will change."  - A. Watkins

  "What can you say about a society that says God is dead and Elvis is alive?"

"Boy, going to church don't make you a Christian anymore than going to the garage makes you a car." - J. McAlpine, 1973

"If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments."

"It's damn-near impossible to make anything "foolproof" because fools are so ingenious."

"In business or in life, don't follow the wagon tracks too closely." H.J. Brown, Jr.

"The difference between a rut and a grave is the depth." - Unk.

"People don't follow titles, they follow courage." - W.W. Brown

"Men are slower to recognize blessings than evils." - A. Einstein

"Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm." - Unk.

"What we resist persists." - S. Watkins, My Mother

"Sow an act...reap a habit.  Sow a habit...reap a character.  Sow a character...reap a destiny." - C. Fonville, My Uncle

“Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk.  That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." - B. Morant

"Three can keep a secret if two are dead."

"All our souls are written in our eyes." - J. Campbell

"Adversity introduces a man to himself.”  - Anon.

“Fortune does not change men; it unmasks them.”S. Necker, 1773

"Oh, I don't blame Congress.  If I had $600 billion at my disposal, I'd be irresponsible too." - H. Truman, 1951

"Crime doesn't pay...as well as politics."- W. Tweed, Tammany Hall

"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." - R. Reagan

"I have come to the conclusion that politics are much too serious a matter to be left to the politicians." - C. De Gaulle

"A man who can smile when things go wrong has thought of someone he can blame it on."

"Money is not the most important thing in the world...Love is.  Fortunately, I love money." - Anon.

“It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place.”  - H.L. Mencken, 1951

"Character is doing what is right when nobody's looking." - Unk.

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"If your attack is going really well, it's an ambush." - MSG E. Thompson

"If it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid." - MSG E. Thompson

"If the enemy is in range, SO ARE YOU." - MSG E. Thompson

"Tracers work both ways."  - MSG E. Thompson

"The easy way is always mined." - MSG E. Thompson

"It's not the bullet that kills you, it's the hole." - MSG E. Thompson

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“To the man who is afraid everything rustles.” – Sophocles, 406 BC

“The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.” – Sophocles, 404 BC

“There are more fools in the world than knaves, else the knaves would not have enough to live upon.” – S. Butler , 1655

“Only dead fish swim with the stream.” – Anon.

“Vows begin when hope dies.”  - L. da Vinci, 1517

“It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark. - H. Ruff, 1930

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you.  This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”  - S.L. Clemens, 1905

“We will either find a way, or make one.” Hannibal , 215 BC

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”- E. Roosevelt, 1953

 “Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose.” - Anon.

 “Beware the fury of a patient man.” – J. Dryden, 1657

“What was hard to endure is sweet to recall.” – French proverb

“Learn from the mistakes of others.  You can't live long enough to make them all yourself." - Unk.

"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once."-A. Einstien

"Everyone has a photographic memory.  Some just don't have film."

"A wise man’s questions contain half the answer.” – Gabriol, 1065

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - S. Clemens

"The things we know best are those we haven’t been taught.”  – L. dCd Vauvenargues, 1735

“An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.”  V. Hugo, 1867

“We’re drowning in information and starving for knowledge.” – R. Rodgers, 1978

“I prefer the errors of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom.”  – A. France 1901

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.  To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” St. T. Aquinas, 1269

“Oh, what a bitter thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes.”  W. Shakespeare, 1588

“Children are the living messages that we send to a time we will not see.”- N. Postman, 1959

“It is going to be fun to watch and see how long the meek can keep the earth after they inherit it. “ – F.M. Hubbard, 1924

"Necessity never made a good bargain.” – B. Franklin, 1775

 “If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” -  F. A. Clark, 1960

 “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” – A. Lincoln, 1863

 “In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” J. Narosky

 “The thorns I have reaped are of the tree I planted.”  - Lord Byron, 1815

 “Never explain.  Your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe it anyway.”     - E. Hubbard, 1912

“Be ashamed to die until you have won one victory for humanity.” --H. Mann  

"If the going is getting easier, you aren't climbing" - Unk.

"Great Teachers can lead you to the doors of understanding, but it is up to you to enter."  --Lao-Tzu

"Never tell people how to do things.  Tell them WHAT to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."  -- Gen. G.S. Patton

"The first rule of Holes... When you're in one, quit digging." - W. Rodgers

"The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary man takes everything as either a blessing or a curse." --D. Juan, 1965  

"Non in Cautus Futuri" (Not Unmindful of the Future) - Washington and Lee Univ. Motto 1756

"Duty. Honor. Country." - USMA Motto

"Commitment separates the doers from the dreamers."  - Unk.

"A temptation resisted is a true measure of character." - Unknown

“Losing an illusion makes you wiser than finding a truth. "   --L. Borne

"You can curse the darkness or light a candle.  The choice is yours." -- P. Kane 

"Whatever you cannot understand, you cannot possess.”   --J.W. von Goethe

”Forgiveness is the finding again of a lost possession – hatred an extended suicide.”   --F. Schiller

 
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."  - M. Ghandi

“The time to win a fight is before it starts.” --F. W. Lewis

" It ain’t so much what people don’t know that hurts, as much as what they know that ain’t so.” --A. Ward

"Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil!" -  Golda Meir


“We are here to add to what we can to life, not to get what we can from it.”   --W. Osler

"I never gave anyone HELL...I just told them the Truth and they thought it was Hell"  --H. Truman 1958

“To think is easy. To act is difficult.  To act as one thinks is the most difficult of all.”  --J.W. von Goethe

“The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” --W. Stekel

"No man is rich enough to buy back his past." --Wilde

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                    "To be is to do." --Socrates

                    "To do is to be." -- Aristotle

                    "Do-Be-Do-Be-Do..." --Sinatra

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“The person who pursues revenge should dig two graves.” --Old Proverb

       “It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.”   --A. Lincoln

“The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether or not it’s the same problem you had last year.” --J. F. Dulles

                “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”   --W. Rogers

“Nothing endures but change.”  --Heraclitus

“There was never a good war or a bad peace.” –B. Franklin

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  --Hebrews 11:1

"I can't is a poison, I can is the cure." -- C. Kennedy 1998

"Doubt is the enemy of Faith." -- C. Kennedy 1998

"Believe those who are seeking the truth.  Doubt those who find it." - A. Gide

"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is  putting on its shoes." - S.L. Clemmons

“Do the right thing.  It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”--S. L. Clemmons

              "There is a demand these days for men who can make wrong appear right."-Terrence, 158 B.C.

“Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.” --W. Churchill

“I hope that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.”--Michaelangelo

"The great danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high, but that it is too low and we reach it." -- Michaelangelo

“There are no real mistakes in life – only lessons.” --Anon.

“By their fruits ye shall know them."  -- Matthew 7:20

"Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”—Sun Tzu

“If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.” --V. Lombardi

“Never give up and never give in.” –H. Humphrey

“It may be that those who do the most, dream the most.” --Anon.

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." --Voltaire

"You never really lose until you quit trying.”—M. Ditka

“One man with courage makes a majority.”—A. Jackson

"The trouble with an opportunity is that it comes disguised as hard work." -- W. Rogers

"When you are the anvil, be patient.  When you are the hammer, strike."  --Arabian proverb  

"It often requires more courage to do right than to fear to do wrong.” --A. Lincoln

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”--G. Ruth

“Never underestimate man’s determination to be free.” --A. Watkins

"Fortune favors the brave.”    -- Virgil, The Aeneid

“By our spirits we are defined.” --Wilde

“Integrity has no need for rules.”—A. Camus _________________________________________

Patti McPherson



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