"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
~ Jack Layton

"In real life, there is real heroism, but its not about saving babies from burning buildings. Its about making an effort, day after day, to be kind to some old people, be patient with some young people, be polite to those who you could get away being rude to. Real life heroism is a marathon, not a sprint."


~ John F. Groom

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." 


- Cicero

"I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail,
not to scorn human actions, but to understand them."
--Baruch Spinoza

Earth teach me stillness
as the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth teach me suffering
as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility
as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring
as the mother who secures her young.
Earth teach me courage
as the tree which stands all alone.
Earth teach me limitation
as the ant which crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom
as the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth teach me resignation
as the leaves which die in the fall.
Earth teach me regeneration
as the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself
as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness
as dry fields weep with rain.

~ Ute Prayer

"The first virtue of all really great men is that they are sincere.
They eradicate hypocrisy from their hearts."

-- Anatole France

"The virtues which keep this world sweet and the faithfulness which keeps it steadfast are chiefly those of the average man."

-- W. Russell Bowie

"Enthusiasm is the best protection in any situation. Wholeheartedness is contagious. Give yourself, if you wish to get others."

-- David Seabury