Every now and then I come upon a well-stated thought, an inspired quotation, that someone had the good sense to record.
Sometimes I find a thoughtful poem.
To me, discovering these words of wisdom is like finding the rare pearl.
I’m sure you know what I mean. You read a poignant quotation and you identify with its meaning, and with the person who spoke it; you share a truth and a life experience with that person, regardless of place or time. Or maybe the words provoke you to consider a new idea or point of view. Words are powerful, and words well-said are timeless.
Simply Stated is a collection of favorite quotations and poems that I treasure and have used in my posts. It is a place for me to collect and share these inspired, and inspirational, gems. I hope that you will enjoy reflecting on them, and if you like, read my own reflections by clicking on the links that follow. Enjoy!
“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
From his “I Have a Dream” speech, 1963
The Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the
Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
-Reinhold Neibuhr, theologian
“Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being. Without interrelation with society he cannot realize his oneness with the universe or suppress his egotism. His social interdependence enables him to test his faith and to prove himself on the touchstone of reality.”
– Mohandas Gandhi
If there is beauty in character, there will be harmony in the home.
If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.
– A Chinese Proverb
THANKSGIVING
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
– By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Afternoon on a Hill
I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
And the grass rise.
And when lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down!
-By Edna St. Vincent Millay
Photo credit: Geri Tomasko
“When one tugs
at a single thing in nature,
he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
– John Muir (1838-1914)
“Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work.
It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”
(Unknown)
“Learn from yesterday
live for today,
hope for tomorrow.”
– Albert Einstein
“Write it on your heart
that every day
is the best day
of the year.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Reflect upon your blessings, of which every man has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
– Charles Dickens
Photo courtesy of freeartisticphotos.com
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
– Mohandas Gandhi
“Youth is not a time of life—
it is a state of mind.”
-Anonymous
“Upon an ever expansive horizon,
Life reveals her mystery;
To live is a gift,
To feel is a blessing,
And to take part in her beauty is a miracle
Renewed each day.”
-Francisco de Ajofrín
May the sun bring you new energy by day,
May the moon softly restore you by night,
May the rain wash away your worries,
May the breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.
– Apache Blessing
What lies behind us
and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared to
what lies within us.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
All things of the universe are miracles,
each as profound as any.
– Walt whitman
That the birds of worry and care fly over your head,
This you cannot change,
But that they build nests in your hair,
This you can prevent.
-Chinese Proverb
To be happy at home is the
ultimate result of all ambition,
the end to which every
enterprise and labour tends.
— Samuel Johnson
Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.
– Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933)
Time is
too slow for those who wait,
too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love — time is eternity.
– Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933)
The better part of happiness is
To wish to be what you are.
– Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)
When I approach a child he inspires me in two sentiments;
tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become.
~ Louis Pasteur
Simple Pleasures 
Beautiful, Inspiring.
Thank you honey!