FURTHERMORE
By Gerry Moran
You know those self-help publications and soppy little books of wise quotations that populate the shelves of our book stores this time of year? Well I love them. I collect them. Not alone do I collect them but friends give them to me – usually as a Christmas present.
And God knows I need them (as my friends obviously know). Problem is, I never get round to reading them. What I need now is a self-help book to help me read the self-help books that I’ve accumulated. But sure I mightn’t read that either. That said this being January – the start of a new year and new beginnings – I scanned those little books of quotations and offer you a selection of some of those quotations and observations.
So, sit yourself down, pour yourself a drop of something (that’s if you’re not off the drink for the New Year) as you peruse this wee compilation of words of wisdom some of which you may have come across before but are worth coming across again.
“Friendship is when people know all about you – but like you anyway” (Anonymous)
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“What lies behind us, and lies before us, are small matters, compared to what lies within us” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
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“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” (Leo Buscaglia, American author)
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“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” (Winston Churchill)
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“And when we grow up we must never forget that hidden down deep within us is our forever inner child resting, silently forever waiting, forever hoping that one day we shall remember it.” (Athey Thompson, writer)
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“Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it the more it will elude you but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.” (Henry David Thoreau)
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“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” (Anonymous)
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“To laugh often and much, to win the respect of people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a better place, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” (Emerson)
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“How silent the woods would be if only the best birds sang.” (Henry Van Dyke)
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“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?” (Anonymous)
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“May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.” (Apache blessing)
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“It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” (Abraham Lincoln)
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“For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life – but there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life, this perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one.” (Souza, American author)
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“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” (George Eliot)
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“Listen to your heart above all other voices.” (Marta Kagan)
