Samuel Butler
All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income.
A man should have any number of little aims about which he should be conscious and for which he should have names, but he should have neither name for, nor consciousness concerning, the main aim of his life.
We all love best not those who offend us least, nor those who have done most for us, but those who make it most easy for us to forgive them.
To live is like to love, all reason is against it, and all healthy instinct for it.
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have lost at all.
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A martini. Shaken, not stirred.
Death is something not only mysterious but a great act of purgation. That which continues in a repetitive pattern is degeneration. The pattern may vary according to country, according to climate, according to circumstance, but it is a pattern. Moving in any pattern brings about a continuity and that continuity is part of the degenerating process of man. When there is an ending of continuity, something new can take place. One can understand it instantly if one has understood the whole movement of thought, of fear, hate, love - then one can grasp the significance, instantly, of what death is.
Great minds have purpose, others have wishes.
Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.
The beginning of wisdom is found in doubting, by doubting we come to the question, and by seeking we may come upon the truth.
You are never a loser until you quit trying.
You see, Francois, marriage is a beautiful mistake which two people make together. But with you, Francois, I think it would be a mistake.
To freely bloom - that is my definition of success.
God gives us our relatives - thank God we can choose our friends.
Something happened to me. It was the sweetest thing that ever could be. It was a fantasy a dream come true, it was the day I met you !
It is not enough to have a good mind, the main thing is to use it well.
You're good, you're very good.
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Every human heart is human.
Live life with passion.
Most people are about as happy as they make up their mind to be.
I am not sure I should have dared to start , but I am sure that I should not have dared to stop.
One man with courage is a majority.
Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
There is no limit to the power of the human mind. The more concentrated it is, the more power is brought to bear on one point.
No fate is worse than a life without a love.
Desire can be eradicated from the roots by firmly imbibing the four attributes of : Jnan, Atmanishtha, Vairagya, and the full fledged devotion to god. Faith is in the younger generation, the modern generation, out of them will come my workers.
To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven.
The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who can not read and write, but those who can not learn, unlearn, and relearn.
The tapas and the other hard yogas that were practiced in other yugas do not work now. What is needed in this yuga is giving, helping others. Believe in yourself and the world will be at your feet.
Do you like scary movies ?
To give away money is an easy matter and in any mans power. But to decide to whom to give it, and how large, and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither in any mans power nor an easy matter
You're on the road to success when you realize that failure is only a detour.
Time is really the only capital that any human being has and the thing that he can least afford to waste or lose.
Life is not accountable to us. We are accountable to life.
Act or accept.
Treasure the love you receive above all. It will survive long after your good health has vanished.
My friends are my estate.
One only gets to the top rung on the ladder by steadily climbing up one at a time, and suddenly, all sorts of powers, all sorts of abilities which you thought never belonged to you suddenly become within your own possibility and you think, 'Well, I'll have a go, too.'
Friendship doubles joy and halves grief.
He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.
Seek first to understand, then be understood
Never fear the want of business. A man who qualifies himself well for his calling, never fails of employment.
Our schools and are not teaching students to think. It is astonishing how many young people have difficulty in putting their brains definitely and systematically to work.
How do I look ?
What greater thing is there for two human souls that to feel that they are joined, to strengthen each other, to be at one with each other in silent unspeakable memories.
The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.
You need a good bedside manner with doctors or you will get nowhere.
One of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought.
This is the true joy the being used for a purpose recognized as a might one.
I am convinced that He ( God ) does not play dice.
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.
No one became poor by giving alms.
If we are going to teach 'creation science' as an alternative to evolution, then we should also teach the stork theory as an alternative to biological reproduction.
To laugh often and love much, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to give one's self, this is to have succeeded.
Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance.
I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward.
Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it.
One hundred percent of the shots you don't take don't go in.
The important thing is this, to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are, for what we could become.
Vision doesn't usually come as a lightening bolt. Rather it comes as a slow crystallization of life challenges that we one day recognize as a beautiful diamond with great value to ourselves and others.
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
Every man goes down to his death bearing in his hands only that which he has given away.
If you didn't know me, would you think I was a stranger ?
The history of the world is but the biography of great men.
Life is the first gift, love is the second.
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
Love is a daily, mutual exchange of value.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean , if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.
Constant dripping hollows out a stone.
I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.
Ask for advice but do what you think is best.
Goals are not only absolutely necessary to motivate us. They are essential to really keep us alive.
There is no education like adversity.
Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home.
Know thyself.
I am someone else when I'm with you, someone more like myself.
People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.
They merit more praise who know how to suffer misery than those who temper themselves in contentment.
To live for results would be to sentence myself to continuous frustration. My only sure reward is in my actions and not from them.
Ill can he rule the great that cannot reach the small.
Almost all of the world-class athletes and other peak performers are visualizers. They see it , they feel it, they experience it before they actually do it. They began with the end in mind. You can do it in every area of your life. Before performance, a sales presentation, a difficult confrontation, or the daily challenge of meeting a goal, see it clearly, vividly, relentlessly, over and over again. Create an internal "comfort zone''. Then, when you get into the situation, it isn't foreign. It doesn't scare you.
All work is empty save when there is love.
Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.
Obstacles are those frightful things you can see when you take your eyes off your goal.
Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.
Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.
Congress is the only insane asylum that's run by the inmates.
You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.
The unique ability to take decisive action while maintaining focus on the ultimate mission is what defines a true leader.
Never say anything about yourself you do not want to come true.
When you wholeheartedly adopt a 'with all your heart' attitude and go all out with the positive principle, you can do incredible things.
What is essential is invisible to the eyes.
All mankind love a lover.
Do first things first, and second things not at all.
Sometimes I lie awake at night and ask, Where have I gone wrong ? Then a voice says to me, This is going to take more than one night.
The art of love, is largely the art of persistence.
I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity.
A dream is a wish your heart makes.
Knowledge is proud that she knows so much , Wisdom is humble that she knows no more.
We have no simple problems or easy decisions after kindergarten.
If you love someone, set them free.