kc bob: QUOTES

Showing posts with label QUOTES. Show all posts

on the judging of nations and societies

“Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members - the last, the least, the littlest.” -Cardinal Roger Mahony

“The measure of a society is found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens.” -Jimmy Carter

"The degree of civilisation in a society is revealed by entering its prisons." -Winston Churchill

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -Mohandas Gandhi

“A society will be judged by how it treats its weakest members.” -Harry S. Truman

Palm Sunday Meditations

The entrance into Jerusalem [on Palm Sunday] has all the elements of theatre of the absurd: the poor king; truth comes riding on a donkey; symbolic actions... even parading without a permit! Also, when Jesus "set his face to go to Jerusalem," what was involved was direct action, an open confrontation and public demonstration of the incompatibility of evil with the Kingdom of God. -David Kirk

But everyone who lined the streets had a different reason for waving those palms. Some were political activists; they'd heard Jesus had supernatural power, and they wanted him to use it to free Israel from Roman rule. Others had loved ones who were sick or dying. They waved branches, hoping for physical healing. Some were onlookers merely looking for something to do, while others were genuine followers who wished Jesus would establish himself as an earthly king. Jesus was the only one in the parade who knew why he was going to Jerusalem - to die. He had a mission, while everyone else had an agenda. -Bill Hybels

real questions

much easier to show compassion to animals

Compassion does not just happen. Pity does, but compassion is not pity. It's not a feeling. Compassion is a viewpoint, a way of life, a perspective, a habit that becomes a discipline - and more than anything else, compassion is a choice we make that love is more important than comfort or convenience. -Glennon Doyle Melton

The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others. -Albert Schweitzer

Compassion is the basis of morality. -Arthur Schopenhauer

God's dream is that you and I and all of us will realize that we are family, that we are made for togetherness, for goodness, and for compassion. -Desmond Tutu

Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future. -Nelson Mandela

Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom. -Rumi

It is much easier to show compassion to animals. They are never wicked. -Haile Selassie

Rabbi Kushner on Life

I used a quote from Rabbi Harold Kusher's excellent book today in my devotion titled 'the power of pain'. Though you might enjoy reading some other quotes from books by the rabbi.

“One of the basic needs of every human being is the need to be loved, to have our wishes and feelings taken seriously, to be validated as people who matter.”

“I'm not perfect, ... But i'm enough”

“When facing a dilemma, choose the more morally demanding alternative.”

“Forgiveness is a favor we do for ourselves, not a favor we do to the other party.”

“Pain is the price we pay for being alive. Dead cells—our hair, our fingernails—can’t feel pain; they cannot feel anything.”

“The purpose in life is not to win. The purpose in life is to grow and to share.”

“Good people will do good things, lots of them, because they are good people.
They will do bad things because they are human.”

“One man alone can't defeat the forces of evil, but many good people coming together can.”

“God is like a mirror. The mirror never changes, but everybody who looks at it sees something different.”

“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul”

“God is the light shining in the midst of darkness, not to deny that there is darkness in the world but to reassure us that we do not have to be afraid of the darkness because darkness will always yield to light.”

faith in timing

The sentiment in this image challenges me at a deep level. I think that we all feel that we are captains of our destiny and in control of our lives. Yet life often does not happen according to our plans and timing. Hear what I think about some of the things that folks have said about this idea of timing ...

“Life is all about timing... the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable become available, the unattainable... attainable. Have the patience, wait it out It's all about timing.” (Stacey Charter)

I struggle with the idea that things will happen if we just have patience because sometimes patience has nothing to do with the things we want. Sometimes we wait to simply discern God's will. Sometimes waiting is about inner change.

“Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over.” (Gloria Naylor)

I love this perspective on timing. With children especially it is so hard to consider God's timing in the development of their character. Trusting God in this area can be so difficult. We all want to save our kids and our friends from pain.

“You cannot afford to wait for perfect conditions. Goal setting is often a matter of balancing timing against available resources. Opportunities are easily lost while waiting for perfect conditions.” (Gary Ryan Blair)

It is funny how we can use the idea of timing to advance the cause of procrastination.

“Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing.” (Warren Spahn)

This reminds me that great timing for one can be bad timing for another. Sensing the speed and arc of the proverbial pitch is what life is sometimes all about. And we cannot hit the homer if we do not take a swing.

“The timing of death, like the ending of a story, gives a changed meaning to what preceded it.”
(Mary Catherine Bateson)

My 43 year old niece died in October 2011. It reminded me that my wife Ellen also died when she was 43. Sometimes the timing of death makes absolutely no sense. Faith in God's timing is tested most in these times.

... I first published this in April 2012.

Desmond Tutu on what it means to be Human

Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African religious leader, theologian and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Here are a few things he has said about being human.

All of our humanity is dependent upon recognizing the humanity in others.

If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.

Without forgiveness, there's no future.

Be nice to whites, they need you to rediscover their humanity.

My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.

We inhabit a universe that is characterized by diversity.

A person is a person because he recognizes others as persons.

We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low.

Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.

Weightless Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking passed away today at the age of 76. I share this 2007 post to remember him.

I'm taking a few moments this morning, the day after Stephen's weightless ride, to share a few of his quotes:

It was amazing, I could have gone on and on. (about his weightless experience)

God not only plays dice, He also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.

I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.

Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.

The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired.

To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.

When one's expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have.

It matters if you just don't give up.

Stephen has suffered for many many years from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). This flight was the first time in 40 years that Stephen moved freely beyond his wheelchair.

a simple challenge for 2018

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his
individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them. -Washington Irving

Rise above principle and do what's right. -Joseph Heller

You learn to rise above a lot of bad things that happen in your life. And you have to keep going. -Lauren Bacall

There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself,
in acts of bravery and heroism. -Alexander Hamilton

mixed messages

I think that your entire life is a process of sorting out some of those early messages that you got. -Bruce Springsteen

Ridiculous yachts and private planes and big limousines won't make people enjoy life more, and it sends out terrible messages to the people who work for them. It would be so much better if that money was spent in Africa - and it's about getting a balance. -Richard Branson

I want girls to feel the confidence you get from being smart. They get so many messages that tell them the most important thing is to be beautiful. -Danica McKellar

Each of you is a unique child of God. God knows you individually. He sends messages of encouragement, correction, and direction fitted to you and to your needs. -Henry B. Eyring

The longing we have to communicate cleanly and directly with people is always obstructed by qualifications and often with concern about how our messages will be received. -John le Carre

Dick Gregory, 1932-2017

Dick Gregory was an American civil rights activist, social critic, writer, entrepreneur, comedian, and actor. I remember watching him on TV. He passed away yesterday. Here are a few things that he said.

Love is man's natural endowment, but he doesn't know how to use it. He refuses to recognize the power of love because of his love of power

I'm not a comic. I'm a humorist.

It's cool to be healthy.

I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go to school for that.

Hell hath no fury like a liberal scorned.

Fear and God do not occupy the same space.

Riches do not delight us so much with their possession, as torment us with their loss.

The most difficult thing to get people to do is to accept the obvious.

Once I realized the value of making people laugh, I got very good at it. Fast.

To me, seeing a really great comedian is a bit like watching a musician or a poet.

Poor is a state of mind you never grow out of, but being broke is just a temporary condition.

When you have a good mother and no father, God kind of sits in. It's not enough, but it helps.

Please join me in asking God to comfort Mt Gregory's family and friends.

Peter Principles

A few quotes from Canadian educator Laurence Johnston Peter who was a best known for the Peter principle.

In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.

A man doesn't know what he knows until he knows what he doesn't know.

Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent
and well informed just to be undecided about them.

Against logic there is no armor like ignorance.

Speak when you are angry--and you will make the best speech you'll ever regret.

If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.

Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but forgetting where you heard it.

If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?

An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.

You can always tell a real friend: when you've made a fool of yourself he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job.

Our Prime Purpose

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them. -Dalai Lama

The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others. -Albert Schweitzer

What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. -Saint Augustine

I've been helped by acts of kindness from strangers. That's why we're here, after all, to help others. -Carol Burnett

You feel alive to the degree that you feel you can help others.
-John Travolta

In our family, where we began with no money, we like to say that we have discovered that God invented money so those who have it can help others. -Tom Brokaw

Time is a River

In Einstein's equation, time is a river. It speeds up, meanders, and slows down. The new wrinkle is that it can have whirlpools and fork into two rivers. So, if the river of time can be bent into a pretzel, create whirlpools and fork into two rivers, then time travel cannot be ruled out. -Michio Kaku

The concept of time as a river fascinates me. The topic of time travel has always interested me. I loved seeing it in tv shows like Star Trek and Timeless. The Time Machine and Back to the Future were classic time travel flicks. Going back, and going forward, in time is simply a fascinating concept. Here are a few timely quotes. ツ

Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect. Edward M. Lerner

I distracted myself from the fear and terrorism by thinking about things like how the universe began and whether time travel is possible. -Malala Yousafzai

'Closed timelike curve' is the jargon for time travel. It means you go out, come back and meet yourself in the past. -Kip Thorne

The bottom line is that time travel is allowed by the laws of physics. -Brian Greene

Time travel used to be thought of as just science fiction, but Einstein's general theory of relativity allows for the possibility that we could warp space-time so much that you could go off in a rocket and return before you set out. -Stephen Hawking

“If time travel is possible, where are the tourists from the future?” -Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time

Interpreting Donuts and Rose Bushes

“There are no facts, only interpretations.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

“One person's craziness is another person's reality.” -Tim Burton

“Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.” -George Carlin

“What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” -John Lubbock

“The optimist sees the donut, the pessimist sees the hole.” -Oscar Wilde

...originally posted February 8, 2013

Are We Rowing or Rocking the Time Away?

Tough times never last, but tough people do. -Robert H. Schuller

Lost time is never found again. -Benjamin Franklin

If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of. -Bruce Lee

It takes a long time to become young. -Pablo Picasso

Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years. -Ausonius

The time is always right to do what is right. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time. -Leo Tolstoy

Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else. -Peter Drucker

Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. -Jesus Christ

Transformed People Transform People

Last year our small group read 'Falling Upward' by Richard Rohr, a Catholic Priest who ministers in Albuquerque, NM. While I do not always agree with him. I often find his words to be inspirational. This first quote seemed appropriate for this time of year. Please let me know if any of these ring true for you.

As you look back on a year almost ended, recall the ways in which God has been inviting you to return, again and again, to Love which is the same as returning to God.

Religious belief has made me comfortable with ambiguity.

You come to God not by being strong, but by being weak; not by being right, but through your mistakes.

Jesus is the very concrete truth revealing and standing in for the universal truth.

It is so important to balance orthodoxy with orthopraxy.

Transformed people transform people.

All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. If we do not transform our pain, we will transmit it to those around us.

Religion is one of the safest places to hide from God.

The path of descent is the path of transformation. Darkness, failure, relapse, death, and woundedness are our primary teachers, rather than ideas or doctrines.

Maturity is the ability to joyfully live in an imperfect world.

We do not think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking.

I think my great disappointment as a priest has been to see how little actual spiritual curiosity there is in so many people.

Jesus is much more concerned about shaking your foundations, giving you an utterly alternative self image, world image, and God image, and thus reframing your entire reality. Mere inspiration can never do this.

It is at the bottom where we find grace; for like water, grace seeks the lowest place and there it pools up.

The Question of Questions

"The important thing is not to stop questioning." -Albert Einstein

"If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask?
|Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?" - Scott Adams

"A prudent question is one-half of wisdom." -Francis Bacon

"Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers." -Anthony Robbins

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." -James Thurber

"No man really becomes a fool until he stops asking questions." -Charles Steinmetz

"Historians are like deaf people who go on answering questions that no one has asked them." -Leo Tolstoy

"It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry." -Thomas Paine

"He must be very ignorant for he answers every question he is asked." -Voltaire

-originally posted October 2009

Not Everything that Counts can be Counted

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." -Albert Einstein

Love this quote. I mean really. Who can put a number on love? Who is smart enough to rate a sunset? Or wise enough to discern the origins of the universe? So much of life has so little to do with the things that we can see or hear. The things that shape us so often are the things that cannot be seen with our outer eyes. These require inner vision. Eyes of faith are need to discover important spiritual truths. Imagination often takes the invisible and makes it visible. Not everything that can be counted counts.

I was going to post this yesterday ...

How soon 'not now' becomes 'never'. -Martin Luther

Procrastination is the thief of time. -Edward Young

Procrastination is opportunity's assassin. -V Kiam

Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week. -Spanish Proverb

Procrastination is something best put off until tomorrow. - G. Vaughan

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. -Don Marquis

...originally posted November 25, 2012

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