Monthly Archives: September 2011

Prayer

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It’s hard to dislike people for whom we pray.
— H.L. Sidney Lear

Prayer is not only asking, but an attitude of mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural.
— Oswald Chambers

It may be that he can only sigh, stammer, and mutter. But as long as it is a request brought before God, God will hear it and understand it.
— Karl Barth

The greatest tragedy is not an unanswered prayer, but an unoffered prayer.
— Anonymous

I believe the old cliché, “God helps those who help themselves,” is not only misleading but often dead wrong. My most spectacular answers to prayers have come when I was so helpless, so out of control as to be able to do nothing at all for myself.
— Catherine Marshall

How to Be a Leader

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If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are an excellent leader.
— Dolly Parton

A true and safe leader is likely to be one who has no desire to lead, but is forced into a position of leadership by the inward pressure of the Holy Spirit and the press of the external situations.
— A.W. Tozer

Leadership is not just one quality but rather a blend of many qualities, and while no one individual possesses all of the needed talents that go into leadership, each man can develop a combination to make him a leader.
— Vince Lombardi

If Jesus is the model, then the coach is truly a servant of his players. He may be a disciplinarian and stern at times; however, his primary motivation from a spiritual perspective is to serve and to care for those with whom he has been entrusted.
— Tom Osborne

The Adversity Advantage

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Pain is only temporary. . . the benefits last forever.
— Jack Canfield

You have to have faith that there is a reason you go through certain things. I can’t say I am glad to go through pain, but in a way one must, in order to gain courage and really feel joy.
— Carol Burnett

Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity. Out of pain and problems have come the sweetest song, the most touching poems, the most gripping stories and inspiring lives.
— Billy Graham

There is no normal life that is free of pain. It’s the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.
— Fred Rogers

The real irony is this: some of the happiest, most joy-filled people I know are people who have been through some of the worst pain in the world. I don’t know exactly why that happens, but this is my guess: once we’re no longer afraid to feel any feeling that comes our way, we really do become happy, joyous and free.
— Melody Beattie

A Happy Marriage

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No one can continually ignore considerate, loving actions. If you make your mate feel special, you increase his or her desire to do the same for you.
— Gary and Norma Smalley

Often the difference between a successful marriage and a mediocre one consists of leaving about three or four things a day unsaid.
— Harlan Miller

Only a marriage formed of love, compassion, trust, service, caring and mutual respect will thrive and stay alive. If you do not serve your family, you are not qualified to lead your family.
— Todd Duncan

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
When you’re wrong, admit it.
When you’re right, shut up.
— Ogden Nash

I guess one of the greatest gifts a father can give a son is the example of how to treat your wife. My parents had their share of disagreements, as any couple married for more than forty years would have. But he always treated my mother with the utmost respect. It was obvious how much he loved her by the caring way he spoke to her and consulted her on big decisions.
— Pat LaFontaine

The Power of Example

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My children will not remember the words of wisdom I’ve passed along over the years, nor will yours remember the good advice you’ve given. However, etched in their minds and planted in their hearts is a permanent picture of who you are and how you’ve lived before them.
— Dorothy Patterson

Not only should we teach values, but we should live them. My kids pay a lot more attention to what I do than what I say. A sermon is better lived than preached.
— J.C. Watts

It is important to teach children kindness and simplicity in life and work. All of children’s moral and spiritual education should be supported by your own good example. You should live virtuously, or at least try to do so; the success of your good life will educate your children.
— Leo Tolstoy

The best way to teach a child restraint and generosity is to be a model of those qualities yourself. If your child sees that you want a particular item but refrain from buying it, either because it isn’t practical or because you can’t afford it, he will begin to understand restraint. Likewise, if you donate books or clothing to charity, take him with you to distribute the items to teach him about generosity.
— Lawrence Balter

Excellence

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The quality of a man’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field of endeavor.
— Vince Lombardi

I do not try to dance better than anyone else, I only try to dance better than myself.
— Mikhail Baryshnikov

Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.
— Sandra Day O’Connor

Good quality is cheap; it’s poor quality that is expensive.
— Joe Griffith

It is a favorite belief of mine that no student ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction.
— Charles Adams

Impact others

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Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
— Albert Einstein

It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed.
— Harvey Firestone

We don’t have to find the cure for cancer to make a difference to the world, and we don’t have to write great novels to be noticed by God. We only have to share our lives with other people, and choose generativity over stagnation.
— Rabbi Harold Jushner

Happiness comes not so much from doing well, but from doing well by others. If you seek and find the ways in which your work enhances the lives of others, you’re going to enjoy it more.
— Dr. Bob Rotella

To reach out to one person, to make a difference in one life, that is really what we are here for. So, have your grand dreams. Have your great plans for what your professional life will be, but don’t forget that it is one person at a time where we really leave a legacy.
— Francis Collins