This may seem like and odd quote to introduce a quotations page with, but I open with it for a couple of reasons. When I first read this sentence, I was insulted. Why should I not read, admire and be inspired by great quotations from great people in history? Who does this guy think he is, putting down people for finding meaning in inspiring messages of great speakers, writers or authority?
After my indignation died down a bit I thought I could not be sure of the context in which he was speaking, so it would be difficult to interpret the true meaning behind his words. It is difficult to know the true meaning behind any single quotation unless one knows a good deal about the quoter, the time and place of the quote and the intention behind the statement. Do we do a disservice by tossing quotes around like nobodies business as this quote may to suggest? Is Mr. Kemp right? I don’t think so!
I think most times we use quotations, because they speak to us on a personal level. They mean something to us even if the meaning is different from its origins. I’m not sure if Mr. Kemp had this in mind when he spoke his words, but it would not seem so.
If one should not emulate, read, ponder and use the words of some great speaker, then how should we deal with these great phrases? I open with this quote, because I think of it as and odd bit of encouragement to go out and create your own quotes. Maybe we should think carefully about our own words and how we us them. Maybe we should strive to be more thoughtful and eloquent in our own speech habits. Maybe Mr. Kemp is using a bit of reverse psychology to get us to think before we speak. In any case this is how I have decided to interpret this opening quote.
My entire website will be the home of my personal quotation! Weather it is inspiring or not! This “Quotations Worth Sharing” page will present some of my literary inspirations and you will find quotes sprinkled throughout this website which have made a significant impact on my thinking.
In this section, I will list many of the quotes I have used on my website and I will write a brief description of what they mean to me. I hope you take inspiration form some of these words as I have, and that you give meaning to them yourself.
Self respect. What does it mean to you? Human beings are amazing creatures. The biological body is a physiological, mechanical, electrical, and chemical marvel. To create such invention I imagine it would take thousands of our most brilliant minds, hundreds of years of research and experimentation and many failures. The more we learn about life and the workings of the human body the more incredible we turn out to be. Surely, such a biological wonder deserves praise and great respect, yet how often to you marvel at yourself? How much do you respect yourself? Do you treat your body, mind a soul with the care and respect it deserves? Maybe if individuals had more information about how wonderfully complex and special we were, then maybe we would take better care of ourselves in all ways. Maybe if we treated our bodies with the care we give our cherished possessions then maybe we would live long healthy lives. Maybe if we cared more for the incredible organ we call a brain and exercised it harder and more often, we would lead quality lives filled with variety and excitement. Maybe if we praised the temple of the human soul we would live rich full lives and not fail to see that special something in other beings of our own kind. In many cases people do not do this and that is an incredible shame, because we are one of the most incredible features of this world we call earth.(18/08/07)
This quote seems particularly true to me, because I often have described myself as timid, shy or reserved. This I feel is part of the reason fortune and love has not often or permanently favored me with its presence. Of course this is all a matter of perception. I can look at my life as being abundantly full of love and good fortune. If I consider where I thought I would have been at this point in my life years ago, then I would say that I am lacking in love and fortune. Maybe this lack of good fortune is due to the lack of having a good plan which would have moved me toward my intended goals? Of course I would also need the courage to work on that plan toward those goals. Courage Rodney! Everything is possible! Those Roman poets where smart guys!(09/06/07)
Isn’t it so true! Hard work separates the average from the exceptional. I have spent a great deal of time settling with average. I’ve had average marks in school, I have an average job, I’ve settled for average relationships in my like. I work fairly hard at my sport and I have been rewarded with certain levels of success. What I have learned from this success is that hard work needs three components to be effective; time, energy and skill. We have to make the time for things we think are important. We have to put enough energy into a project that we are fatigued (physically or mentally) when we are done. We must also do the task with skill. We may spend lots of time and energy on a task only to find that we are ineffective because of a lack of skill. Skill is necessary in having a good freestyle technique, to writing a clearly thought out and well written essay, to providing good coaching on a volunteer basis. Like my high school basketball coach always said: “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect!” So, I’d encourage you to work hard at working hard and succeed!(21/05/07)
So many people today live dull lives. They go through their workday on autopilot, just doing what needs to be done. At lunch they eat the same old foods, and drink the same old drinks. At home they sit in front of the TV for hours on end or just follow the same routine day after day. Even on vacation they go to the same old places time after time, with no real goal ahead of them.
Have you asked yourself where you want to go with your life? If the answer is I’m already there, then ask yourself were do you want to go next? Without goals or dreams we stagnate and slip into autopilot. These dreams can be big or small, but they should be significant enough to accelerate your heart rate when you think about them. Make no mistake, you should think about a lot, because they make life worth while.
In 2006 I slipped out of autopilot, and now I have my hands on the driver’s wheel and I’m feeling more and more control every day - control that I’ve never had before. I must admit that this feeling is addictive. Everything has become more intense and interesting. It must be like waking up after being in a coma for years – life has come back and it’s now mine to live! (03/03/07)
Are you in a rut? Do you feel that nothing you do matters in this world? Do you feel that you are at the mercy of other people and events? Does all this uncertainty bother you and do you let it bring you down? This quote encourages me to break away form any discouraging thoughts or feelings and to live my own life. There are many things that I would like to see change in this world, and most of those things are apparently far beyond my control. What is under my control are my actions. If I am a fresh, vibrant happy, certain, principled person, then I will spread these good “things” to those around me and the world will in effect, become a better place.
This is one of the first quotes I stumbled upon in my personal quest for self improvement and it still resounds with me today. This quote touches at two feelings I have in large quantities, my sense of regret and my sense of adventure. Regret is something I’d like to eliminate from my life and adventure is something I relish. I see from this quote that I can use my sense of adventure to eliminate my sense of regret.
You are in control of the way you feel! This powerful message can lead one away from despair and into new levels of happiness. When you realize that nasty words from someone’s mouth say more about the speaker than the person they are criticizing, then those words have no power to hurt you. Don’t give the control over the way you feel to someone else, it is the strongest tool you have in your emotional toolbox!