"The second most deadly instrument of destruction is the dynamite gun [Editor's Note: this was written before the atomic bomb was invented though the point is still valid],—the first is the human tongue. The gun merely kills bodies; the tongue kills reputations and, ofttimes, ruins characters. Each gun works alone; each loaded tongue has a …
Category: Observations on Life
The Kingship of Self-Control IV
“The individual can attain self-control in great things only through self-control in little things. He must study himself to discover what is the weak point in his armor, what is the element within him that ever keeps him from his fullest success. This is the characteristic upon which he should begin his exercise in self-control. …
The Kingship of Self-Control III
"Any man may attain self-control if he only will. He must not expect to gain it save by long continued payment of price, in small progressive expenditures of energy. Nature is a thorough believer in the installment plan in her relations with the individual. No man is so poor that he cannot begin to pay …
The Kingship of Self-Control II
"Every step in the progress of the world has been a new “control.” It has been escaping from the tyranny of a fact, to the understanding and mastery of that fact. For ages man looked in terror at the lightning flash; today he has begun to understand it as electricity, a force he has mastered …
The Kingship of Self-Control I
"When a man fails in life he usually says, “I am as God made me.” When he succeeds he proudly proclaims himself a “self-made man.” Man is placed into this world not as a finality,—but as a possibility. Man’s greatest enemy is,—himself. Man in his weakness is the creature of circumstances; man in his strength …
Light through the Keyhole
Summer Sun by Robert Louis Stevenson Great is the sun, and wide he goes Through empty heaven with repose; And in the blue and glowing days More thick than rain he showers his rays. Though closer still the blinds we pull To keep the shady parlour cool, Yet he will find a chink or two …
Attitude and Character
"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character." ~ Albert Einstein Character flaws don't just happen. They are formed over time like stalactites in a cave. They are rigid, yet ultimately fragile and they invariably complicate the passage from this moment to the next. Character flaws are not a necessity, only an unfortunate side-effect of careless …
You are Phenomenal!
I read an interesting article by Dr. Walter Jacobson, M.D. in the Huffington Post yesterday evening. Entitled "How to Succeed in Business by Spiritually Trying," the article points out that the subconscious mind in many people is programmed to self-sabotage, despite the conscious mind's best efforts to take steps that lead to self-improvement. Dr. Jacobson …
Tyrannosaurus Debt
My sons and I were enjoying a few of the Schoolhouse Rock animated educational motion films yesterday and we came across one that I hadn't heard during my cartoon watching years as it was one of the later releases of the series. Entitled "Tyrannosaurus Debt," this episode focused on the catastrophic consequences of fiscal irresponsibility, …
Truth and Reason
"I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led, and bearding every authority which stood in their way." ~ Thomas Jefferson Every man, woman and child is called to make acquaintance with truth while navigating the river of life. Some scarcely have the opportunity …
Gregory Hake 