Dreams

"Dreams" by Langston Hughes Hold fast to dreamsFor if dreams dieLife is a broken-winged birdThat cannot fly.Hold fast to dreamsFor when dreams goLife is a barren fieldFrozen with snow. The ability to dream, to imagine a different state is one of humanity's greatest assets. Without it we would simply float along the river of life, …

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Man, Line, Ball

There is a concept in polo known as "man, line, ball." The sequence helps novice players prioritize their actions on the field, which is important in this fast-paced and often confusing environment. A polo team consists of four players, each with a number (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4). The #1 position is the most offensive-minded …

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Your Influence

It is not the grandiose moves you make in life, but the inspirational nudges you give those around you that constitute the greater part of your influence over the course of your lifetime. In fact, you could say that your influence on others - for better of for worse - is a kind of immortality. The …

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The Glory of Friendship

"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship." - Ralph Waldo Emerson It is commonly noted that children …

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Courage

Courage, the highest gift, that scorns to bend To mean devices for a sordid end. Courage—an independent spark from heaven’s bright throne, By which the soul stands raised, triumphant, high, alone. Great in itself, not praises of the crowd, Above all vice, it stoops not to be proud. Courage, the mighty attribute of powers above, …

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The Highest Enjoyment

"To acquire certainty in the appreciation of things exactly as they are, and to know them in their due subordination, and in their proper relation to one another—this is really the highest enjoyment to which we ought to aspire, whether in the sphere of art, of nature, or of life." - Goethe  If there is …

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Stern Virtue

"Hart kann die Tugend sein, doch grausam nie, / unmenschlich nie—Virtue may be stern, though never cruel, never inhuman." - Schiller, James Wood, Dictionary of Quotations, 1899 The notion that virtuousness is a weak-kneed approach to living and that the only form of being good is being nice is a common misconception which blunts much of the …

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Foster the Beautiful

"Foster the beautiful, and every hour thou callest new flowers to birth." - Schiller James Wood, Dictionary of Quotations,  1899 The secret to unlocking the full potential of any of your relationships - be they lovers, colleagues, family or friends - is found in taking the time to foster the beautiful qualities you recognize in them. This …

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Pulsations of Wisdom

"Das Herz und nicht die Meinung ehrt den Mann—It is his heart, and not his opinion, that is an honour to a man." - Schiller, James Wood, Dictionary of Quotations, 1899 A tranquil heart sets the stage for the cultivation and maintenance of a sharp and agile mind. The state of your heart, therefore, is of chief …

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I was thinking…

"Den schlecten Mann muss man verachten / Der nie bedacht was er vollbringt" — "We must spurn him as a worthless man who never applies his brains to what he is working at." - Schiller It occurred to me this morning that virtually every one of "my" best decisions at work came not from me …

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