Uplifting Quotes

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Action

• Defines You:
  • Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. Thomas Jefferson.
  • Kick the bag. Instructors from Nordel Karate, Mahato Karate, Benny's Jet Center, and many other martial arts schools.
  • I never worry about action, but only about inaction. Winston Churchill.
  • I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Leonardo Da Vinci.
  • Action expresses priorities. Mahatma Gandhi.
  • Action is the real measure of intelligence. Napoleon Hill.
  • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
  • Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving. Albert Einstein.
  • It's always your next move. Napoleon Hill.
• Words:
  • Don't listen to their words, fix your attention on their deeds. Albert Einstein.
  • Actions speak louder than words. Mark Twain.
  • Well done is better than well said. Benjamin Franklin.
  • Don't talk about what you have done or what you are going to do. Thomas Jefferson.
• Knowing:
  • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
• Thinking:
  • If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done. Bruce Lee.
  • Let your performance do the thinking. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind. Theodore Roosevelt.
  • Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.
    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
• Proactive:
  • The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react. George Bernard Shaw.
• Effective:
  • It's not what you give, it's the way you give it. Bruce Lee.
• See Character.

Attitude

• Responsibility:
  • The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.
    Charles R. Swindoll.
  • Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein.
• Excellence:
  • No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit. Helen Keller.
  • Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.
    Lou Holtz.
  • Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Winston Churchill.
  • If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize. Muhammad Ali.
• See Action and Courage.

Business

• Information:
  • Know where to find the information and how to use it - that's the secret of success. Albert Einstein.
  • You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. Albert Einstein.
  • Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. Albert Einstein.
  • Microsoft's new employees need to possess not merely technical expertise but, more important, the capacity to acquire quickly whatever skills might be needed in the future. Microsoft's Big Advantage: Hiring Only The Supersmart, Fortune, 1996.
  • Knowledge management is nothing more than managing information flow, getting the right information to the people who need it so that they can act on it quickly. It goes back to Michael Dertouzos' idea that information is a verb, not a static noun. And knowledge management is a means, not an end. Bill Gates, Business @ The Speed of Thought, Manage Knowledge to Improve Strategic Thought, 5/15/2000.
  • It's the knowledge derived from information that gives you a competitive edge. Bill Gates, Newsweek, 1/25/06.
  • The computer is the first metamedium, and as such it has degrees of freedom for representation and expression never before encountered and as yet barely investigated. Alan Kay, American Computer Scientist, Visionary.
  • Our schools were designed 50 years ago to meet the needs of another age.... Until we design them to meet the needs of this century, we will keep limiting, even ruining, the lives of millions of Americans every year. Bill Gates 2/26/05.
  • The current information revolution is a cultural revolution, a social revolution, a thoroughgoing technological revolution that involves not just information, but labor, leisure, entertainment, communication, education, culture and thus is part of a major cultural and social shift. Bill Gates, The Road Ahead, 11/1/95.
  • The twenty-first century will be about velocity: the speed of business and the speed of change. To stay up with and anticipate change, businesses need radically better information flow. To get a better flow of information to develop the right processes and strategies, they need a digital nervous system. Most organizations don't have enough data to understand key aspects of their business well enough. A digital nervous system will help you understand your business better and then act more effectively on that understanding. An infrastructure designed around information flow will be the "killer application" for the twenty-first century. If the 1980s were about quality and the 1990s were about reengineering, then the 2000s will be about velocity. About how quickly the nature of business will change. About how quickly business itself will be transacted. About how information access will alter the lifestyle of consumers and their expectations of business. Quality improvements and business process improvements will occur far faster. 21st Century Business Success - from Business @ The Speed of Thought, Bill Gates, 5/15/2000.
  • See Education.
• Intelligence:
  • Microsoft has long hired based on
  • Character:
    • Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong. It is character. Albert Einstein.
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
    • See Character.
  • Action:
    • Action is the real measure of intelligence. Napoleon Hill.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
    • See Action.
  • Leadership:
    • We learned that a former prisoner of war had more to teach us about what it takes to find a path to greatness than most books on corporate strategy. From the business best seller "Good to Great", by Jim Collins.
    • Full quote: Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith). We learned that a former prisoner of war had more to teach us about what it takes to find a path to greatness than most books on corporate strategy. Every good-to-great company embraced what we came to call the Stockdale Paradox: You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and, at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be. From the business best seller "Good to Great", by Jim Collins.
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
    • Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. Albert Einstein.
    • See Leadership.
  • Fear:
    • An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. Edwin Land.
    • Fear is the foundation of all human limitations. Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Karate Dynamics, 7/1/91  
      (Correct, though fear is overcome on a foundational level by love, faith, confidence, self-esteem and courage.)
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • See Fear.
  • Hiring and Interviews:
    • Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing. Albert Einstein.
    • The interview process tests not what the applicant knows, but how well they can process tricky questions: If you wanted to figure out how many times on average you would have to flip the pages of the Manhattan phone book to find a specific name, how would you approach the problem? If a spider fell to the bottom of a 50-foot well, and each day climbed up 3 feet and slipped back 2, how many days would it take the spider to get out of the well? (Hint: The answer's not 50 days.)
      Bill Gates on Microsoft's Interview Process.
    • We shall find the answer when we examine the problem, the problem is never apart from the answer, the problem is the answer, understanding the problem dissolves the problem. Bruce Lee.
    • Highly effective education in the 21st century.
  • The present and future of knowledge attainment and essential business skills. Bill Gates, Newsweek, 1/25/06.
  • See Action, Education, Character, Leadership and Fear.

  Character

  • Excellence:
    • Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. Albert Einstein.
    • Knowledge will give you power, but character respect. Bruce Lee.
  • Developed through Adversity:
    • Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller.
    • The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.
    • We learned that a former prisoner of war had more to teach us about what it takes to find a path to greatness than most books on corporate strategy. From the business best seller "Good to Great", by Jim Collins.
    • Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
  • Resolve:
    • Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein.
    • In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. Thomas Jefferson.
  • Honesty:
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
    • Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom. Thomas Jefferson.
    • I believe there's an inner power that makes winners or losers. And the winners are the ones who really listen to the truth of their hearts. Sylvester Stallone.
    • When you are angry or frustrated, what comes out? Whatever it is, it's a good indication of what you're made of.
      H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • Morality:
    • The church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 1963.
    • Good manners sometimes means simply putting up with other people's bad manners. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • See Action, Eye of the Tiger, Excellence and Honesty.

  Commitment

  • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
  • Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. Albert Einstein.
  • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.

  Courage

  • One man with courage makes a majority. Andrew Jackson.
  • See Love, Action and Motivation.

  Creativity

  • Effective:
    • Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them. Albert Einstein.
    • Anything that won't sell, I don't want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.
      Thomas Edison, (1093 patents).
    • Freedom of expression is the matrix, the indispensable condition, of nearly every other form of freedom.
      Benjamin Cardozo.
    • Quality is never an accident; it's always the result of high intention, sincere effort; intelligent direction and skill execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. John Ruskin.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.
      Helen Keller.
  • Ineffective:
    • Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us many useful objects such as wicker picnic baskets. Imagination without skill gives us modern art. Tom Stoppard.
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. Albert Einstein.
    • Total freedom of expression does not compensate for lack of talent. Nicolas Gomez Davila.
    • There is nothing more dreadful than imagination without taste. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
    • There is no right way to do wrong thing. Bernard Jensen.
    • Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. Martin Luther King Jr.
    • We shall find the answer when we examine the problem, the problem is never apart from the answer, the problem is the answer, understanding the problem dissolves the problem. Bruce Lee.
  • Using Your Mind:
    • My mind is my laboratory. Albert Einstein.
    • Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. Albert Einstein.
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
    • Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. Albert Einstein.
    • It is astonishing what an effort it seems to be for many people to put their brains definitely and systematically to work.
      Thomas Edison.
    • Thomas Edison: 1093 patents, 3 months of formal school (at age 7), considered the greatest inventor of the millennium.
      (Bio, Wiki).
    • At the age of 15, Einstein decided to educate himself. American Museum of Natural History.
    • Einstein received honorary doctorate degrees in science, medicine and philosophy from many European and American universities. Nobleprize.org.
  • Not Lazy:
    • If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies.... It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it. Albert Einstein.
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • There is no substitute for hard work. Thomas Edison.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
  • Complete Expression:
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
    • Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. Albert Einstein.
    • There is always a best way of doing everything. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
    • I am easily satisfied with the best. Winston Churchill.
    • The most important thing is to not stop questioning. Albert Einstein.
    • Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. Voltaire.
  • Trial and Error:
    • I learned extraordinary lessons about what works and what doesn't when it comes to diet, exercise and mental attitude. That knowledge was hard earned, especially since there were no guidelines for my particular path in life. Nobody ever gave me a book ... it was a giant experiment and I was the guinea pig. Sylvester Stallone.
    • Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Einstein.
    • The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. Linus Pauling.
    • If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? Albert Einstein.
    • On his initial unsuccessful attempts to discover electricity: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work!"
      Thomas Edison.
    • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
  • Information:
    • Most of us now live in an "information democracy" - if you have access to a PC and the Internet, you can tap into almost all the information that is publicly available worldwide. Advanced software and Web services can help trace, slice and dice the information in ways that were impossible only a decade ago. Bill Gates, Newsweek, 1/25/06.
    • The current information revolution is a cultural revolution, a social revolution, a thoroughgoing technological revolution that involves not just information, but labor, leisure, entertainment, communication, education, culture and thus is part of a major cultural and social shift. Bill Gates, The Road Ahead, 11/1/95.
    • The computer is the first metamedium, and as such it has degrees of freedom for representation and expression never before encountered and as yet barely investigated. Alan Kay, American Computer Scientist, Visionary.
  • Motivation:
    • Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. Norman R. Augustine.
    • Academic chairs are many, but wise and noble teachers are few; lecture-rooms are numerous and large, but the number of young people who genuinely thirst after truth and justice is small. Albert Einstein.
    • Champions aren´t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. Muhammad Ali.
    • That's what Rocky is all about: pride, reputation, and not being another bum in the neighborhood. Sylvester Stallone.
    • I believe there's an inner power that makes winners or losers. And the winners are the ones who really listen to the truth of their hearts. Sylvester Stallone.
  • Persistence:
    • It's not that I am so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein.
    • Gates' intellect is marked by an ability, as he puts it, to "drill down." Time Magazine, 1/13/97.
  • Challenges:
    • The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.
    • We learned that a former prisoner of war had more to teach us about what it takes to find a path to greatness than most books on corporate strategy. From the business best seller "Good to Great", by Jim Collins.
    • Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard. Bruce Lee.
    • An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile - hoping it will eat him last. Winston Churchill.
  • Character:
    • Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. Albert Einstein.
    • Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller.
  • Attitude:
    • The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.
      Charles R. Swindoll.
    • Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein.
  • Discipline:
    • Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • Fear:
    • An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. Edwin Land.
    • Fear is the foundation of all human limitations. Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Karate Dynamics, 7/1/91
      (Correct ... though fear is overcome on a foundational level by love, faith, confidence, self-esteem and courage.)
    • Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. Albert Einstein.
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • Commitment:
    • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now.
      Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
  • Humility:
    • Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. Albert Einstein.
  • Prayer:
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
    • Bible verses on prayer.
  • Solitude:
    • I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind. Albert Einstein.
    • Bible verses on solitude.
  • Spirit:
    • "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6, Bible (NIV)
    • God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7, Bible (NIV)
    • The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, Bible (NIV)
  • Love:
    • The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.
      Helen Keller.
    • Remember your humanity and forget the rest. Albert Einstein.
    • We need to stop asking God to bless our plans, and get on God's plan because it is already blessed.
      Bono, National Prayer Day Address, 2/1/06.
    • And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
      1 John 4:16, Bible (NIV).
    • One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:34-40, Bible (NIV).
  • Life Purpose:
    • Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won't discover your life's meaning by looking within yourself. You've probably tried that already. You didn't create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn't know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn't be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner's manual could reveal its purpose.
      Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren.
    • Each of you has been blessed with one of God's wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.
      1 Peter 4:10.
    • We say to ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
      Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Address as President of South Africa, 1994.
    • From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48.
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.
      Albert Einstein.
    • Its not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose. Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren
    • The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10.
    • It's a very short trip. While alive, live. Malcolm Forbes.
  • Action:
    • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
    • A good martial artist does not become tense but ready. Not thinking yet not dreaming, ready for whatever may come. A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and face the consequences of his own doing. To have no technique, there is no opponent, because the word 'I' does not exist. When the opponent expands I contract and when he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, 'I' do not hit, 'it' hits all by itself.” Bruce Lee.
    • Don't think, feel. It is like a finger pointing out to the moon, don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory. Bruce Lee.
    • You cannot travel within and stand still without. James Allen.
    • See Effective Creativity and Ineffective Creativity.
  • Get in the Game:
    • Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • See Action, Urgency, Motivation, Challenges, Character, Attitude, Discipline, Fear, Commitment, Humility, Prayer, Spirit and Love.

  Dealing With The Unknown

  • Faith vs. Fear and Doubt:
    • The deepest thing in our nature is the region of the heart in which we dwell alone with our faiths and fears.
      William James.
    • Fear is the foundation of all human limitations. World-Champion Kickboxer Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Karate Dynamics, 7/1/91.  (Correct, though fear is overcome on a foundational level by love, faith, confidence, self-esteem and courage.)
    • On July 4, 1776, the wording of the Declaration of Independence was ratified. Before the signing a prayer was said and in silence the delegates to the convention applied their signature to the document, an act that would be considered treason by the Crown and which would cost them their lives should the revolution fail. Thomas Jefferson's Wiki Bio.
    • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.
      Albert Einstein.
    • The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.
      Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth.
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
    • You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
      Eleanor Roosevelt.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
  • The Real World:
    • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
    • If mere mechanical efficiency can make everyone a martial artist, then all is well. Unfortunately, combat, like freedom, is something that can not be preconceived. Bruce Lee.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
    • Truth is what stands the test of experience. Albert Einstein.
    • If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies... It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it. Albert Einstein.
    • Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. Albert Einstein.
  • Preparation:
    • A good martial artist does not become tense but ready. Not thinking yet not dreaming, ready for whatever may come. A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and face the consequences of his own doing. To have no technique, there is no opponent, because the word 'I' does not exist. When the opponent expands I contract and when he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, 'I' do not hit, 'it' hits all by itself.” Bruce Lee.
  • Adapt:
    • Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.
      Winston Churchill.
    • All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.
      Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Perseverance:
    • What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing. I learned something from all those sets and reps when I didn't think I could lift another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we know. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard. Bruce Lee.
  • Challenges:
    • We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win. JFK.
  • Commitment:
  • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
  • Prayer:
    • Don't think, feel. It is like a finger pointing out to the moon, don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory. Bruce Lee.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
    • Bible verses on prayer.
  • Excellence:
    • We shall find the answer when we examine the problem, the problem is never apart from the answer, the problem IS the answer, understanding the problem dissolves the problem. Bruce Lee.
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
  • See Action, Faith, Fear, Perseverance, Commitment, Prayer and Preparation.

  Determination:

  • Resolve:
    • The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather, a lack of will. Vince Lombardi.
    • Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing. Abraham Lincoln.
    • We learned that a former prisoner of war had more to teach us about what it takes to find a path to greatness than most books on corporate strategy. From the business best seller "Good to Great", by Jim Collins.
    • The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.
    • One man with courage makes a majority. Andrew Jackson.
    • Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. Albert Einstein.
    • The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard. Bruce Lee.
    • What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing. I learned something from all those sets and reps when I didn't think I could lift another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we know. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. Norman R. Augustine.
    • It's not that I am so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein.
    • Gates' intellect is marked by an ability, as he puts it, to "drill down." Time Magazine, 1/13/97.
    • On his initial unsuccessful attempts to discover electricity: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work!"
      Thomas Edison.
    • Thomas Edison: 1093 patents, 3 months of formal school (at age 7), considered the greatest inventor of the millennium.
    • I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."
      Muhammad Ali.
    • An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile - hoping it will eat him last. Winston Churchill.
    • In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. Thomas Jefferson.
  • Attitude:
    • The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.
      Charles R. Swindoll.
    • Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein.
  • Character:
    • Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller.
  • Commitment:
    • Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. Albert Einstein.
    • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now.
      Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
    • I am easily satisfied with the best. Winston Churchill.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
  • Honesty:
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
    • Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom. Thomas Jefferson.
    • I believe there's an inner power that makes winners or losers. And the winners are the ones who really listen to the truth of their hearts. Sylvester Stallone
  • Fear:
    • An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. Edwin Land.
    • Fear is the foundation of all human limitations. Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Karate Dynamics, 7/1/91  
      (Correct, though fear is overcome on a foundational level by love, faith, confidence, self-esteem and courage.)
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
    • The deepest thing in our nature is the region of the heart in which we dwell alone with our faiths and fears. William James.
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.
      Albert Einstein.
  • Faith:
    • Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. Albert Einstein.
    • The church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 1963.
  • Prayer:
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
    • Bible verses on prayer.
  • Spirit:
    • "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6, Bible (NIV)
    • God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7, Bible (NIV)
    • The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, Bible (NIV)
  • Direction:
    • The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.
      Helen Keller.
    • Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won't discover your life's meaning by looking within yourself. You've probably tried that already. You didn't create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn't know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn't be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner's manual could reveal its purpose.
      Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren.
    • Each of you has been blessed with one of God's wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.
      1 Peter 4:10.
    • We say to ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
      Nelson Mandela , Inaugural Address as President of South Africa, 1994.
    • From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48.
    • There is no right way to do wrong thing. Bernard Jensen.
    • We need to stop asking God to bless our plans, and get on God's plan because it is already blessed.
      Bono, National Prayer Day Address, 2/1/06.
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
    • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
    • The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10, Bible (NIV).
    • It's a very short trip. While alive, live. Malcolm Forbes.
  • Opportunity:
    • Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • Excellence:
    • We shall find the answer when we examine the problem, the problem is never apart from the answer, the problem is the answer, understanding the problem dissolves the problem. Bruce Lee.
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
  • See Action, Character, Commitment, Creativity, Faith, Fear, Honesty, Motivation, Opportunity, Perseverance, Prayer and Spirit.

  Discipline

  • Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
  • See Action.

  Education

  • Seeking Highly Advanced Knowledge:
    • Know where to find the information and how to use it - that's the secret of success. Albert Einstein.
    • Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. Albert Einstein.
    • Academic chairs are many, but wise and noble teachers are few; lecture-rooms are numerous and large, but the number of young people who genuinely thirst after truth and justice is small. Albert Einstein.
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
    • If mere mechanical efficiency can make everyone a martial artist, then all is well. Unfortunately, combat, like freedom, is something that can not be preconceived. Bruce Lee.
    • There is always a best way of doing everything. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
    • I am easily satisfied with the best. Winston Churchill.
    • Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. Albert Einstein.
    • Quality is never an accident; it's always the result of high intention, sincere effort; intelligent direction and skill execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. John Ruskin.
    • There is no substitute for hard work. Thomas Edison.
  • Evaluating Knowledge and Education:
    • Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing. Albert Einstein.
    • The interview process tests not what the applicant knows, but how well they can process tricky questions: If you wanted to figure out how many times on average you would have to flip the pages of the Manhattan phone book to find a specific name, how would you approach the problem? If a spider fell to the bottom of a 50-foot well, and each day climbed up 3 feet and slipped back 2, how many days would it take the spider to get out of the well? (Hint: The answer's not 50 days.)
      Bill Gates on Microsoft's Interview Process.
    • We shall find the answer when we examine the problem, the problem is never apart from the answer, the problem is the answer, understanding the problem dissolves the problem. Bruce Lee.
      
  • Bill Gates, Education:
    • New employees need to possess not merely technical expertise but, more important, the capacity to acquire quickly whatever skills might be needed in the future. Microsoft's Big Advantage - Hiring Only The Supersmart, Fortune, 1996.
    • Knowledge management is nothing more than managing information flow, getting the right information to the people who need it so that they can act on it quickly. It goes back to Michael Dertouzos' idea that information is a verb, not a static noun. And knowledge management is a means, not an end. Bill Gates, Business @ The Speed of Thought, Manage Knowledge to Improve Strategic Thought, 5/15/2000.
    • We became concerned about him when he was ready for junior high (1967).... His interests were so very different from the typical sixth grader's. His intellectual drive and curiosity would not be satisfied in a big public school. So we decided to send him to an elite private school across town. Bill Gates' Father, Time Magazine, 1/13/97.
    • In his junior year (1975), Gates left Harvard to devote his energies to Microsoft.... His foresight and vision for personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the software industry. www.microsoft.com/billgates/bio.asp.
    • Our schools were designed 50 years ago to meet the needs of another age.... Until we design them to meet the needs of this century, we will keep limiting, even ruining, the lives of millions of Americans every year. Bill Gates 2/26/05.
    • The current information revolution is a cultural revolution, a social revolution, a thoroughgoing technological revolution that involves not just information, but labor, leisure, entertainment, communication, education, culture and thus is part of a major cultural and social shift. Bill Gates, The Road Ahead, 11/1/95.
    • The computer is the first metamedium, and as such it has degrees of freedom for representation and expression never before encountered and as yet barely investigated. Alan Kay, American Computer Scientist, Visionary.
    • Most of us now live in an "information democracy" - if you have access to a PC and the Internet, you can tap into almost all the information that is publicly available worldwide. Advanced software and Web services can help trace, slice and dice the information in ways that were impossible only a decade ago. Bill Gates, Newsweek, 1/25/06.
  • Albert Einstein, Education:
    • Know where to find the information and how to use it - that's the secret of success. Albert Einstein.
    • Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. Albert Einstein.
    • Academic chairs are many, but wise and noble teachers are few; lecture-rooms are numerous and large, but the number of young people who genuinely thirst after truth and justice is small. Albert Einstein.
    • Einstein's gifts inevitably resulted in his dwelling much in intellectual solitude. Nobleprize.org.
    • At the age of 15, Einstein decided to educate himself. American Museum of Natural History.
    • Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it. Albert Einstein.
    • Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. Albert Einstein.
    • A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem. Albert Einstein.
    • Information is not knowledge. Albert Einstein.
    • Truth is what stands the test of experience. Albert Einstein.
    • If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies... It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it. Albert Einstein.
    • Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. Albert Einstein.
    • Einstein received honorary doctorate degrees in science, medicine and philosophy from many European and American universities. Nobleprize.org.
    • In 1999, Einstein was chosen by Time as Person of the Century.
  • Thomas Edison, Education:
    • Thomas Edison's educational path: "At age seven, after spending 12 weeks in a noisy one-room schoolhouse with 38 other students of all ages, Tom's overworked and short tempered teacher finally lost his patience with the child's persistent questioning and seemingly self-centered behavior. The teacher made no secret of his belief that the hyperactive youngster's brains were "addled" or scrambled. When his mother became aware of the situation, she promptly withdrew him from school and began to "home-teach" him.  She was convinced her son's unusual demeanor was merely an outward sign of his remarkable intelligence. At age 11, Tom's parents tried to appease his ever more voracious appetite for knowledge by teaching him how to use the resources of the local library. This skill became the foundation of many factors that gradually caused him to prefer learning via independent self-instruction." Thomasedision.com, biography.
    • There is no substitute for hard work. Thomas Edison.
    • It is astonishing what an effort it seems to be for many people to put their brains definitely and systematically to work.
      Thomas Edison.
    • On his initial unsuccessful attempts to discover electricity: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work!"
      Thomas Edison.
    • Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
      Thomas Edison.
    • I start where the last man left off. Thomas Edison.
    • If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves. Thomas Edison.
      
    • Thomas Edison: 1093 patents, 3 months of formal school (at age 7), considered the greatest inventor of the millennium.
    • Thomas Edison's Bio and Learning Style.
  • Bruce Lee, Education:
    • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
    • If mere mechanical efficiency can make everyone a martial artist, then all is well. Unfortunately, combat, like freedom, is something that can not be preconceived. Bruce Lee.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
  • Benjamin Franklin, Education:
    • The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance. Benjamin Franklin.
    • Tis easy to see, hard to foresee. Benjamin Franklin.
  • Additional Quotes on Seeking Highly Advanced Knowledge:
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
    • Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. Thomas Jefferson.
    • Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.
      Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
    • Level 5 leaders continually work on development, filling in the gaps. They continually work on building momentum.
      Good to Great, Jim Collins.
    • I learned extraordinary lessons about what works and what doesn't when it comes to diet, exercise and mental attitude. That knowledge was hard earned, especially since there were no guidelines for my particular path in life. Nobody ever gave me a book ... it was a giant experiment and I was the guinea pig. Sylvester Stallone.
    • There's nobody youer than you. Dr. Seus.
    • Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us many useful objects such as wicker picnic baskets.
      Tom Stoppard.
    • Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. Voltaire.
    • The most important thing is to not stop questioning. Albert Einstein.
    • The aim (of education) must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals who, however, can see in the service to the community their highest life achievement. Albert Einstein.
    • The current and future of knowledge attainment and essential business skill development. Bill Gates, Newsweek, 1/25/06.
  • Related links: Action and Excellence.

  Excellence

  • Satisfaction:
    • I am easily satisfied with the best. Winston Churchill.
    • It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it. W. Somerset Maugham.
  • Quality of Life:
  • The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. Vince Lombardi.
  • Full Potential:
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
  • Planning and Diligence:
    • Quality is never an accident; it's always the result of high intention, sincere effort; intelligent direction and skill execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. John Ruskin.
    • Learn once, practice thousands of times. Shihan Michael Graves.
  • Perseverance:
    • Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great. Kenny Rogers.
    • If we are to go only halfway or reduce our sight in the face of difficulty … it would be better to not go at all. John F. Kennedy.
    • The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • Work Quality:
    • Just make up your mind at the very outset that your work is going to stand for quality … that you are going to stamp a superior quality upon everything that goes out of your hands, that whatever you do shall bear the hallmark of excellence.
      Orison Swett Marden.
    • Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence. Vince Lombardi.
    • Always do more than is required of you. George S. Patton.
    • Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way. Booker T. Washington.
    • Superiority is doing things a little better than anybody else can do them. Orison Swett Marden.
    • You can scream at me, call me for a shoot at midnight, keep me waiting for hours - as long as what ends up on the screen is perfect. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • Leadership:
    • An automobile goes nowhere efficiently, unless it has a quick, hot spark to ignite things, to set the cogs of the machine in motion. Knute Rockne.
  • Action:
    • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
  • See Action and Success.

  Eye Of The Tiger

  • Faith vs. Fear and Doubt:
    • The deepest thing in our nature is the region of the heart in which we dwell alone with our faiths and fears.
      William James.
    • Fear is the foundation of all human limitations. World-Champion Kickboxer Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Karate Dynamics, 7/1/91.  (Correct, though fear is overcome on a foundational level by love, faith, confidence, self-esteem and courage.)
    • On July 4, 1776, the wording of the Declaration of Independence was ratified. Before the signing a prayer was said and in silence the delegates to the convention applied their signature to the document, an act that would be considered treason by the Crown and which would cost them their lives should the revolution fail. Thomas Jefferson's Wiki Bio.
    • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.
      Albert Einstein.
    • The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.
      Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth.
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
    • You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
      Eleanor Roosevelt.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
  • Imagination:
    • Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • Attitude:
    • That's what Rocky is all about: pride, reputation, and not being another bum in the neighborhood. Sylvester Stallone.
    • Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein.
  • Self-Talk:
    • We say to ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Address as President of South Africa, 1994.
  • Decisiveness:
    • Do or do not, there is no try. Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back.
  • Adversity:
    • An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile - hoping it will eat him last. Winston Churchill.
    • Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.
      Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens.
      Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • Full Potential:
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
    • What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing. I learned something from all those sets and reps when I didn't think I could lift another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we know. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.
  • See Action and Spirit.

  Failure

  • Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Einstein.
  • If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? Albert Einstein.
  • The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. Linus Pauling.
  • "Results! Why, man I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won’t work." As Edison said when he created the light bulb on his 10,000th attempt, “I know 9,999 ways it doesn’t work.” Thomas Edison.
  • We are all failures; at least the best of us are. Sir James Barrie.
  • I learned extraordinary lessons about what works and what doesn't when it comes to diet, exercise and mental attitude. That knowledge was hard earned, especially since there were no guidelines for my particular path in life. Nobody ever gave me a book ... it was a giant experiment and I was the guinea pig. Sylvester Stallone.
  • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
  • An error is not an error unless one refuses to correct it. O. A. Batista.
  • See Excellence, Eye of the Tiger, Perseverance, Self-Talk, Success and Winning.

  Faith

  • Faith vs. Fear and Doubt:
    • The deepest thing in our nature is the region of the heart in which we dwell alone with our faiths and fears.
      William James.
    • Fear is the foundation of all human limitations. World-Champion Kickboxer Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Karate Dynamics, 7/1/91.  (Correct, though fear is overcome on a foundational level by love, faith, confidence, self-esteem and courage.)
    • On July 4, 1776, the wording of the Declaration of Independence was ratified. Before the signing a prayer was said and in silence the delegates to the convention applied their signature to the document, an act that would be considered treason by the Crown and which would cost them their lives should the revolution fail. Thomas Jefferson's Wiki Bio.
    • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.
      Albert Einstein.
    • The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.
      Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth.
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
    • You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
      Eleanor Roosevelt.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
  • Leadership:
    • Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
      Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.
  • See Bible Verses on Faith, Spirit, Prayer, Eye of the Tiger and Action.

  Fear

  • Faith vs. Fear and Doubt:
    • The deepest thing in our nature is the region of the heart in which we dwell alone with our faiths and fears.
      William James.
    • Fear is the foundation of all human limitations. World-Champion Kickboxer Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Karate Dynamics, 7/1/91.  (Correct, though fear is overcome on a foundational level by love, faith, confidence, self-esteem and courage.)
    • On July 4, 1776, the wording of the Declaration of Independence was ratified. Before the signing a prayer was said and in silence the delegates to the convention applied their signature to the document, an act that would be considered treason by the Crown and which would cost them their lives should the revolution fail. Thomas Jefferson's Wiki Bio.
    • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.
      Albert Einstein.
    • The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.
      Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth.
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
    • You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
      Eleanor Roosevelt.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
  • Imagination:
    • Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein.
    • Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. Albert Einstein.
    • Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions. Albert Einstein.
  • Independent Thought:
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • Creativity:
    • An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. Edwin Land.
  • Opportunity:
    • Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • Commitment:
    • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
  • Self-Talk:
    • We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible. Vince Lombardi.
    • Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth.
    • We say to ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."Nelson Mandela , Inaugural Address as President of South Africa, 1994.
  • Prayer:
    • Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. Albert Einstein.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
  • Winning:
    • You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
      Eleanor Roosevelt.
    • If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize. Muhammad Ali.
  • See Faith, Prayer and Eye of the Tiger.

  Forgiveness

  • Love Each Other:
    • The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers. Martin Luther King Jr.
    • Remember your humanity and forget the rest. Albert Einstein.
    • "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6, Bible (NIV)
    • God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7, Bible (NIV)
    • The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, Bible (NIV)
    • One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:34-40, Bible (NIV).
  • Foolishness:
    • Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools. Albert Einstein.
  • See Love, Action, Peace and Bible Verses on Forgiveness.

  Freedom

  • When the people fear the government you have tyranny. When the government fears the people you have liberty.
    Thomas Jefferson.
  • Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin.
  • Ron Paul's farewell address to Congress.

  God

  • God's Existence:
    • Mere unbelief in a personal God is no philosophy at all. Albert Einstein.
  • Incomprehensible:
    • We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us. Albert Einstein.
    • We can understand almost anything, but we can't understand how we understand. Albert Einstein.
    • It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. Albert Einstein.
    • You can't blame gravity for falling in love. Albert Einstein .
    • Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein.
    • Example isn't another way to teach, it is the only way to teach. Albert Einstein.
    • Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. Albert Einstein.
  • God's Nature:
    • I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice. Albert Einstein.
      • Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won't discover your life's meaning by looking within yourself. You've probably tried that already. You didn't create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn't know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn't be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner's manual could reveal its purpose. Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren.
    • I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details. Albert Einstein.
      • One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:34-40, Bible (NIV).
      • Each of you has been blessed with one of God's wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well. 1 Peter 4:10.
      • We say to ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
        Nelson Mandela , Inaugural Address as President of South Africa, 1994.
    • The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully have been kindness, beauty, and truth. Albert Einstein.
      • "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6, Bible (NIV)
      • God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7, Bible (NIV)
      • The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, Bible (NIV)
    • When the solution is simple, God is answering. Albert Einstein .
      • And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16, Bible (NIV).
      • The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart. Helen Keller.
      • Remember your humanity and forget the rest. Albert Einstein.
      • We need to stop asking God to bless our plans, and get on God's plan because it is already blessed.
        Bono, National Prayer Day Address, 2/1/06.
  • Hearing God:
    • I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind. Albert Einstein.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
  • America's Christian Heritage:
    • Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern, which have come under my observation, none appear to me so pure as that of Jesus ... the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man. Thomas Jefferson describing the "pure principles" of the Bible.
    • In preparation for writing the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, Jefferson produced what is known as "The Jefferson Bible" - his attempt to extract the doctrine of Jesus from the Bible, while removing sections containing supernatural aspects as well as perceived misinterpretations he believed had been added by Biblical writers.
    • The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time. Thomas Jefferson, primary author of the Declaration of Independence ("self-evident truths"), the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment .
    • It is in our lives and not our words that our religion must be read. Thomas Jefferson.
    • Jefferson died on July 4th, 1826. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th, 1776.
    • Additional Information on America's Christian Heritage.
  • See also Spirit, Prayer, Bible Verses by Topic, Bible Software, Health and Vision.

  Health

  • Healthcare Freedom:
    • Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of men and deny equal privileges to others; the Constitution of the Republic should make a special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religious freedom. Benjamin Rush. 
  • Principles:
    • Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
      World Health Organization.
    • The health of the patient is always the most important thing. Joseph E. Pizzorno, Jr. ND (naturopathic doctor , 2, 3).
    • The medical profession and its supporting industry, the patent medicine makers, operate from the theory that there are 400 or so separate illnesses whose symptoms can be treated or suppressed by ingesting synthetic chemical compounds. Our approach is entirely different. Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram, speaking on nutrition-based medicine and eliminating toxemia, an uncleanness of the blood and tissues, caused primarily by poor diet and lifestyle.
    • An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Benjamin Franklin.
    • Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food. Hippocrates, 400 B.C.
    • The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease. Thomas Edison.
    • The medical model says, " When you are sick, take this drug." Even though the drugs will make you sick if you are well, they will make you well if you are sick, and you're supposed to buy right into that concept. The hygiene or health model says substances, forces, influences or conditions are the same required in health, as for regaining our health. But, at all times, they must be modified to meet the needs of the individuals. Douglas Graham, DC.
    • The solution is in changing, modifying or at least experimenting with a lifestyle alternation that will stop causing the symptoms, rather than treating the symptoms. It's silly to treat the symptoms and still keep causing them.
      Douglas Graham, DC.
  • Naturopathic Medicine:
    • The truth of our medicine will always survive.... John Bastyr ND, DC, speaking about the future of Naturopathic Medicine.
    • See Principles of Naturopathic Medicine & Comparing Educational Training for Naturopathic and Conventional Medicine.
    • Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein.
    • Functions of vitamins and minerals in human health.
  • Drugs, Surgery and Conventional Medicine:
    • Nutrient depletion caused by pharmaceutical drugs.
    • The American medical system is the #1 cause of death and injury in the United States.
    • Over 250,000 deaths occur annually from iatrogenic causes - induced in a patient by a physician's activity, manner, or therapy - making this the #3 cause of death in the US, after cancer and heart disease (2).
    • Toxic chemical: Any chemical which, thorough its action on life processes can cause temporary incapacitation, permanent harm or death to humans or animals.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
  • Healthcare:
    • As to diseases, make a habit of two things - to help, or at least, to do no harm. Hippocrates.
    • Safety of natural healthcare and nutrition-based medicine.
  • Drug Industry Profit, Lobbying and Marketing:
    • The drug industry has been the most profitable business in America since 1950. Over 50% of the world's total supply of drugs are used in the U.S. alone. Joseph E. Pizzorno, Jr. ND, Total Wellness.
    • Within a decade $1 out of every $5 spent in the U.S. economy will go for health care, with annual spending consistently growing faster than the overall economy, the federal government said Tuesday. Increased spending on hospital care, home health services, drugs and public health programs will help push total health care spending from its current 16.2% of the economy to 20% in 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services projects. USA Today, 2/22/06.
    • "... For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." 1 Timothy 6:10, Bible (NIV).
    • Drug Industry Profit, Lobbying and Marketing.
  • Science:
    • Linus Pauling is the only person to have been awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes - the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize, and 48 honorary doctorate degrees (1, 2, 3).
    • Facts are the air of scientists. Without them you can never fly. Linus Pauling.
  • Heart Disease:
    • Now I've got to the point where I think we can get almost complete control of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes. The proper use of vitamin C and lysine can can prevent cardiovascular disease and even cure it (2).
      Linus Pauling.
    • If you are at risk of heart disease, or if there is a history of heart disease in your family, if your father or other members of the family died of a heart attack or stroke or whatever, or if you have a mild heart attack yourself then you had better be taking vitamin C and Lysine. Linus Pauling.
    • Lowering High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol with Nutrition-Based Medicine.
  • Cancer:
    • Everyone should know that most cancer research is largely a fraud, and that the major cancer research organizations are derelict in their duties to the people who support them (1). Linus Pauling, 1994.
    • Our message is simple, direct, and lifesaving: cancer can be -is being -successfully reversed using alternative medicine. Although many of the alternative methods for treating cancer have been with us for perhaps 50 years, it is only recently that these approaches have achieved major clinical breakthroughs and moved into wider public awareness. I wish I had known more about them myself when my sister and my mother were dying of cancer. Seeing them ravaged not only by cancer but by the toxic treatments of conventional medicine made me think there must be a way to treat cancer without poisoning the body and destroying the immune system, and I vowed to find it. Congress of the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform, Hearing on "Integrative Oncology--Cancer Care for the New Millennium", Testimony of Burton Goldberg, Founder of Alternative Medicine Magazine, Publisher of Alternative Medicine: the Definitive Guide; Definitive Guide to Cancer and 18 other books (all with 4-5 stars on Amazon).
    • How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine.
  • Nutrition-Based Medicine and Natural Healthcare:
    • Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day. Thomas Jefferson.
    • All truth passes through three stages: first it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, third it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer.
    • From 1990 to 2010, sales of organic foods and products in the U.S. grew from 1 billion to 29 billion per year. From 2002 to 2010, sales of organic foods and products in the U.S. have grown an average of 16.7% per year.
      The Organic Trade Association.
    • Prevention and healing with nutrition-based medicine: Naturopathic Medicine and Healing Foods.
    • Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity. Hippocrates.
  • See Vision, Action and Excellence.

  Honesty

  • Wisdom:
    • Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom. Thomas Jefferson.
    • Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools that don't have brains enough to be honest. Benjamin Franklin.
  • Excellence:
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
    • I believe there's an inner power that makes winners or losers. And the winners are the ones who really listen to the truth of their hearts. Sylvester Stallone.
  • See Action and Self-knowledge.

  Independent Thought

  • Innovation:
    • If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it. Albert Einstein.
    • We stumble over the truth from time to time - but most of us pick ourselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.
      Winston Churchill.
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. Albert Einstein.
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
    • As a teenager, Einstein had already developed a profound mistrust of authority. He questioned not only his teachers but also long-standing mathematical and scientific "givens." American Museum of Natural History.
    • The significant problems we have today ... cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.
      Albert Einstein.
    • Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions. Albert Einstein.
    • Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence. Albert Einstein.
    • The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. Chinese Proverb.
    • Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
      "Think Different" Advertisement Apple Computers.
    • The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. Linus Pauling.
    • The only sure way to avoid making mistakes is to have no new ideas. Albert Einstein.
    • If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? Albert Einstein.
    • The most important thing is to not stop questioning. Albert Einstein.
    • Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. Voltaire.
    • Ultimately, all knowledge is self-knowledge. Bruce Lee Interview.
  • Honesty:
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
  • Forethought:
    • Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them. Albert Einstein.
  • Compassion:
    • The aim (of education) must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals who, however, can see in the service to the community their highest life achievement. Albert Einstein.
    • The greatest leaders are foundationally driven to help others, rather than being driven primarily by self-centered interests.
      JL (1, 2).
  • Imagination:
    • Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein.
    • Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. Albert Einstein.
    • Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions. Albert Einstein.
    • Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. Albert Einstein.
    • The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. Albert Einstein.
    • It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle, that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry. Albert Einstein.
    • There is nothing more dreadful than imagination without taste. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
  • Prayer:
    • Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. Albert Einstein.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
    • Bible verses on prayer.
  • Action:
    • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
  • See Action and Opportunity.

  Internet Marketing

  • #1 Business Priority:
    • Remember, every business and every non-profit organization is first and foremost a marketing enterprise.
      Clayton Makepeace.
    • Focus on the user and all else will follow. Google's Corporate Philosophy.
  • Leadership:
    • All businesses had "Level 5" leadership at the time of their transition from good to great financial results. From the business bestseller, Good to Great.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
  • Sales:
    • In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.
      David Ogilvy.
  • Decisiveness:
    • He who hesitates is lost. Martial arts quote.
    • Success loves speed. Robert Ringer.
  • Imagination:
    • Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • Change:
    • A "normal" person resists change. A person with a multimillionaire mind embraces it. Michael Masterson.
  • Excellence:
    • A "normal" person accepts the status quo. A person with a multimillionaire mind is always looking to make things - even good things - better. Michael Masterson.

  Leadership

  • Spirit First:
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves. Albert Einstein.
  • Character:
    • Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. Albert Einstein.
    • Knowledge will give you power, but character respect. Bruce Lee.
    • We learned that a former prisoner of war had more to teach us about what it takes to find a path to greatness than most books on corporate strategy. From the business best seller "Good to Great", by Jim Collins.
    • Our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about the things that matter. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Imagination:
    • Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein.
    • Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. Albert Einstein.
    • Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions. Albert Einstein.
    • Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. Albert Einstein.
  • Independent Thought:
    • If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it. Albert Einstein.
    • We stumble over the truth from time to time - but most of us pick ourselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.
      Winston Churchill.
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. Albert Einstein.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
    • The significant problems we have today ... cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.
      Albert Einstein.
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
  • Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions. Albert Einstein.
  • Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence. Albert Einstein.
  • The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. Chinese Proverb.
  • Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
    "Think Different" Advertisement Apple Computers.
  • The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. Linus Pauling.
  • The only sure way to avoid making mistakes is to have no new ideas. Albert Einstein.
  • If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? Albert Einstein.
  • The most important thing is to not stop questioning. Albert Einstein.
  • Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. Voltaire.
  • Ultimately, all knowledge is self-knowledge. Bruce Lee Interview.
  • Ron Paul's Farewell Address to Congress.
  • Real World Experience and Knowledge:
    • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
    • If mere mechanical efficiency can make everyone a martial artist, then all is well. Unfortunately, combat, like freedom, is something that can not be preconceived. Bruce Lee.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
    • Truth is what stands the test of experience. Albert Einstein.
    • If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies... It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it. Albert Einstein.
  • Preparation:
    • A good martial artist does not become tense but ready. Not thinking yet not dreaming, ready for whatever may come. A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and face the consequences of his own doing. To have no technique, there is no opponent, because the word 'I' does not exist. When the opponent expands I contract and when he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, 'I' do not hit, 'it' hits all by itself.” Bruce Lee.
  • Individual Strengths:
    • Jefferson was eloquent as a correspondent, but he was no public speaker. In the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress, he contributed his pen rather than his voice to the patriot cause. As the "silent member" of the Congress, Jefferson, at 33, drafted the Declaration of Independence. http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tj3.html.
  • Courage:
    • One man with courage makes a majority. Andrew Jackson.
  • Faith vs. Fear and Doubt:
    • The deepest thing in our nature is the region of the heart in which we dwell alone with our faiths and fears.
      William James.
    • Fear is the foundation of all human limitations. World-Champion Kickboxer Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Karate Dynamics, 7/1/91.  (Correct, though fear is overcome on a foundational level by love, faith, confidence, self-esteem and courage.)
    • On July 4, 1776, the wording of the Declaration of Independence was ratified. Before the signing a prayer was said and in silence the delegates to the convention applied their signature to the document, an act that would be considered treason by the Crown and which would cost them their lives should the revolution fail. Thomas Jefferson's Wiki Bio.
    • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.
      Albert Einstein.
    • The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.
      Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth.
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
    • You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
      Eleanor Roosevelt.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
  • See also Independent Thought and Creativity.
  • Resolve:
    • The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Commitment:
  • Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. Albert Einstein.
  • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
  • Compassion:
    • The aim (of education) must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals who, however, can see in the service to the community their highest life achievement. Albert Einstein.
    • I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up. Martin Luther King, Jr. Acceptance Speech, Nobel Prize, 12/10/64.
    • The greatest leaders are foundationally driven to help others, rather than being driven primarily by self-centered interests.
      JL (Gallup's List of Widely Admired Leaders).
  • Lifting Up Others:
    • If we take people as we find them, we may make them worse, but if we treat them as though they are what they should be, we help them to become what they are capable of becoming. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
  • Action:
    • Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. Thomas Jefferson.
  • Results:
    • Level 5 leaders create superb results, a clear catalyst in the transition from good to great. They demonstrate an unwavering resolve to do whatever must be done to produce the best long-term results, not matter how difficult. Level 5 leaders rely primarily on inspired standards (character, action, leadership, vision) not inspiring charisma, to motivate. Good to Great, Jim Collins.
  • Prayer:
    • Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. Albert Einstein.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
    • Bible verses on prayer.
  • Most Admired Leaders, Top 100 Speeches, Spirit, Character, Imagination, Independent Thought, Creativity, Courage, Preparation, Commitment, Education, Action, Love, Prayer, Healer and Power.

  Life Instructions

  • Life is Short:
    • It's a very short trip. While alive, live. Malcolm Forbes.
    • Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time: for that's the stuff life is made of. Benjamin Franklin.
  • Full Potential:
    • Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
      John Wooden.
  • Faith vs. Fear and Doubt:
    • The deepest thing in our nature is the region of the heart in which we dwell alone with our faiths and fears.
      William James.
    • Fear is the foundation of all human limitations. World-Champion Kickboxer Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Karate Dynamics, 7/1/91.  (Correct, though fear is overcome on a foundational level by love, faith, confidence, self-esteem and courage.)
    • On July 4, 1776, the wording of the Declaration of Independence was ratified. Before the signing a prayer was said and in silence the delegates to the convention applied their signature to the document, an act that would be considered treason by the Crown and which would cost them their lives should the revolution fail. Thomas Jefferson's Wiki Bio.
    • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.
      Albert Einstein.
    • The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.
      Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth.
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
    • You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
      Eleanor Roosevelt.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
  • See also Independent Thought and Creativity.
  • Daring Adventure:
  • Security is an illusion. Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing at all. Helen Keller.
  • Attitude:
    • The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes. Charles R. Swindoll.
    • Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein.
  • Happiness:
    • Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response. Michael Bartel.
  • Imagination:
    • You cannot travel within and stand still without. James Allen.
    • There are only two way to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is. Albert Einstein.
  • Commitment:
    • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
  • Action:
    • The great end of life is not knowledge, but action. Audous Huxley.
    • Well done is better than well said. Benjamin Franklin.
    • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
  • Learn from Others:
    • Greatness leaves clues. Unknown.
    • The greatest leaders are foundationally driven to help others, rather than being driven primarily by self-centered interests.
      JL (1, 2).
  • Watch Your Words:
    • Remember not only to say the right thing at the right time in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the wrong moment. Benjamin Franklin.
  • Self Talk:
    • We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible. Vince Lombardi.
    • Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies.
      Roderick Thorpe.
    • Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character for it will become your destiny. Frank Outlaw.
    • We become what we think about. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
  • Mission:
    • Peak performers create their own mission. They do it first by determining what they truly care about, then devoting themselves to the pursuit. Charles Garfield.
  • Life Purpose:
    • Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won't discover your life's meaning by looking within yourself. You've probably tried that already. You didn't create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn't know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn't be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner's manual could reveal its purpose.
      Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren.
    • Each of you has been blessed with one of God's wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.
      1 Peter 4:10.
    • We say to ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
      Nelson Mandela , Inaugural Address as President of South Africa, 1994.
    • From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48.
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.
      Albert Einstein.
    • Its not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose. Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren
  • Distractions:
    • There's no right way to do a wrong thing. Bernard Jensen.
    • The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10, Bible, (NIV).
  • Simplicity:
    • Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert Einstein.
  • Talents:
    • We must not only give what we have; we must also give what we are. Desire Joseph Cardinal Mercier.
  • Mastery:
    • If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Albert Einstein.
  • Service:
    • Try not to become more of a success, but rather try to become a man of value. Albert Einstein.
    • What we must decide is perhaps how we are valuable, rather than how valuable we are. Edgar Z. Friedenber.
  • Uplift Others:
    • Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. J. M. Barrie.
  • Love:
    • If you want to be loved, love and be lovable. Benjamin Franklin.
    • Though we may search the world over for the beautiful we find it within - or we find it not. Ralph W. Emerson.
    • God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. The Bible, 1 John 4:16.

  Love

  • Most Important:
    • Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. Albert Einstein.
    • The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.
      Helen Keller.
    • Love is the first of all human qualities and the foundation of all human potential. Love enables development of confidence, abilities and courage. With love-driven courage, fear fades into insignificance, and great accomplishments can be achieved. Love is greater than courage, greater than fear. JL (1)
    • Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others. Winston Churchill. [incorrect]
    • Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. Mark Twain.
      [incorrect: Courage is mastery of love not mastery of fear.]
    • Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. Edie Rickenbacher. [incorrect: It also takes courage to "do the right thing" which may be necessary or proactive rather than fear driven.]
    • Concentrate on where you want to go not on what you fear. Anthony Robbins. [incorrect: Concentrate on "why" you want to accomplish something, not on the destination. "Why" strengthens your resolve and ensures optimal direction. It matters where you go and whether you accomplish the goal, not if you complete an adventure to nowhere.]
    • Bravery is believing in yourself, and that is something no one can teach you. El Cordobes. [incorrect: Bravery is based on courage, which is based on abilities and confidence, which are based on self-esteem, which are all based on love, which can be taught - through example, and further developed through prayer.]
  • Health and Healing:
    • What I believe is that the people who are there for you tend to create a world where you can get better. It's love, really. Randal McCoy, Sago Mine survivor.
  • Additional Quotes:
  • Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. Martin Luther King Jr.
  • The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers. Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Remember your humanity and forget the rest. Albert Einstein.
  • "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6, Bible (NIV)
  • God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7, Bible (NIV)
  • The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, Bible (NIV)
  • The Greatest Commandment: 'One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.' Matthew 22:34-40, Bible (NIV).
  • God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. The Bible, 1 John 4:16.
  • See Action and Love Each Other.

  Love Each Other

  • The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers. Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Remember your humanity and forget the rest. Albert Einstein.
  • One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." The Bible, Matthew 22:34-40
  • See Action and God.

  Motivation

  • Daily:
    • People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. Zig Zigglar.
  • From Within:
    • Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.
      Stephen R. Covey.
  • Better Than Talent:
    • Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. Norman R. Augustine.
  • See Action and Determination.

  Opportunity

  • Knocks:
    • When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. Alexander Graham Bell.
    • When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. Helen Keller.
  • Responsibility:
  • Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • It is always your next move. Napoleon Hill.
  • There are two primary choices in life; to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.
    Denis Waitley.
  • We have not only great obligation to fulfill, we have great opportunities to realize. John F. Kennedy.
  • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
  • Create Opportunities:
    • To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities. Bruce Lee.
    • Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6, Bible (NIV).
    • God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7, Bible (NIV)
    • The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, Bible (NIV)
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
  • See Action and Attitude.

  Peace

  • Love Each Other:
    • We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive. Albert Einstein.
    • Remember your humanity and forget the rest. Albert Einstein.
    • Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes - goodwill among men and peace on earth. Albert Einstein.
    • Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. Martin Luther King Jr.
    • The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold. Martin Luther King, Jr. Acceptance speech, Noble Peace Prize, 12/10/64.
    • Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. Albert Einstein.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
    • Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6, Bible (NIV).
    • God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7, Bible (NIV)
    • The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, Bible (NIV)
    • One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." The Bible, Matthew 22:34-40.
    • And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
      1 John 4:16, Bible (NIV).
    • The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.
      Helen Keller.
    • Remember your humanity and forget the rest. Albert Einstein.
    • We need to stop asking God to bless our plans, and get on God's plan because it is already blessed.
      Bono, National Prayer Day Address, 2/1/06.
  • War:
    • It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder. Albert Einstein.
    • My pacifism is an instinctive feeling, a feeling that possesses me because the murder of men is disgusting. My attitude is not derived from any intellectual theory but is based on my deepest antipathy to every kind of cruelty and hatred. Albert Einstein.
    • I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war. Albert Einstein.
    • Force always attracts men of low morality. Albert Einstein.
    • The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home. James Madison.
  • Live and Let Live:
    • So long as they don't get violent, I want to let everyone say what they wish, for I myself have always said exactly what pleased me. Albert Einstein.
    • One cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war. Albert Einstein.
  • Freedom and Responsibility:
    • The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure. Albert Einstein.
    • The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood. Martin Luther King Jr.
  • See Leadership, Action and Health.

  Perseverance

  • Hang On:
    • When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
  • Keep Trying:
    • The odds are in your favor if you keep on trying. Keith De Green.
  • Small Progress:
    • Inches make champions. Vince Lombardi.
  • Focus:
    • Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. Henry Ford.
    • Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Einstein.
  • Opportunity:
    • In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity. Albert Einstein.
  • Endurance:
    • A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard. Bruce Lee.
  • Decisiveness:
    • It's never over till it's over. Yogi Berra.
    • Do or do not, there is no try. Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back.
    • The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • See Action.

  Power

  • Honesty:
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
  • Economy of Motion:
    • The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be. Bruce Lee.
    • It's not what you give, it's the way you give it. Bruce Lee.
  • Listen:
    • If I listen I have the advantage; if I speak others have it. From The Arabic.
    • Have more than thou showest, speak less than thou knowest. Shakespeare.
  • God-Centered not Self-Centered:
    • Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. Albert Einstein.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
    • Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6, Bible (NIV).
    • God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7, Bible (NIV)
    • The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, Bible (NIV)
    • One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." The Bible, Matthew 22:34-40.
    • And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
      1 John 4:16, Bible (NIV).
    • The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.
      Helen Keller.
    • Remember your humanity and forget the rest. Albert Einstein.
    • We need to stop asking God to bless our plans, and get on God's plan because it is already blessed.
      Bono, National Prayer Day Address, 2/1/06.
  • See Action and Responsibility.

  Prayer

  • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
  • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV)
  • See Bible Verses on Prayer, Action and Truth.

  Preparation

  • Proactive:
    • A good martial artist does not become tense but ready. Not thinking yet not dreaming, ready for whatever may come. A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and face the consequences of his own doing. To have no technique, there is no opponent, because the word 'I' does not exist. When the opponent expands I contract and when he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, 'I' do not hit, 'it' hits all by itself.” Bruce Lee.
    • Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it today. Alan Lakein.
    • Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. Benjamin Franklin.
  • Skill Development:
    • You can't hire someone to practice for you. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
    • I hated every minute of training, but I said, ''Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."
      Muhammad Ali.
  • Spirit:
    • Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit, just as exercise conditions the body. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • See Action and Business.

  Religion

  • See God, Bible Verses by Topic, Spirit, Love, Forgiveness and Action.

  Respect

  • Lift Up Others:
    • If we take people as we find them, we may make them worse, but if we treat them as though they are what they should be, we help them to become what they are capable of becoming. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
    • People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
    • The deepest thing in our nature is the region of the heart in which we dwell alone with our faiths and fears. William James.
    • Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
  • See Character and Action.

  Responsibility

  • Talents and Blessings:
    • Of those to whom much is given, much is required. John F. Kennedy.
    • ...from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. The Bible, Luke 12:48
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
  • Attitude:
    • The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.
      Charles R. Swindoll.
    • Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein.
  • Character:
    • Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong. It is character. Albert Einstein.
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
  • Self-Talk:
    • We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible. Vince Lombardi.
    • Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • We become what we think about. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
    • Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character for it will become your destiny. Frank Outlaw.
  • Opportunity:
    • We have not only great obligation to fulfill, we have great opportunities to realize. John F. Kennedy.
    • To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities. Bruce Lee.
  • Take Action:
    • There are two primary choices in life; to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.
      Denis Waitley.
    • It is always your next move. Napoleon Hill.
    • We can be valued only as we make ourselves valuable. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
    • A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure. Albert Einstein.
    • I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever. Thomas Jefferson.
    • Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time: for that's the stuff life is made of. Benjamin Franklin.
    • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
  • Commitment:
    • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV)
  • Perseverance:
    • A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard. Bruce Lee.
  • Greatest Commandment:
    • One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." The Bible, Matthew 22:34-40.
  • See Action, Risk and Life Instructions.

  Risk

  • Independent Thought:
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
  • Faith vs. Fear and Doubt:
    • The deepest thing in our nature is the region of the heart in which we dwell alone with our faiths and fears.
      William James.
    • Fear is the foundation of all human limitations. World-Champion Kickboxer Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Karate Dynamics, 7/1/91.  (Correct, though fear is overcome on a foundational level by love, faith, confidence, self-esteem and courage.)
    • On July 4, 1776, the wording of the Declaration of Independence was ratified. Before the signing a prayer was said and in silence the delegates to the convention applied their signature to the document, an act that would be considered treason by the Crown and which would cost them their lives should the revolution fail. Thomas Jefferson's Wiki Bio.
    • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
    • When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.
      Albert Einstein.
    • The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.
      Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth.
    • A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper.
    • You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
      Eleanor Roosevelt.
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
    • Being willing to go first is an essential step towards getting there first. JL.
  • The Real World:
    • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
  • Commitment:
    • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
  • Imagination:
    • We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible. Vince Lombardi.
  • Creativity:
    • An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. Edwin Land.
  • Trial and Error:
    • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
  • See Action and Dealing with the Unknown.

  Self-Knowledge

  • Self-Knowledge:
    • To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person. Bruce Lee.
    • Ultimately, all knowledge is self-knowledge. Bruce Lee (video link). Full Interview.
  • God:
    • Mere unbelief in a personal God is no philosophy at all. Albert Einstein.
    • It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. Albert Einstein.
    • I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details. Albert Einstein.
    • One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." The Bible, Matthew 22:34-40.
  • Life Purpose:
    • Its not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose. Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren
    • Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won't discover your life's meaning by looking within yourself. You've probably tried that already. You didn't create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn't know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn't be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner's manual could reveal its purpose. Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren (1).
  • See Fear, Faith vs. Fear and Doubt, Dealing with the Unknown, Action and Independent Thought.

  Self-Talk

  • We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible. Vince Lombardi.
  • Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth.
  • We say to ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."Nelson Mandela , Inaugural Address as President of South Africa, 1994.
  • We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies.
    Roderick Thorpe.
  • We become what we think about. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
  • Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character for it will become your destiny. Frank Outlaw.
  • See Excellence, Eye of the Tiger, Perseverance, Self-Talk, Success and Winning.

  Spirit

  • What lies behind us and what lies in front of us are but tiny matters as compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
  • Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers: powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action. Orison Swett Marden.
  • Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. Albert Einstein.
  • A good martial artist does not become tense but ready. Not thinking yet not dreaming, ready for whatever may come. A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and face the consequences of his own doing. To have no technique, there is no opponent, because the word 'I' does not exist. When the opponent expands I contract and when he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, "I" do not hit, "it" hits all by itself. Bruce Lee.
  • Don't think, feel. It is like a finger pointing out to the moon, don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory. Bruce Lee.
  • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
  • Champions aren´t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. Muhammad Ali.
  • I believe there's an inner power that makes winners or losers. And the winners are the ones who really listen to the truth of their hearts. Sylvester Stallone.
  • We say to ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Address as President of South Africa, 1994.
  • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
  • Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6, Bible (NIV)
  • God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7, Bible (NIV)
  • The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, Bible (NIV)
  • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
  • See Action and Love.

  Stand Up

  • Stand:
    • Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin.
    • The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.
    • No. Rosa Parks.
    • What are you gonna do? Donnie McClurkin.
  • Character:
    • Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein.
  • Commitment:
    • Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself then divine providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. Begin it now. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
    • Make yourselves sheep, and the wolves will eat you. Benjamin Franklin.
    • An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile - hoping it will eat him last. Winston Churchill.
  • Adversity:
  • Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller.
  • Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • Resolve:
    • That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • That's what Rocky is all about: pride, reputation, and not being another bum in the neighborhood. Sylvester Stallone.
  • Honesty:
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
  • Imagination:
    • Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • Prayer:
    • There is knowledge that can be obtained through prayer that cannot be obtained elsewhere. LL Sr.
    • Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3, Bible (NIV).
  • See Action, Preparation and Bible Verses on Prayer.

  Success

  • Trial and Error:
    • "Results! Why, man I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won’t work." As Edison said when he created the light bulb on his 10,000th attempt, “I know 9,999 ways it doesn’t work.” Thomas Edison.
    • We are all failures; at least the best of us are. Sir James Barrie.
    • An error is not an error unless one refuses to correct it. O. A. Batista.
  • Diligence:
    • If we do all that is necessary, all the odds are in our favor. Henry Kissinger
    • Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Thomas Edison.
    • Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits. Thomas Edison.
  • Excellence:
    • There is always a best way of doing everything. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
  • Competition:
    • You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. Albert Einstein.
  • Simplicity:
    • To me, the extraordinary aspect of martial arts lies in its simplicity. The easy way is also the right way, and martial arts is nothing at all special; the closer to the true way of martial arts, the less wastage of expression there is. Bruce Lee.
  • Persistence:
    • It's not that I am so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein.
    • Gates' intellect is marked by an ability, as he puts it, to "drill down." Time Magazine, 1/13/97.
  • The Real World:
    • Focus on the user and all else will follow. Google's Corporate Philosophy.
  • Business:
    • Always think in terms of what the other person wants. James Van Fleet.
    • Business today is more than ever a question of cooperation. Orison Swett Marden.
  • Winning:
    • You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. Albert Einstein.
    • If football taught me anything about business, it is that you win the game one play at a time. Fran Tarkenton.
    • If it bleeds, we can kill it. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • See Action and Winning.

  The Real World and Real-World Knowledge

  • Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. Bruce Lee.
  • If mere mechanical efficiency can make everyone a martial artist, then all is well. Unfortunately, combat, like freedom, is something that can not be preconceived. Bruce Lee.
  • If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. Bruce Lee.
  • Truth is what stands the test of experience. Albert Einstein.
  • If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies... It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it. Albert Einstein.
  • Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. Albert Einstein.
  • Interviewer: "Sensei, you have a favorite saying, which I love. When people try to give you information, you ask them, 'What personal life experience do you have with what you're telling me?' Could you go into that, because I think that's so important? It's not just a theoretically based curriculum, it's born out of hard work, it's born out of being in the ring and actually doing it.
    Benny Urquidez: "Right. You know, a lot of times, people will like to talk about theories, and, to me, when they talk about theories, I say, 'Well, let's test it.' See, because I'm one that likes, I'm a believer that you have to test it. I mean, we can talk about anything, and have theories and thoughts, and everybody has ideas, but to have an idea, and not know if it works or not...I'm the one who likes to test it. I'm the one who likes to get glazed. And so, in this way, of people asking me all the time, you know, what about this, and what about that, I say let's test it. Let's see if it works or not. And that's my best way of knowing, because people, so many times, you know, ask me, 'Does it really work?' And, I've already proven it."
    World Champion Kickboxer Benny "The Jet" Urquidez.
  • A barber should be able to cut hair. Bruce Lee.
  • Commitment:
    • Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person. Albert Einstein.
  • Incomprehensible:
    • We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us. Albert Einstein.
    • Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein.
    • Example isn't another way to teach, it is the only way to teach. Albert Einstein.
    • Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. Albert Einstein.
    • Mere unbelief in a personal God is no philosophy at all. Albert Einstein.
    • We can understand almost anything, but we can't understand how we understand. Albert Einstein.
    • It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. Albert Einstein.
    • You can't blame gravity for falling in love. Albert Einstein.
  • See Action and Leadership.

  Trial and Error

  • I learned extraordinary lessons about what works and what doesn't when it comes to diet, exercise and mental attitude. That knowledge was hard earned, especially since there were no guidelines for my particular path in life. Nobody ever gave me a book ... it was a giant experiment and I was the guinea pig. Sylvester Stallone.
  • Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Einstein.
  • The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. Linus Pauling.
  • If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? Albert Einstein.
  • On his initial unsuccessful attempts to discover electricity: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work!"
    Thomas Edison.
  • Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usuall get lost in it. Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Live.
  • Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt.
  • See Excellence, Eye of the Tiger, Perseverance, Self-Talk, Success and Winning.

  Truth

  • Seeking Knowledge:
    • Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
    • The search for truth is more precious than its possession. Albert Einstein.
    • If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies... It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it. Albert Einstein.
    • The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we don't understand. Frank Herbert
  • Independent Thought:
    • Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. Albert Einstein.
    • There's no certification for innovation. JL.
  • Integrity:
    • Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters. Albert Einstein.
  • Character:
    • Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.
      Winston Churchill
  • Honesty:
    • To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. It is easy to put on a show ... but to express oneself honestly ... that, my friend, is very hard to do. Bruce Lee (video link).
  • The Whole Truth:
    • If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor. Albert Einstein.
    • For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst and provide for it. Patrick Henry.
  • The Real World:
    • Truth is what stands the test of experience. Albert Einstein
  • See Action and Honesty.

  Urgency

  • Diligence:
    • Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Thomas Jefferson.
  • See Action and Stand Up.

  Vision

  • Proactive:
    • Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them. Albert Einstein.
  • Foresight:
    • Tis easy to see, hard to foresee. Benjamin Franklin.
  • Independent Thought:
    • We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive. Albert Einstein.
  • Imagination:
    • The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were. John F. Kennedy.
    • Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein.
  • Responsibility:
    • The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure. Albert Einstein.
  • Commitment:
    • Get a good idea and stick with it. Dog it, and work at it until it's done and done right. Walt Disney.
  • Action:
    • The greatest thing in the world is not so much where we stand as in which direction we are moving. Oliver Wendell Holmes.
  • See Action and Leadership.

  Winning

  • Motivation:
    • Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. Norman R. Augustine.
    • That's what Rocky is all about: pride, reputation, and not being another bum in the neighborhood. Sylvester Stallone.
  • Attitude:
    • Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character. Albert Einstein.
  • Character:
    • Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. Albert Einstein.
    • Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller.
  • Training:
    • You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
      Eleanor Roosevelt.
  • Perseverance:
    • It's not that I am so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein.
  • Owning It:
    • People like to talk about theories and ask "Does it really work?" I've already proven it. Benny Urquidez.
    • Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he's got to play from the ground up - from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's OK You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second. Vince Lombardi.
    • You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. Albert Einstein.
    • If football taught me anything about business, it is that you win the game one play at a time. Fran Tarkenton.
    • You never win a game unless you beat the guy in front of you. The score on the board doesn't mean a thing. That's for the fans. You've got to win the war with the man in front of you. You've got to get your man. Vince Lombardi.
    • If it bleeds, we can kill it. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    • If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize. Muhammad Ali.
    • John Wooden quotes | Vince Lombardi quotes.

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