swissmiss

“You want a social life, with friends.
A passionate love life and as well
To work hard every day. What’s true
Is of these three you may have two
And two can pay you dividends
But never may have three.

There isn’t time enough, my friends–
Though dawn begins, yet midnight ends–
To find the time to have love, work, and friends.
Michelangelo had feeling
For Vittoria and the Ceiling
But did he go to parties at day’s end?

Homer nightly went to banquets
Wrote all day but had no lockets
Bright with pictures of his Girl.
I know one who loves and parties
And has done so since his thirties
But writes hardly anything at all.”

– Kenneth Koch

“If you find yourself criticizing other people, you’re probably doing it out of Resistance. When we see others beginning to live their authentic selves, it drives us crazy if we have not lived out our own. Individuals who are realized in their own lives almost never criticize others. If they speak at all, it is to offer encouragement. Watch yourself. Of all the manifestations of Resistance, most only harm ourselves. Criticism and cruelty harm others as well.”
— Steven Pressfield, War of Art

(via Paul)

Mistakes are the portals of discovery.’
– James Joyce

(via)

“The only alternative left for mankind…is discipline…But by discipline I don’t mean harsh routines. I don’t mean waking up every morning at five-thirty and throwing cold water on yourself until you’re blue. Sorcerers understand discipline as the capacity to face with serenity odds that are not included in our expectations. For them, discipline is an art: the art of facing infinity without flinching, not because they are strong and tough but because they are filled with awe.”
– Carlos Castaneda

“Humor has a tremendous place in this sordid world.”
– Dr. Seuss

“Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.”
– Don Miguel Ruiz

“Loneliness does not come from being alone, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important.”
– Carl Jung

(via)

“Kindness toward others and radical kindness to ourselves buy us a shot at a warm and generous heart, which is the greatest prize of all.”
– Anne Lamott

“… In emergency rooms, they put people into three groups: Gonna die no matter what, going to be okay if we help them eventually, and needs help right this moment. By prioritizing where to focus, they serve the patients who can benefit the most.

What happens if instead of ignoring opportunity, you triage it?”

Opportunity triage, by Seth Godin

“Creativity is a combination of discipline and a childlike spirit.”
– Robert Greene

(via)

“To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable; to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength.”
– Criss Jami

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is not safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
– Helen Keller

“Pay attention to what you pay attention to!”
– Amy Krouse Rosenthal

(via)

“I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures.… I divide the world into the learners and non-learners.”
– Benjamin Barber

(via Paul)

“The thing is, ignorance is rarely the problem.

The challenge is that people don’t always care about what you care about. And the reason they don’t care isn’t that they don’t know what you know.

The reason is that they don’t believe what you believe.

The challenge, then, isn’t to inform them. It’s to engage and teach and communicate in a way that shares emotion and values and beliefs.”

– Seth Godin

“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.”
– Rosa Parks

“It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.”
– Albus Dumbledore