"Knowing How to Think Empowers You Far Beyond Those Who Know Only What to Think."

"Sow a Thought, and you reap an Act; Sow an Act, and you reap a Habit; Sow a Habit, and you reap a Character; Sow a Character, and you reap a Destiny." Charles Reade

"A person shows what he is by what he does with what he has."Anonymous

It's a rare person who doesn't get discouraged. Whether it happens to us or to an associate we're trying to cheer up, the answer centers around one word: perseverance.
The value of courage, persistence, and perseverance has rarely been illustrated more convincingly than in the life story of this man (his age appears in the column on the right):
Failed in business 22
Ran for Legislature - defeated 23
Again failed in business 24
Elected to legislature 25
Sweetheart died 26
Had a nervous breakdown 27
Defeated for Speaker 29
Defeated for Elector 31
Defeated for Congress 34
Elected to Congress 37
Defeated for Congress 39
Defeated for Senate 46
Defeated for Vice-President 47
Defeated for Senate 49
Elected President of the U.S. 51
That's the record of Abraham Lincoln.

A few more ten second sermons:
A fault recognized is half corrected.
When people share their fears with you, share your courage with them.
Alter you attitude and you can alter your life.

Two brothers convicted of stealing sheep were branded on the forehead with the letters ST, for "sheep thief".
One brother, unable to bear the stigma, moved to a foreign land. But men asked him about the strange letters. He wandered restlessly, and at length, full of bitterness, died and was buried in a forgotten grave.
The other brother said, "I can't run away from the fact that I stole sheep. I will stay here and win back the respect of my neighbours and myself."
As the years passed he built a reputation for integrity. One day, a stranger saw the old man with the letters branded on his forehead. He asked a native what they signified. "It happened a great while ago," said the villager. "I've forgotten the particulars; but I think the letters are an abbreviation of Saint."

If you wish to be successful, runs an old Chinese proverb, talk to three old men.
A research organization asked several hundred men over sixty, from all walks of life, what their biggest mistake had been. The following things turned up again and again:
Dropped out of college.
Did not stick to anything.
Did not save money.
Would not listen to the advice of older, wiser heads.
Played it safe and missed the big opportunity.
Didn't work hard enough.

Babylon in all its desolation is a sight not so awful as that of the human mind in ruins."
Scrope Berdmore Davies

June L. Rokoff, senior vice-president at Lotus Development Corporation, in a speech to students at Bentley College said "A couple of years ago when I was named to the position I have now, my husband David took his collection of my old business cards and had them framed." She held up the framed cards for all to see and continued, "Here it is - I keep it hanging in my office. When I look at it, I think of two people.
"One is my 10th-grade math teacher, who told me I should probably give up on math, or any career relating to math, because I was no good at geometry.
"The other is a boss I had in my second job, when I was 23 years old. He told me I'd gone about as far as I could go in the computer industry. He said I should just accept the fact that my career had 'plateaued' and quit trying to get ahead.
"So if any of you see my old math teacher or my old boss, would you let them know that today I have 1200 people working for me. And that most of them are very good in math."