Author, Artist & Armchair Theorist
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Store

Ramblings
Sometimes I stumble, but it's okay as long as I get up and keep moving forward...

Five To Live By

4/18/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

I love words. I always have. Though I profess to be a writer, sometimes the right words still escape me. I'm good with the well-mulled phrase, but my tongue usually takes a while to catch up. While grasping for snappy comebacks or soothing consolations in real time, I have more than once turned to the words of others for what I could not readily express.

There is no shame, then, that one of my all-time favorite pastimes is collecting quotes. Words already made famous (or infamous) and even utterances by family or friends unknown to the rest of the world; all are fair game when my own wit won't suffice. Yet of all the thousands of quotes I've collected over the years, there are just five well-known phrases that I insist on passing on - a legacy, if you will, of collective simple wisdom. I think you'll recognize them:

    The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself.
- Oscar Wilde
​

"This too shall pass."
Often attributed to King Solomon, this timeless nugget (and favorite of my wonderful mother-in-law, God rest her soul) doesn't actually show up in the Bible, though it feels like the gospel truth. Everything has a beginning and end - every mountaintop experience and every dark night of the soul. If you don't like the way things currently stand, don't worry; sooner or later circumstances will change. You've heard the term "temporal", right? Well, everything in this world is subject to time. Don't get too attached - especially to feelings that drag you down. They are fleeting in the greater scheme of things. Sure, sometimes it feels like we're stuck in the pits forever, but only if we insist on dwelling there. Make sure to enjoy the good times, too, while they last. Soon enough, all will be just a memory.
​
​     Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't. - Erica Jong
Picture
​
"It's all good."
This cracker-barrel phrase used to irritate me to no end, but I've long since realized the truth of it. Everything has purpose, whether or not we like, or even get, it. Noted psychologist Mihaly Csikszmihaly studied happiness around the world throughout various socioeconomic groups, and found that circumstances matter very little in determining overall happiness. What does matter is attitude. A positive one always serves us better... which leads to my next anonymous tidbit:









​






​




​"No rain, no rainbow."

Look for the upside, the proverbial "silver lining" of any situation, and you'll eventually find it. About now you are probably saying "Wow - what gall! What about about all the suffering in the world, the horrible and horrendous things people do to each other, the senseless tragedies?" While I can't condone many things people do, believe it or not, even senseless tragedy is integral to the greater scheme of things. Just as nights separate days, and shadows accentuate what they surround, we can only fully experience the mountaintops when they are punctuated with valleys. Nothing makes us appreciate wellness so much as being sick, or realize how rich we are until we know poverty. Experiencing the negative aspects of life enables us to develop compassion, to move beyond our flawed humanity to embrace the divine. At the risk of sounding preachy, it's how we learn the merits of sacrificial love first hand. Sometimes we're the recipient, and sometimes the giver, and we are incomplete until we've been both. Want blue skies, not constant gray? Let the rain fall, and the foul wind blow away the clouds to what lies beyond them.

Picture
​
"Can't never did."
A similar maxim utilized by moms and successful people throughout the world - Failure is a choice. Unfortunately,  it is a common one. Most often, failure occurs because we're not even brave enough to enter the starting gate. Remember: "Try" might eventually win, and "will" always will. 


I am glad that I paid so little attention to good advice; had I abided by it I might have been saved from some of my most valuable mistakes.- Edna St. Vincent Millay

"Actions speak louder than words."
Lip service is an ugly form of flattery, one that masquerades as compelling. I have been taken in by it, and I've served it up, and in either circumstance was left empty as a piecrust promise. What we do matters more than what we say we'll do. Not that words are powerless; those meant to console become a knife in the back when follow-through fails to happen. To make words work for, and not against you, be a person of integrity. Do what you say you'll do, and while you're at it, "Do good".

         Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that's no reason not to give it.- Agatha Christie

Okay, so I snuck in a few extras. I never claimed to be good at math! What are your favorite quotes and words to live by?
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    C.A. Morgan

    I write because that's how  I process  my thoughts and engage the world. And, hopefully, my musings will encourage you to follow your dreams too.

    Archives

    June 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from redjar, nojhan, symphony of love, Oliver Liegmann, gvgoebel, MattysFlicks, Luci Correia, Bert Kaufmann, BLMOregon, Karsten Hitzschke, Ryan Dickey, trendingtopics, rawdonfox, Johnragai-Moment Catcher, Masa Sakano, dee_dee_creamer, The Photo Journey, aaronrhawkins, jonathan.leung, liyagella, ups2006, Danijel J, @MilesFromDevon, Tambako the Jaguar, Anna Panáková, themostinept, Wilfredor, symphony of love, Alan Cleaver, Courtney Emery, Tambako the Jaguar, HockeyholicAZ, symphony of love, Harald Groven, patchattack, torbakhopper, ProFlowers.com, andreaarden, Yokohama Boat Theatre, judy dean, jonseidman, stevendepolo, Tambako the Jaguar, vince42, Alejandro Pinto, Katie Tegtmeyer, LeonArts.at, varresa, jl_2, Arya Ziai, Arya Ziai, chitowngal66_tx, WorldIslandInfo.com, jacobsons, nillamaria, STC4blues, aquigabo!, Renaud Camus, Sister72, Raphael Perez Israeli Artist, susivinh, Artotem, nevil zaveri (thank you for 10 million+ views :), born1945, weegeebored, RendeUV, what's_the_frequency, Lukes_photos, Celestine Chua, Wonderlane, Angelia's Photography, N@ncyN@nce, Boston Public Library, MoreLife81, Prestonbot, pixelmattic, The Cleveland Kid, Jangra Works, REM Photo, nggalai, celebrityabc, Ace MegaRex, Rob Briscoe, anjanettew, dalecruse, Mufidah Kassalias, frankieleon, davidmulder61, symphony of love, snappitt photography, Ahmed Sadoon, amy.gizienski, kilgarron, mripp, eastmidtown, YourCastlesDecor, tammylo, Mark B. Schlemmer, symphony of love, Dimitris Graffin, Prestonbot, PiConsti, SuperCar-RoadTrip.fr, whatsthatpicture, katerha, steve p2008, Frank Boston (bostonsphotos), Philippe Put, PrevisioniMeteo, garryknight, Håkan Dahlström, Olgierd Pstrykotwórca, Sister72, amy.gizienski, amseaman, Jeff.Dlouhy, Celestine Chua, BLW Photography, Maëlick, USFWS Mountain Prairie, Bennilover, vendicatorre, ToOliver2, Ingrid Taylar, symphony of love, *_*, RLHyde, PicsofAB, symphony of love
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Store