“I cannot condone the systematic destruction of the hope and spirit of people who have suffered hardship and pain to reach our shores. They are people who believe that they have been or are at risk of being persecuted in their own country.”
“Trainers use humor to point out negative behaviors in ways that teach rather than preach. Mediators tell us that the right joke, or the right moment of levity, can reduce tensions to the point that two adversaries can sit down at the table to consider the possibility of agreement. So why does humor work? Because it shatters preconceptions at the moment when people are forming new perceptions—about their work, their spouse, or life itself. Laughter is a release; it is a moment of sheer pleasure. And in our world of tension and turmoil, the belly laugh is a physical escape valve. Choosing the humor is another matter. We live an era of the put-down, the snide aside, the searing retort. These comments do have their place, but all too often they make us laugh at someone else’s expense. Good humor, nourishing humor for example, enables us to laugh at ourselves for being human. It serves as a window into our souls.”
“Man can find meaning in life, short and perilous as it is, only through devoting himself to society.”
“The foundations of a person are not in matter but in spirit.”
“You have got to know what it is you want, or someone is going to sell you a bill of goods somewhere along the line that can do irreparable damage to your self-esteem, your sense of worth, and your stewardship of the talents that God gave you.”
“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centred: Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives: Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies: Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous: Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow: Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough: Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God: It was never between you and them anyway.”
“Women are not inherently passive or peaceful. We’re not inherently anything but human.”
“Silence is sometimes the best answer.”
“No matter how educated or wealthy you are, if you don’t have peace of mind, you won’t be happy.”
“I urge you to: Trudge not through life leaving ugly gashes, Tiptoe not through life leaving half-formed impressions, But tread gently, lovingly and purposefully Leaving graceful heart-prints.”
