Sydney J. Harris
When I hear somebody sigh, Life is hard, I am always tempted to ask, Compared to what ?
The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.
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Every hero becomes a bore at last.
Friends are made by many acts and lost by only one.
The first and greatest commandment is, Don't let them scare you.
Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.
One does evil enough when one does nothing good.
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.
Recognize that transition has a characteristic shape.
Only those who are absolutely their true selves in this world can have pervading influence.
With malice toward none, with charity for all.
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.
Hard work pays off.
It takes a great deal of character strength to apologize quickly out of one's heart rather than out of pity. A person must possess himself and have a deep sense of security in fundamental principles and values in order to genuinely apologize.
In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men.
An Arabian proverb says there are four sorts of men: He who knows not and knows not he knows not: he is a fool, shun him. He who knows not and knows he knows not: he is simple, teach him. He who knows and knows not he knows: he is asleep--wake him. He who knows and knows he knows: he is wise, follow him.
Talkers are no good doers.
Time is the great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all of it's students.
Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.
Little strokes fell great oaks.
I know you are, but what am I ?
It's always too soon to quit !
How can we remember our ignorance, which our growth requires, when we are using our knowledge all the time ?
It is my principle that the will of the majority should always prevail.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work
In this world a man must either be an anvil or hammer.
Any man who selects a goal in life which can be fully achieved has already defined his own limitations.
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''.
One joy scatters a hundred griefs.
No limits are set to the ascent of man, and to each and everyone the highest stands open. Here it is only your personal choice that decides.
Whatever our souls are made up, his and mine are the same.
Why hesitate? Upon the plains of hesitation are the bleached bones of countless millions, who on the threshold of victory sat down to wait, and in waiting they died.
Those at the top of the mountain didn't fall there.
If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Losers make promises they often break. Winners make commitments they always keep.
Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.
The best leaders of all, the people know not they exist. They turn to each other and say, We did it ourselves.
Dwell not on the past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed.
If we always look back, we lose sight of what's ahead.
On the last analysis, then, love is life. Love never faileth and life never faileth so long as there is love.
What's another word for thesaurus ?
Know thyself.
Reflection doesn't take anything away from decisiveness, from being a person of action. In fact, it generates the inner toughness that you need to be an effective person of action -- to be a leader. Think of leadership as some of two vectors competence: (your specialty, your skills, your know-howl) and authenticity: (your identity, your character, your attitude) .
Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.
When we place blame, we give away our power.
Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction.
When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.
I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen.
Children are all foreigners.
We are so lazy, we do not want to do anything ourselves. We want a personal god, a savior or a prophet to do everything for us. Long as we believe ourselves to be even the least different from god, fear remains with us, but when we know ourselves to be the one, fear goes, of what can we be afraid ?
The only gift is a portion of thyself.
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.
When your self-worth goes up, your net worth goes up with it.
Many of us spend half of our time wishing for things we could have, if we didn't spend half of our time wishing.
Success doesn't come to you, you go to it.
First get rid of the delusion "I am the body", and then only can we want real knowledge.
If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don't, they never were.
You complete me.
The brain and muscles must develop simultaneously. Iron nerves with an intelligent brain - and the whole world is at your feet.
It had always amazed me how different things looked in a studio compared to how they appeared on TV. In reality the set was a tiny stage in a giant room of cables, cameras, and monitors, all connected trounced a control room full of other monitors and audio equipment. On TV it looked like two people sitting in an office having a conversation.
Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.
The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune.
Enjoy each step, for in every moment there is something to learn.
You are never a loser until you quit trying.
The beginning of wisdom is found in doubting, by doubting we come to the question, and by seeking we may come upon the truth.
To God, there is no zero. I still exist.
All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love.
The person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.
Change your thoughts and you change your world.
Losers visualize the penalties of failure. Winners visualize the rewards of success.
Well, nobody's perfect.
Always mistrust a subordinate who never finds fault with his superior.
They are able because they think they are able.
Hunker down.
The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration.
Procrastination is the thief of time.
Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.
You could unwrap a Fudgesicle at the first light and never touch the brake lever till you threw away the stick.
I'm an excellent driver.
Wisdom is knowing what to do next.
Formal education will make you a living, self education will make you a fortune.
Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.
The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.
What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness ?
The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, learn about them, or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.
The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman's heart.
No one can make you jealous, angry, vengeful, or greedy -- unless you let him.
You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Never give in -- never, never, never, never.
I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to my fellow-creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
Where can we go to find god if we cannot see him in our own hearts and in every living being.
Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.
He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.
It's not the events of our lives that shape us, but our beliefs as to what those events mean.
Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first steps to something better.
Not many people know it, but the Fuhrer was a terrific dancer.
To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.
First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.