A Taoist awakes and for no reason decides to go for a stroll. He walks for a while, and with his stomach growling, he stops to meditate. His thoughts are clear as he sits upon a well-used rock. He “just is” happy because his days are fruitful when the wind takes him to this well-worn path.
In the distance, he spies a Buddhist ascending the cliff that separates the path. He “just knows” the man follows the ways of the Buddha simply by the route that he chose and the look on his face. The Taoist meets many types of men on his walks and the Buddhist will say, “My search will not be abandoned at any point in my struggle.” People often come to the Taoist for his wisdom theTaoist is reluctant to speak.
His Tao is quite simple but not well received. When the Taoist was young, he attempted to explain to all that would listen. It is his manner to be kind and open, but he discovered, with the effort being extended, he was not acting as the Tao had intended. He “just knows” to share his wisdom only when properly persuaded, and a Buddhist has the ability to be quite persuasive.
The Meeting
The Buddhist is well prepared as he travels along the Eightfold path discussed in the Buddha’s teachings. A Buddhist is full of desire, and because he tries so hard to define it, he is determined to avoid it. The Taoist would have simply explained to the traveler that just by desiring not to desire and defining struggle in the context of desire the achievement of enlightenment is most impossible. He would say, “I desire nothing because my basic desires are noble and I am provided with all that is needed.” The Buddhist along with many others just cannot grasp the concept of it all.
The Taoist “just knows” the Buddhists are all close to a place they call Nirvana. They feel as he does that all living beings belong to the world and the environment must be respected. He feels that their thoughts are misguided in their absolute quest for knowledge. This knowledge, required for the existence of the Taoist village, is only sought when the Tao deems it necessary. If the village needs a doctor, the Tao will provide. He “just knows” that the Tao, as long as he does not resist it, shall never let him suffer.
A little help
The Buddha’s teachings claim that humans are responsible for their suffering and it is all caused by their “unrestrained dispositions.” Desire is the cause of all suffering, and following the eightfold path to enlightenment, by living a moral life, is the only way to be free from desire. It seems rather foolish to the Taoist that the Buddhist put so much work into something that is achieved so little effort.
The effort is necessary for the Buddhist because, unlike the Taoist, he must resist the pleasure of the senses. The Taoist lives for pleasure. He finds appeasement in enjoying all the energy of the world, and he “just knows”, by enjoying the environment, with all his senses, he is more able keep clear of thought acting only on intuitions becoming closer to the Tao by losing his desires.
When the Taoist is following the Dao, the excessive desires that cause misfortune are avoided. The Taoist only strives to fulfill his place in the Tao any effort contrary incurs bad consequence. The Taoist desires what is true and natural, and all needs are met without any conscious thought.
The Buddhist is always thinking while striving for enlightenment and this is why he awakes the Taoist from his trance. The Buddhist hopes to discover why the man appears completely comfortable while sitting on the jagged rock. He asks the Taoist why he appears so aloof. The Taoist smiles broadly and asks the Buddhist why he appears so troubled. The Buddhist explains that he is on long journey and desire rest, but if he rests his journey may be extended.
The Taoist, though he has heard the story before, ask the Buddhist to sit, and explain his troubles. The rest now takes on purpose so the Buddhist’s rest will not be seen as acting on his desires. The Buddhist accepts the invitation and beings to explain his struggle and his “middle way” to enlightenment. The Taoist assumes a hypnotic state, as he watches the Buddhist contently. The Buddhist is friendly and shares all that he has, with friend or stranger, so they have quite a feast.
When the day turns to dusk and the wind shifts direction, the Taoist explains he must return to his family. The Buddhist begs the Taoist to reveal his secret though the Taoist explains that his way (Tao) has no secrets but is “elusive and distinct”, and though it exists, it is hard to explain. The Buddhist is persistent in his request and offers to give the Taoist all that he carriers. The Daoist agrees but only is provided with what he needs and can comfortable carry.
The Taoist explains, “We, as you know, are one with all things. All the animals we see have no less value than you or me. Why do they seem so happy and free acting on the desire that is intended be. The answer to this question is quite simple; you’re trying too hard, dude.”
The Taoist then thanks the man for his kindness, and with the wind at his back, heads for home. He “just knows” that most people, like the Buddhists, will never understand his Tao to happiness. People may say his Tao is foolish, and ask how does he survive without wanting? His desire is satisfied by instinct so excessive desire does not rear its ugly head. It is at times when he thinks and second-guesses his actions that cause trouble.
Troubles are avoided when his Tao is spontaneous, which brings about normative action. The Taoist is a true believer because his actions produce the best result with the least amount of effort. With his family fed and his belly full, the Taoist sleeps comfortable, while preparing for another day of sharing his wisdom.
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Contributing writer; Mike Martin
Born in Greenville, Maine, Mike Martin has three children and lives in Belgrade, Maine with his beautiful wife Shannon. He has served as the executive director of Touch Tanks for Kids since 2005. He has a BA from the University of Maine at Augusta and served in the United States Navy for six years as an engineer.
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Taoism (also spelled Daoism) refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao (道), which is the mechanism of everything that exists. The word “Tao” (or “Dao”, depending on the Romanization scheme) is usually translated as “way”, “path” or “principle”, although the word literally means “nature” as in the nature of all things as well as the natural world. Taoism had not only a profound influence on the culture of China, but also on neighboring countries. While the philosophical Taoism is not institutionalized, the religious Taoism is institutionalized and present in multiple countries. Taoist philosophy is deeply rooted in contemporary China, and is an unavoidable part of modern Chinese life.
Quotes of the Tao:
When you are but slightly involved in the world, the effect the world has on you is also slight. When you are deeply enmeshed in affairs, you machinations also deepen. So for enlightened people simplicity is better than refinement, and freedom is better than punctiliousness.
*****
People are considered pure of heart when they do not approach power and pomp; but those who can be near without being affected are the purest of all. People are considered high-minded when they do not know how to plot and contrive; but those who know how yet do not do so are the highest of all.
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When you are constantly hearing offensive words and always have some irritating matter in mind, only then do you have a whetstone for character development. If you hear only what pleases you, and deal only with what thrills you, then you are burying your life in deadly poison.
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Late at night, when everyone is quiet, sit alone and gaze into the mind; then you notice illusion ending and reality appearing. You gain a great sense of potential in this every time. Once you have noticed reality appearing yet find that illusion is hard to escape, you also find yourself greatly humbled.
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Blessings often give rise to injury, so be careful when things are going your way. Success may be achieved after failure, so don’t just give up when you’ve been disappointed.
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Blessings often give rise to injury, so be careful when things are going your way. Success may be achieved after failure, so don’t just give up when you’ve been disappointed.
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There is a true Buddha in family life; there is a real Tao in everyday activities. If people can be sincere and harmonious, promoting communication with a cheerful demeanor and friendly words, that is much better than formal meditation practice.
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Don’t be too severe in criticizing people’s faults; consider how much they can bear. Don’t be too lofty in enjoining virtue, so people may be able to follow.
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A grub in filth is dirty, but it changes into a cicada and sips dew in the autumn breeze. Rotting plants have no luster, but they turn into foxfire and glow in the summer moonlight. So we know that purity emerges from impurity, and light is born from darkness.
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Conceit and arrogance are acquired states of mind. Conquer acquired states of mind, and basic sanity can unfold. Passion and willfulness are part of false consciousness; erase false consciousness, and true consciousness will appear.
*****
Think about food on a full stomach and you find you don’t care about taste. Think of lust after making love, and you find you don’t care about sex. Therefore, if people always reflect on the regret they will feel afterward to forestall folly at the moment, they will be stable and will not err in action.
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Those who have come to an impasse should examine their original intentions; those who have succeeded should note where they are heading.
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When the rich and well-established, who should be generous, are instead spiteful and cruel, they make their behavior wretched and base in spite of their wealth and position. When the intellectually brilliant, who should be reserved, instead show off, they are ignorant and foolish in their weakness in spite of their brilliance.
*****
After one has been in a lowly position, one knows how dangerous it is to climb to a high place, Once one has been in the dark, one knows how revealing it is to go into the light. Having maintained quietude, one knows how tiring compulsive activity is. Having nurtured silence, one knows how disturbing much talk is.
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To conquer demons, first conquer your mind. When the mind is subdued, demons withdraw obediently. To control knaves, first control your own mood. When your mood is balanced, scoundrels cannot get at you.
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In matters of desire, don’t get hastily involved because of easy availability; once you get involved, you will sink in deeply. In matters of principle, don’t back off for fear of difficulty; once you back down, you will lose your ground entirely.
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When people are determined, they can overcome fate; when the will is unified, it can mobilize energy. Enlightened people do not even let nature put them in a set mold.
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When the liver is diseased, the eyesight fails; when the kidneys are diseased, the hearing is adversely affected. The disease is not visible, but its effects are. Therefore, enlightened people, wishing to be free from obvious faults, first get rid of hidden faults.
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There is no greater fortune than having few concerns, no greater misfortune than having many worries. Only those who have suffered over their concerns know the blessing of having few concerns. Only those who have calmed their minds know the misfortune of having many worries.
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In dealing with good people one should be magnanimous; in dealing with bad people one should be strict. In dealing with average people one should combine magnanimity and strictness.
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Do not think about whatever service you may have done for others; think about what you may have done to offend them. Don’t forget what others have done for you; forget what others have done to offend you.
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When those who give charity do so without any sense of self-satisfaction and without any thought of reward, even a small gift is great. When those who aid others calculate their own sacrifice and demand gratitude and recompense, even a great gift is small.
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Your own feelings may be reasonable or unreasonable; how can you expect others to always be reasonable? It is useful to see things in this light and thereby correct the contradictions in your expectations for yourself and others.
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Those in public office who do not love the people are thieves stealing salaries. Those who teach but do not themselves practice what they teach are mere talkers. Those who try to do successful work without considering development of character will find it insubstantial.
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In the mind engaged in struggling with hardship, one always finds something delightful. The sorrow of disappointment arises in the complacency of satisfaction.
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The learned should be vigorous and diligent, but they should also be free-spirited. If they are too rigorous and austere, they have the death-dealing quality of autumn but lack the life-giving quality of spring. How can they develop people then?
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If the mind is illumined, there is clear blue sky in a dark room. If the thoughts are muddled, there are malevolent ghosts in broad daylight.
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People know that fame and position are pleasant, but they do not know that the pleasure of anonymity is most real. People know that hunger and cold are distressing, but they do not know that the distress of not experiencing cold or hunger is greater.
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If you fear that people will know if you do something bad, then there is something good in bad. If you are eager for people to know when you do something good, then there is something bad in good.
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The workings of heaven are unfathomable—sometimes encouraging, sometimes suppressing. All this makes sport of heroes and tumbles the great. Enlightened people take adversity in stride and are prepared for trouble even when at ease; therefore, they are not at the mercy of fate.
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One should not seek happiness, just nurture the spirit of joy as the basis of summoning happiness. One should not try to escape misfortune, just get rid of viciousness as a means of avoiding misfortune.
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The road of truth is broad; set the mind on it, and you feel expansive openness and broad clarity. The road of human desires is narrow; set foot on it, and you see brambles and mire before you.
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Soil with a lot of manure in it produces abundant crops; water that is too clear has no fish. Therefore, enlightened people should maintain the capacity to accept impurities and should not be solitary perfectionists.
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Even a wild horse can be tamed; even metal that is difficult to work eventually goes into a mold. If you take it easy and do not stir yourself, you will never make any progress. It has been said, “It is no disgrace to have many afflictions: I would worry if there never were any afflictions.”
Related articles
Lord Buddha, One Who Serves and Ashira – When The Beam Of Energy Hits You, You Are In The NOW – 8-5-15
Carl Jung on Buddha, Karma, Pali-Canon.
The Diamond Sutra; Volumes 16 – 32 (By Michael Todd)
When I really look at myself, the truth is that I am just a kid from Maine, who was raised in a wild and free manner. My formative years were spent in two rural settings, Greenville and Jefferson Maine. It would hard to be more country than that. Music was always a part of my life and I have my parents to thank for that. There were many car trips between Greenville and Jefferson which is about a two-hour trip. On those trips, the only form of entertainment was the radio and singing along to the latest hits. No music today reminds me of growing up in the woods of Maine more than John Denver. These songs are a connection to that kid from Maine that I am and was.
Thank God I’m a Country Boy– Since I am clearly a country boy, this song always makes me smile. It takes me back to a simpler time. Growing up in a rural setting you learn to make your own fun. You learn to fish, play and explore the unknown. There is also a healthy respect for nature that innately grows in you. The biggest theme I remember from that time is the freedom I had to do just about what I wanted. Thank God I’m a Country Boy
Rocky Mountain High– Even though Maine is about as far from the Rocky Mountains as you can get, the sentiment of this song relates to the natural beauty and rugged wilderness that exists in this kid from Maine. I spent my summers literally running around a small lake in Jefferson, Maine and the connections to that place and experiences run through me still today. It is funny how you never see the value of some experiences until long after they slip into your history. Talk to God and listen to his casual reply.
Back Home Again– When I think of that home of my youth, it was really not the place that made it special, it was the people I was fortunate enough to call family. I was fortunate enough to know and have a personal relationship with all of my grandparents and most of my great-grandparents. All of them are gone now, but pieces of them live inside me, from the kindness they showed me, the advice they gave me and the example they set. As a kid from Maine, I was able to have a great experience. Hey, it’s good to be back home again………
2. Sunshine on My Shoulders– I remember waking up on a summer morning as a kid and seeing the reflection of the sun off the water dancing across the room. I knew it was going to be a great day because it was sunny. No rain would lessen the activities that we could participate in that day. Fishing, swimming, boating, and adventuring were all on the docket and I was going to participate in all of them with vigor. Even today I feel the same way about the opportunities that a sunny day will bring. This kid from Maine was lucky that all he needed was sunshine to be happy. If I had a day that I could give you, I’d give to you a day just like today…..
Country Roads Take Me Home– There are two roads I think of that led to home. One is the road into Greenville. When we saw the lake and were coming down the hill into town, I knew I was home. The other was the old dirt road in Jefferson that led to camp. The roads we travel tell a lot about our journey. It was good to be a free kid from Maine. I think many of us spend a lot of time looking to those times in the past. I guess I do too, but for a different reason. Not to experience the things that were again, but to make today a little bit more like that time. I was so fortunate to have the family and friends that I did and the life I lived. This kid from Maine had it pretty good. Country roads take me home to the place I belong.
Gordon Lightfoot by Mike Martin
Thursdays are my most intense day of the work week. Couple that with a teachers workshop, an afternoon playoff baseball game, and the Patriots on Thursday Night Football. There ain’t much time to write about nostalgic music feelings.
So, today I am picking Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. as my day 6 #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth section. Possibly the best songwriter ever to live- a musician that if he would have changed his name might have surpassed every music sales record ever held.
Gordon Lightfoot is credited for defining the folk-pop sound of the 60s and 70s. And I, Mike Martin, outside of Dale Duff, a local, Bangor, Maine sports broadcasting legend, is possibly the biggest Gordon Lightfoot fan ever born.
Listening to his music puts me in a great mood and the imagery created by his poetic verses are just like a Calgon Bath.
So, please Gordon-Take me away and help me make another day.
She’s been lookin’ like a queen in a sailor’s dream
And she don’t always say what she really means
Peace and Love, Please have a terrific Friday!
If you have any questions, drop us a line and please partake in #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth and while you are at it take a trip to Greenville, Maine-I understand the foliage is majestic this time of year! #visitGreenville
On this page you will find some quotes that I like, I like to think of them as Words of Wisdom, for myself and any who read them. I am continually adding to them as I come across new ones that I feel are significant to my own experience, and gladly share them with you. Hopefully I will provide you with some new quotes to like. There are so many windows into the lives of those that have gone before us, they have experienced what we are experiencing now, know what we need to know and many of them have saved their quotes for us to enjoy and learn from. I wanted to share some of the words which I have found helpful over time. These Inspirational Quotes, I hope will inspire you to follow your dreams to whatever destiny is in front of you.
“Set a goal to achieve something that is so big, so exhilarating that it excites you and scares you at the same time. It must be a goal that is so appealing, so much in line with your spiritual core, that you can’t get it out of your mind. If you do not get chills when you set a goal, you’re not setting big enough goals.”-Bob Proctor
“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”-Albert Schweitzer
More Words of Wisdom
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” –Melody Beattie
“The way to know life is to love many things.” –Vincent Van Gogh
“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon….must inevitably come to pass.”Paul J. Meyer
“If we are growing, we are constantly going to be out of our comfort zone.” John Maxwell
“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” Norman Vincent Peale
“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.” Henry David Thoreau
“When life gives you lemons, please, just don’t squirt them into other people’s eyes.” J. Andrew Helt
“I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly and acutely miserable, but through it all I still know that just to be alive is a grand thing.”Agatha Christie
Words of Wisdom
“It is better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” Abraham Lincoln
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” John Wooden
“Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else.” -Brian Tracy
“People are just as happy as they make their minds up to be.”Abraham Lincoln
“Goals are a means to an end, not the ultimate purpose of our lives. They are simply a tool to concentrate our focus and move us in a direction. The only reason we really pursue goals is to cause ourselves to expand and grow. Achieving goals by themselves will never make us happy in the long term; it’s who you become, as you overcome the obstacles necessary to achieve your goals, that can give you the deepest and most long-lasting sense of fulfillment.” -Anthony Robbins
“Whatever you are, be a good one.” Abraham Lincoln
“Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture…. Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.” -Norman Vincent Peale
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln
“The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him your friend.” Abraham Lincoln
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of. Benjamin Franklin
Even more words of Wisdom
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
Helen Keller
Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.
Jawaharal Nehru
Life is like the dice that, falling, still show a different face. So life, though it remains the same, is always presenting different aspects. Alexis
Our life’s a stage, a comedy: either learn to play and take it lightly, or bear its troubles patiently.
Palladas
The geat blessing of mankind are within us and within our reach; but we shut our eyes, and like people in the dark, we fall foul upon the very thing we search for, without finding it.
Seneca
(7 B.C. – 65 A.D.)
Govern thy life and thoughts as if the whole world were to see the one, and read the other. Thomas Fuller
Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Life, in all ranks and situations, is an outward occupation, an actual and active work. W. Humboldt
Unrest of spirit is a mark of life; one problem after another presents itself and in the solving of them we can find our greatest pleasure.
Kal Menninger
Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, judgment difficult. Hypocrites
After the game,
the king and the pawn go into the same box.
Italian Proverb
The acts of this life are the destiny of the next. Eastern Proverb
Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think.
La Bruyere
Life is like a library owned by the author.
In it are a few books which he wrote himself,
but most of them were written for him. Harry Emerson Fosdick
We make our fortunes, and we call them fate.
Earl of Beaconsfield
The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.
Elbert Hubbard
Life’s a voyage that’s homeward bound. Herman Melville
The whole of life is but a moment of time. It is our duty, therefore to use it, not to misuse it.
Plutarch
Life is variable. Plautus
Life is a rich strain of music, suggesting a realm too fair to be.
George William Curtis
I made my life my monument.
Ben Johnson
The boundaries which divide life from death
are at best shadowy and vague.
Who shall say where one ends,
and the other begins? Edgar Alan Poe
One way to get the most out of life is
to look upon it as an adventure.
William Feather
Life without endeavor is like entering a jewel mine and coming out with empty hands. Japanese Proverb
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. Ralph Waldo Emerson
There are no classes in life for beginners: right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult. Rainer Maria Rilke
To live is like to love–all reason is against it, and all healthy instinct for it.
Samuel Butler
One life – a little gleam of time between two eternities. Thomas Carlyle
Life is a pure flame,
and we live by an invisible sun within us.
Sir Thomas Brown
As I grow to understand life less and less,
I learn to love it more and more.
Jules Renard
I find former UCLA Coach John Wooden quotes particularly inspiring and true. For teamwork, hard work, leadership, faith or success, you can’t go wrong with looking for some advice from the late, great John Wooden. First below you will find a top ten list that was released in the Christian Science Monitor of their favorite John Wooden quotes.
Without further ado my top 10 John Wooden Quotes…
10. Failure is not fatal but failure to change might be.
9. Ability is a poor man’s wealth.
8. It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.
7. Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
6. What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player.
5. You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
4. Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.
3. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
2. Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
1. Never mistake activity for achievement.
Here are a few more John Wooden Quotes that I like:
“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”
“You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.”
“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”
‘The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.’
‘Although I wanted my players to work to win, I tried to convince them they had always won when they had done their best.’
‘Young people need models, not critics.’
‘Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.’
‘Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.’
‘If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?’
‘The best way to improve the team is to improve us.’
I hope you enjoyed my collection of John Wooden Quotes!!
Today I am traveling back to the late 80’s and one of the bands that provided the soundtrack for that period was definitely Guns N’ Roses. They helped define the relationships and activities that I was experiencing at that time. There were people that I spent time with then who had a permanent influence on my life, even though I am sure that they don’t know it. Choosing just five songs is a difficult task but I did the best I could to. Each Axl Rose lyric and Slash guitar solo takes me home.
Paradise City– There was a time in the 80’s when I spent much of my free time traveling to a little town called Alton, NH. It is a beautiful little village located on Lake Winnipesaukee. I used to head there on Friday afternoons after I got done working my summer job. It was paradise city for me. Take me down to Paradise City, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty……..
Welcome to the Jungle– This classic guitar is going to hype you up to lift or to have a good time at a party. For me there were a lot of new things to experience at this time of life. I went to two different schools and met a lot of new people, and found my way through the jungle, had memorable experiences but most importantly met great people in the process. When your high, you never want to come down……
Yesterdays– There was a time I thought I knew it all and figured life out. As you get older you realize nothing could be further from the truth. The past is interesting, it shows you what you were and how far you have come, but it is just a thought. All people have regret, about the way you treated those you care about, the things you could have accomplished, but in the end, Time just fades the pages in my book of memories…….
November Rain– I thought that we got to choose the people that we fall in love with, but that isn’t the case, in 1988 I had no choice. As a young person, I thought I had it figured out and what my future would hold and who it would be with. As Guns N’ Roses said, Nothin’ lasts forever, And we both know hearts can change. And it’s hard to hold a candle. In the cold November rain Clearly, my lack of knowledge is revealed more and more, even today. Don’t ya think that you need somebody? Don’t ya think that you need someone? Everybody needs somebody. You’re not the only one.
Sweet Child of Mine– This may be the greatest song ever written. From the most recognizable opening guitar riff, it captured the feelings that I had in those moments. I didn’t know the bumps the road ahead would provide that needed to be navigated or the lessons I needed to learn. The most valuable things are twice as precious when they are lost. I think the lucky people are those who look to the past and feel they did the right thing all the time. I did not, often failing. But…………the memory and the thought is always there still to this day. Now and then when I see her face, it takes me away to that special place and if I stare too long, I’d probably break down and cry…..
Honorable mention: I used to love her, Patience, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Live and Let Die, Don’t Cry, Civil War, Night Train
Aerosmith/ Joe Perry by Mike Martin
Anthony Joseph Pereira aka Joe Perry of Aerosmith was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Joseph C. Perry aka Joe Perry is an American Politician who lives in Bangor, Maine. I have never met either of Aerosmith’s “Toxic Twins” guitarist Joe Perry or vocalist Steven Tyler, but I have known Joe Perry, the politician since we met in a high school football locker-room -the summer of 1983.
In 1983, the original Aerosmith began hanging out-again. During the recording of their sixth studio album “Night in the Ruts. Perry got fed up with Tyler, quit the band, and formed the Joe Perry Project. Joe Perry, the politician, and I have never had any kind of quarrel. Joe Perry, the politician, is a true “Honey”. Me, on the other hand, I can be a bit over the top. I like to think of this as a dose of positive passion.
My spiritual advisor (Jon Hilton) tells me that feelings of animosity, resentment, and envy are a bad deal and unhealthy for the person embracing such feelings. Without going into detail, I was holding on to some of these feelings-stubbornly refusing to submit. But, I got over it and I ask you to do the same.
Joe Perry, the politician, is a true leader and a loyal, and trustworthy friend. Just last month, Joe’s Market on Garland Street in Bangor was set on fire by a regular customer. After the lady arsonist was found and identified, Joe publicly forgave her and said that he hopes that she finds the help that she needs. Now, this is an extraordinary example of leadership and forgiveness that should be replicated by others in similar positions.
Like myself, Aerosmith got over it. They launched the “Back in the Saddle Tour” -a successful comeback in 1984 (the same year Joe and I graduated from high school) and later teamed up with Run-DMC, rereleasing Walk this Way-helping bring RAP to the masses.
After doing some research and reflection about the lives of both Joe Perrys, they have a few things in common. The Joes are Family Men, and like myself- each has an entrepreneurial spirit. This means that we like Livin’ on the Edge.
“If you can judge a wise man
By the color of his skin
Then mister you’re a better man than I”
I love Joe “Honey” Perry like a brother. He’s someone who can always be trusted. I have no doubt that he will be there for a stranded brother. While working at the Maine State-Joe has an admired elected official-myself as a simple page. My Suzuki Samurai (oh how I loved that thing) stopped working-rejecting the subzero frigid Maine winter I reckon.
So, there I sit at the mouth to the Etna Exit on I-95 South. The first two guys that stopped thought I was dead. When I popped my head up from the steering wheel, they both jumped back and said simultaneously said, “We thought you were dead!”
When I refused their help explaining that my brother Senator Joe was about an hour behind me and he would be along shortly to get me to work. They questioned my sanity.
“Have you talked to him?”
“No”
“What if he doesn’t stop?”
“He will!”
“How do you know?”
“I just know!”
They reluctantly left me freezing on the side of the road and sure enough, fifteen minutes behind them was my old friend Joe and everything working out just fine. It’s a good thing too, otherwise, I would have been Cryin’
If you have any questions, drop us a line and please partake in #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth and while you are at it take a trip to Greenville, Maine-I understand the foliage is majestic this time of year! #visitGreenville
Friendship is ImportantMy Favorite Friendship Quotes
I wanted to publish some friendship quotes that will help you value your friends and enjoy being one. As you move through life, it can be easy to overlook the value of a true friend. Relationships, move apart, come together and dissolve, and if you are not careful, those friendships will slip away into what used to be. Often the factors of life, a spouse, children, career, can all combine to make that friendship that you once cherished, fall out of your consciousness and into a memory. As time moves on, the relationship with that friend will move further into the past. Eventually, there are so many that you long to see, but alas it is too late to retravel those roads, you took a turn years ago away from that friendship and it seems there is no way that you can’t get back from it. Friendship quotes always remind you that there is a path back.
“True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.” – Charles Caleb Colton
Today I am remembering all of the friendships that I have let fade over time. Thinking of all of the very good people I have known, but no longer see, I think that the simple relationship of friendship is as powerful as anything in the world. It has the ability to make you laugh, feel good, feel accepted and feel understood. You belong, and there is no fee to pay other than to be yourself, and you are accepted for that.
I also am truly grateful for the friendships that I am blessed with today. Hopefully the wisdom of age will allow me to maintain these links to the soul that we call friends.
Friendship Quotes I Like
In the spiritual life nowhere do our ideals meet the actual more truly than in how we relate to each other, in how we make, sustain and are friends.
James Ishmael Ford
Shared joy is double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.
-Swedish proverb
Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.
-Emily Kimbrough
Man is a knot into which relationships are tied.
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
No road is long with good company.
-Turkish Proverb
Some more great Friendship Quotes
You cannot be lonely if you like the person you are alone with.
-Wayne Dyer
To know when to go away and when to come closer is the key to any lasting relationship.
-Domenico Cieri Estrada
Trouble is part of your life, and if you don’t share it, you don’t give the person who loves you enough chance to love you enough.
-Dinah Shore
It is the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.
-Marlene Dietrich
A true friend is one who thinks you are good egg even if you are half-cracked.
-Anonymous
Friendship isn’t a big thing — it’s a million little things.
-Anonymous
A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when memory fails.
-Donna Roberts
A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.
-Grace Pulpit
It takes a long time to grow an old friend
-John Leonard
Even more Friendship quotes
Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.
-Anais Nin
Friends are the sailors who guide your rickety boat safely across the dangerous waters of life.
-Sare and Cate
Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.
-Plautus
The friend who holds your hand and says the wrong thing is made of dearer stuff than the one who stays away.
-Barbara Kingsolver
In my friend, I find a second self.
-Isabel Norton
Let us be grateful to people who makes us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
-Marcel Proust
“My friends are my estate.” – Emily Dickinson
“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”
“A friend is one who walks in when others walk out” -Walter Winchell
“A friend is someone who is there for you when he’d rather be anywhere else.” – Len Wein – Sent by Paulo Louro
“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” – Sent by Donna Roberts
“A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself.”
“Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.” – Albert Camus
“A hug is worth a thousand words. A friend is worth more.”
“Everyone is a friend, until they prove otherwise.” – sent by Steve
“Every person is a new door to a different world.”
– from movie “Six Degrees of Seperation”
We need old friends to help us grow old and new friends to help us stay young.
Letty Cottin Pogrebin
The worst solitude is to be destitute of sincere friendship.
Francis Bacon
The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.
Elizabeth Foley
Some Final Friendship Quotes
We must reach out our hand in friendship and dignity both to those who would befriend us and those who would be our enemy.
Arthur Ashe
Don’t believe your friends when they ask you to be honest with them. All they really want is to be maintained in the good opinion they have of themselves.
Albert Camus
I hope you enjoyed the friendship quotes and they make you appreciate those friends that are continually aroud you.
It was June 9, 1983, when two young men set out for a day of youthful antics with the ultimate goal of attending The Kinks in concert in Portland, Maine. We had just completed our sophomore year in high school and it seemed like life was before us. We started early and got back late and in between, we undertook a quest, on which we found out about the people that we wanted to become. The Kinks always remind me of that day and the people I went to that concert with and the adventures of the day. The stepping stones that Ray Davies and the Kinks provided great memories and nostalgic music month
The Kinks always remind me of that day and the people I went to that concert with and the adventures of the day. The stepping stones that Ray Davies and the Kinks provided great memories and nostalgic music month is about remembering those events and people who shaped us. I also remember that the opening act was Robert Ellis Orrall. People threw tennis balls at him. Unlike Robert Ellis Orrall, this was a time in life when I was untouchable.
My top 5 Kinks songs of all time……………..
Lola– Any list of songs by The Kinks starts with L-O-L-A Lola. Hearing this song in person was even more awesome to be singing along with a few thousand other kinks fans. A classic moment of youth, Well that’s the way that I want it to stay. And I always want it to be that way for my Lola.
Low Budget-The story of my life in high school. I was a cut-priced person in low budget land. However, I never let the budget determine the fun and it always seemed to work out for the best. We didn’t have much that day in 1983 except my friend’s white Chevy Chevette and plenty of grit.
Don’t Forget to Dance– Great advice for Kinks fans of any age. Life is full of distractions and things of greater importance and sometimes we forget that life is meant to be lived. That’s no excuse to just give in to a sad and lonely heart We should never forget to dance, leave our troubles behind and enjoy life.
You Really Got Me– a Classic riff that simply defines the bulk of my life. Girl you really g0t me simply describes many relationships in the high school era of my life and singing it at the Cumberland County Civic Center with the Kinks was a transcendental moment.
Destroyer– No other song describes that day and concert in 1983 better than this. Paranoia the destroyer! There was a lot of paranoia that night for some reason. Silly boy ya’ self-destroyer
A moment captured in time by a concert and the associated shenanigans of development. Youth is often wasted on the young, but that night in 1983 that wasn’t the case.
The KONGOS- by Mike Martin
Sometimes music doesn’t have to be vintage to provoke a feeling of nostalgia. On Valentine Day 2015, the KONGOS brought their Lunatic 2015 Tour to the Port City Music Hall in Portland Maine. Shannon and I were there front row center stage enjoying the alternative rock band from South Africa.
The band is a true family affair consisting of four brothers: Johnny (accordion, keyboards, vocals), Jesse (drums, percussion, vocals), Daniel (guitar, vocals), and Dylan Kongos (bass guitar, lap slide guitar, vocals).
Any band that uses an accordion, to augment its sound, ranks high for me-you can thank Henry Breau-His nieces and nephew will understand.
I have much more to say about the 24 hours Shannon and I spent preparing and watching the KONGOS, but due to time constraints and an unplanned trip to the MHS-my time has expired, so those stories must wait for another day.
So, if you have never listened to the KONGOS, Come With Me Now. I’ll bet that you’ll be glad you did !!
Woah come with me now
I’m gonna show you how
I think with my heart and I move with my head
I open my mouth and it’s something I’ve read
I stood at this door before, I’m told
But a part of me knows that I’m growing too old
Confused what I thought with something I felt
Confuse what I feel with something that’s real
I tried to sell my soul last night
Funny, he wouldn’t even take a bite
Far away
I heard him say (come with me now)
Don’t delay
I heard him say (come with me now)
Have a terrifically awesome day! If you have any questions, drop us a line and please partake in #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth and while you are at it take a trip to Greenville, Maine-I understand the foliage is majestic this time of year! #visitGreenville
Lord Buddha, One Who Serves and Ashira – When The Beam Of Energy Hits You, You Are In The NOW – 8-5-15
Carl Jung on Buddha, Karma, Pali-Canon.
The Diamond Sutra; Volumes 16 – 32 (By Michael Todd)
