Ten Incarnation of Lord Vishnu - Part 3

VARAHA - The Boar

All glories to you, O Lord of the universe, who took the form of a boar.
When the earth fell into the ocean at the bottom of the universe you caught her on your tusk, 
where she looked like a spot on the moon.

Hiranyaksha was the first and greatest demon that ever walked this earth. His body was so big and strong that it blocked the view in all directions just like a mountain. The crest of his crown seemed to kiss the sky and cover the sun. When he walked the earth shook at his every step. Even the demigods hid themselves from him. Fearing death at the hands of no one, he wandered the earth searching for a suitable opponent to fight. He wore golden anklets, a golden girdle, golden bracelets on his arms, golden armour and a crown of gold. To obtain this gold he mined the earth. He considered the earth as his property to do with as he wished, and so he mined her deeper and deeper - so deep that she lost her inner balance and fell from her position in space. Plunging to the depths she came to rest in the primeval waters which lie at the very bottom of the universe. There she lay, lost and helpless in the darkness.

Vishnu saw the distress of the earth planet as she was lying in the dark ocean. He took the form of a gigantic boar, Varaha, and entered the universe to rescue the earth from the deep. It is said that he first appeared in a tiny form no larger than a thumb, and steadily grew until he seemed to fill the heavens. Although a boar is normally considered to be an ugly animal, Varaha was most beautiful. All the demogods and sages sung his glories as he dived into the ocean. Meanwhile Hiranyaksha, not caring for the earth's predicament, roamed about restlessly looking for someone with whom to do battle. As Varaha was picking up the earth on his tusks, the angry demon came upon him and eagerly challenged him to fight. There was a great battle, fought for the sake of the earth, in which the demon finally lost his life. Varaha picked up the earth and carefully restored her to her proper position in space.

Ten Incarnation of Lord Vishnu - Part 2

KURMA - The Tortoise

All glories to you, O Lord of the universe, who took the form of a tortoise. 
When the ocean of milk was churned you became the pivot beneath the churning rod of Mount Mandara leaving a beautiful impression on your back.

Once, the demigods and the demons both wanted to get the Nectar of Immortality. Whoever drank this nectar would be invincible. On the advice of Lord Vishnu, they made a pact and agreed to co-operate together to get it. Vishnu told them what to do. In the universe is a sacred ocean of milk. They should throw all kinds of vegetables, grass, creepers and herbs into that ocean and churn it. From this churning, he said, would come the Nectar of Immortality. To churn the ocean they would have to use the golden mountain, Mandara, as a churning rod. With great difficulty and Vishnu's help they managed to bring Mount Mandara to the Milk Ocean. They used Vasuki, the giant serpent, as a rope. Wrapping him round the mountain, the demons took hold of his head and the demigods took his tail.

They tried to churn, but the mountain sank into the ocean floor and they began to despair. Vishnu then took the form of a gigantic tortoise, Kurma, and supported the mountain on his back. Using Kurma as a pivot, the demons and the demigods started to churn again, back and forth. Kurma felt as though they were scratching an itch on his back and this gave him pleasure. The first thing the churning produced was a deadly poison which threatened the whole world. This was drunk by Lord Shiva to save everyone. As they continued churning many wonderful things came out of the ocean, but at last they got what they wanted - the Nectar of Immortality. Both groups wanted it, and a quarrel developed. Vishnu came to the aid of the demigods and helped them get the nectar for themselves. Seeing that they had lost the nectar, the demons attacked the demigods and after a terrible battle the demons were defeated.

In the form of a giant tortoise, Kurma balanced the opposing forces of the demons and the demigods about the churning rod of Mount Mandara in the Milk Ocean. In the end the demigods, who were his devotees, got immortal nectar. The demons, who had worked so hard, but who did not have the blessing of Vishnu, got only disappointment and poison. This is the fate of an atheistic society which works hard to aquire material success and comfort, but offers nothing to God - all its good work turns to poison and pollution and it ends up with nothing.

Ten Incarnation of Lord Vishnu - Part 1

The ten incarnations of Vishnu are a recurrent theme in Vedic history. Vishnu exists outside the material realm as the creator, and he exists within every being as the Supersoul. He also enters this world as avatar, 'one who descends', to restore balance whenever his presence is needed. His descent is described by Krishna:

    "Whenever there is a decline of religion, and a rise of irreligion, I incarnate myself. To protect the good, to destroy the wicked, and to re-establish religious principles, I appear in every age."

There are said to be more incarnations of Godhead than there are waves in the ocean. It is also said that Vishnu incarnates in all species of life. The ten avatars of Vishnu are of particular interest because He takes progressively more developed forms, from fish, tortoise and boar to half-animal, half-man, and finally human form. That God should incarnate as an animal, even a supernatural one, shows that animals have an important role to play in God's eyes. They are not simply dumb beasts, or 'livestock' meant for satisfying human needs and appetites. They are living expressions of the spirit and of the presence of God.

The First Incarnation
MATSYA - The Fish
All glories to you, O Lord of the universe, who took the form of a fish. When the sacred hymns of the Vedas were lost in the waters of universal devastation, you swam like a boat in that vast ocean to rescue them.

Once a King named Satyavrata was performing a sacred ceremony beside a river. While scooping water from the river he accidentally caught a tiny fish in the palm of his hand. The fish begged him not to throw it back into the river where it would be eaten by larger fish. The king felt sorry for the little fish and took it home to his palace where he put it in a small bowl. Next morning the fish had outgrown the bowl and begged the king to put it in something larger. The king then transferred it into a pond, but it very quickly outgrew that too, so he put it into a small lake. Within no time the fish had outgrown the lake and had to be put into the largest lake in the kingdom. Soon, however it had grown so big that even this was not large enough and the amazing fish had to be put in the ocean.

By this time the king concluded that the fish must be a divine appearance of God. He offered prayers and asked it why it had taken this form. Matsya, the fish incarnation of Vishnu, replied that in seven days a huge devastation would engulf the lower part of the universe. He told the king to call the seven great sages and gather samples of all the herbs and seeds and all kinds of living creatures. He promised that he would send a large boat to save them all. After that the king would fully understand who he was. Then he swam away.

As Matsya had predicted, huge clouds appeared from all directions and began pouring incessant water on land and sea. Soon the ocean overflowed onto the land. Then Satyavrata and all his companions saw a large mysterious boat floating towards them across the waves. Remembering the words of Matsya, Satyavrata led them aboard it and they found safety. Matsya, who by now was a golden fish of inconceivable size, then appeared in the ocean. Using the giant serpent Vasuki, they tied the boat to Matsya's horn and he towed it, full of all the different species of life, across the waters of devastation. For countless years darkness covered the worlds and together they wandered across the stormy wastes waiting for the waters to subside. During their journey Vishnu-Matsya instructed King Satyavrata and the sages in the spiritual knowledge of the Vedas.

It is said that whoever hears this story is delivered from the ocean of sinful life.

The Story of Krishna and Jarasandha

King Brihadratha of Magadha was married to the twin daughters of the King of Kashi. Brihadratha loved both his wives equally and had all the material joys of the world, but no son. This left him in a depressed state.

The sage Chandakaushika visited his kingdom and Brihadratha served him with respect. Being pleased with his service, the sage granted Brihadratha a boon. Brihadratha asked the sage for a son and the sage gave him a mango, which Brihadratha was to give one of his wives. Now Brihadratha loved both his wives equally so he cut the mango in two equal halves and fed both of them.

Nine months later, both his wives gave birth to a child, or rather half a child each. Seeing this the queens attendants were horrified and decided that they must dispose of the two halves, so they dumped them outside the kingdom. Now outside the kingdom, there lived a demoness named Jara. Sensing human flesh, she found the two halves of the child. Hoping to carry them home to eat them, she placed both the halves side by side in a basket and lo behold the halves miraculously joined up, making one complete human child. Jara realized that this must be the son of the King of Magadha, and wanting a reward, took the child to the palace. The King was overjoyed and named the child Jarasandha in order to honor Jara, the demoness who had saved him.

Jarasandha grew up and became a very powerful king. He defeated many other kings and made them promise their allegiance to him making him supreme emperor. He gave both his daughters in marriage to Kamsa of Mathura.

Now Krishna killed Kamsa, making Jarasandha an enemy. Jarasandha attacked Mathura seventeen times and Krishna decimated his army, sparing Jarasandha alone.

Krishna had five cousins, the Pandavas, who had just acquired a kingdom -Indraprastha. The eldest Pandava, Yudishtra wanted to perform the Rajasuya Yagya. In order to perform the Rajasuya Yagya, a king had to be declared emperor and all the surrounding kingdoms had to recognize the emperor as their overlord. In order for this to happen, Yudishtra would have to defeat Jarasandha and obtain the title of emperor. Yudishtra, not knowing how to go about this, asked Krishna for help. Krishna said that he, Arjuna (the third Pandava) and Bheema (the second Pandava) would dress up like brahmans and go to Magadha and challenge Jarasandha to a wrestling match.

Upon reaching Magadha, Krishna, Arjuna and Bheema challenged Jarasandha to a wrestling match. Jarasandha seeing their physiques realised that these were not brahmans and asked them who they were. Krishna revealed their identities and told Jarasandha that they had come to challenge him and that Jarasandha must pick an opponent. Jarasandha said that he would not fight Krishna as he was a cowherd and he did not match his dignity and social standing. He then refused to fight Arjuna saying that Arjuna was too young, but he agreed to fight Bheema as Bheema seemed mighty and a worthy opponent.

Bheema and Jarasandha fought for days, both equally matched and neither succumbed to the other's blows. Bheema realizing that Jarasandha was an equal match looked to Krishna for help. Now Krishna who knew the story of Jarasandha's birth, picked up a twig from the floor, broke it in two halves and threw the two halves far away from each other.

Bheema now knew what he must do. He threw Jarasandha to the ground, held his legs and split his body in two. He then threw the two halves of Jarasandha far away from each other so that they might not join. Bheema had defeated Jarasandha and Krishna installed Jarasandha's son as the king of Magadha. In return, Jarasandha's son agreed to be a vassal to the Pandavas.

Shiv Devotee - Markandeya and God of Death

Mrikandu was a great rishi. Marudvati was his wife. For a long time they had no children.

The rishi prayed to lord Siva. Lord Siva appeared to him, and said, "I am pleased with you, Mrikandu. Tell me, do you want a hundred sons, who will live for a long time, but will all be foolish?

Or, do you want one very intelligent son, who will live for only sixteen years?"

The rishi at once said, "Lord, give me that one intelligent son."
Lord Siva said, "Good! You shall have him."


Soon the rishi got a son. He named him Markandeya. The boy grew to be very intelligent and handsome. The rishi invested him with the sacred thread. Markandeya learnt the Vedas and Sastras, easily. Everyone liked him.

As the boy was getting on to be sixteen, Rishi Mrikandu became sadder and sadder. One day Markandeya asked his father: "Father, why do you look so sad?"

The rishi said, "Son! What shall I say? When Lord Siva gave you to me, he said you would live only sixteen years. You are now about to reach that age. How can Iand your mother bear to lose you as we will at the end of this year?"

Markandeya said, "Father! Is that the reason? Lord Siva is very kind to His devo- tees. You yourself told me that. He has saved many from death before. I have read about it in the Puranas. I shall therefore worship Lord Siva day and night from today. I am sure, He will save -me too! "

RishiMrikandu was very happy to hear his son say this. He blessed his son.
Markandeya built a Siva-Linga at a spot on the sea-shore. He started worshipping Lord Siva morning, noon and night. He sang bhajans, and often danced in joy.

On the last day, Markandeya was about to sing bhajans, when Yama, the Lord of Death, came to him. Yama rode on a buffalo. He held a noose in his hand. He spoke to Markandeya, "Stop your bhajan! You boy! Your life in this world is over. Be ready to die."

Markandeya was not afraid. He clung to the Siva-Linga as one clings to one's mother.

Yama threw his noose round the boy's neck, and pulled him along with the Siva- Linga.

Then the Siva-Linga burst open and Lord Siva came out of it, Lord kicked Yama in the chest, and said, "Yama, begone! Don't touch this boy. He is my beloved devotee. He will live forever!"

Yama went away crest-fallen. Markandeya then prayed to Lord Siva more fervently than ever. This prayer says at the end of each line, "What can Death do to me?" Many people recite this prayer even now.

Markandeya came home, and fell at the feet of his parents. They embraced him, and wept with joy. Markandeya became a great rishi, and lived very long.

Lord Ganesha and Kubera

Kubera, the god of wealth, was very proud of his boundless fortune. One day, he organized a gorgeous dinner. Kubera invited Lord Shiva and Parvati to dinner wishing to show off his riches. But, the couple denied Kubera's request and said that he could feed Ganesha instead. Kubera laughed and said 'I can feed thousands of children like this."

Ganesha went to his palace and sat down to eat. He started eating all the food placed in front of him. As was the custom, more and more food was served to him as he did not say that he had enough. Soon there was no more food in the palace and so Kubera ordered his troops to get more food from the surrounding villages. But Ganesha continued eating and there was no more food to be found. Still very hungry, and not satisfied with all the available food, Ganesh started to devour plates and dishes, the furniture and all the content of Alakapuri, the main city of Kubera.

When he achieved to gulp down the whole, the child Ganesh threatened to swallow Kubera himself. Frightened, the god of wealth rushed forward to Shiva's feet to implore his help, since the Ganesh voracious appetite seemed to be unlimited.

Kubera became very frightened. Ganesha told him, " You promised my parents you will feed me. Now, I have to eat you up as I am still very hungry ". Kubera ran away and pleaded with Shiva to save him from Ganesha. Shiva asked Kubera to give up his pride and serve Ganesha a handful of rice. Kubera went back to his palace. By this time, Ganesha's stomach had become very huge but the child was still hungry. When Kubera served a cup of rice with humility, Ganesha's hunger was satisfied.

The Awakening

The Awakening

A time comes in your life when you finally get…when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out…ENOUGH. Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on. Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon.

You realize that in the real world there aren’t always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of “happily ever after” must begin with you…and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are…and that’s OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself…and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.

Your stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you – or didn’t do for you – and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and everything isn’t always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself…and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties…and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with.

You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a “consumer” looking for you next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don’t know everything, it’s not you job to save the world and that you can’t teach a pig to sing. You learn the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely.

You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drinking more water, and take more time to exercise.

You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.

You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people…and you lean not to always take it personally.

You learn that nobody’s punishing you and everything isn’t always somebody’s fault. It’s just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You lean that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than you heart’s desire.

You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.

Finally, with courage in you heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

Happiness is Mind-made

Happiness is Mind-made

Mind is the forerunner of (all good) states.
Mind is chief, and they are mind-made.
If one speaks or acts with a pure mind,
from that, happiness follows,
as one’s own shadow that never leaves.

The Story of Matthakundalī

The only son of a stingy millionaire was on the verge of death because his father was too mean to call a doctor, and tried to treat his son himself. The Buddha saw the dying boy with his Divine Eye, and stood for alms in front of his house. Seeing the Buddha, Matthakundalī was delighted. Dying with a mind full of faith in the Buddha he was reborn in the celestial realm. After his son’s death, the millionaire was grief-stricken. Every day he went to the cemetery crying for his son.

The deity appeared before his father in a form like his son, and stood weeping. The millionaire saw the youth and asked him why he was crying. The deity replied that he wanted two wheels for his chariot, but could not get them. The millionaire offered to buy him whatever chariot wheels he wanted. The deity said that he wanted the sun and the moon for his chariot wheels. The millionaire told the youth that his wish was folly as it was impossible to obtain the sun and the moon. The deity admonished the millionaire, “You are even more foolish than me in crying for your dead son. At least I can see the sun and the moon, but you cannot even see your dead son.” The millionaire realised that the youth was his own son, and gained some faith in Dhamma. The next day, he offered alms to the Sangha and the deity appeared, telling the assembly how he had gained such bliss just by revering the Buddha in his mind.

Suffering is Mind-made

Suffering is Mind-made

Mind is the forerunner of (all evil) states.
Mind is chief; and they are mind-made.
If one speaks or acts with a corrupt mind,
from that, suffering follows,
as the wheel follows the hoof of the ox.

The Story of Cakkhupāla Thera

A monk named Cakkhupāla determined not to lie down for the entire Rains Retreat. He contracted an eye infection and the doctor told him that he must lie down to take the medicine. He refused to lie down, so the disease got worse. He realised Arahantship, but simultaneously went blind.

As he was pacing up and down, he unintentionally killed many insects. Visiting monks noticed the trampled insects on the elder’s walking meditation path, and told the matter to the Buddha. The Buddha explained that the monk had killed them unintentionally and that he was an Arahant.

The monks then asked the cause of his blindness.

The Buddha related how, in a previous life as a doctor, he had treated a poor woman’s eyes. She promised to become his servant if her eyesight was restored. The treatment worked, but the woman pretended that her eyesight was getting worse. The doctor retaliated by giving her another medicine, which blinded her. Due to that evil action Cakkhupāla became blind.

courtesy: http://www.aimwell.org

Timeless Quotes Part-11

DOING GOOD
He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own. - Confucius

DOUBT
In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. - Bertrand Russell

DREAMS
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. - Henry David Thoreau

To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act. - Anatole France

Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
Till you find your dream. - From "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," (The Sound of Music)

All our dreams can come true—if we have the courage to pursue them. - Walt Disney

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

"Dream is not what you see in sleep, dream is the thing which does not let you sleep." - President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Timeless Quotes Part-10

DIPLOMACY
You’ve got to find some way of saying it without saying it. - Duke Ellington

Don't ever slam the door; you might want to go back. - Don Herold

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. - Benjamin Franklin

If you wouldn’t write it and sign it, don’t say it.

A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you look forward to the trip. - Cashie Stinnett

DISCERNMENT
Weigh the meaning and look not at the words. - Ben Jonson

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

As I grow older I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do. - Andrew Carnegie

DISCIPLINE
Do not consider painful what is good for you. - Euripides

Make it a point to do something every day that you don't want to do. This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain. - Mark Twain

Self-discipline is the willingness to perform the acts that are beneficial to us that—for whatever reason—we don’t want to perform. - John McCormack

Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do when it ought to be done whether you like it or not. It is the first lesson that ought to be learned and however early a person’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson a person learns thoroughly. - Thomas Huxley

It is one of the strange ironies of this strange life that those who work the hardest, who subject themselves to the strictest discipline, who give up certain pleasurable things in order to achieve a goal, are the happiest men. When you see 20 or 30 men line up for a distance race in some meet, don't pity them, don't feel sorry for them. Better envy them instead. - Brutus Hamilton

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments - Jim Rohn

I never could have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence . . . the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time. - Charles Dickens

DOING
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. - Confucius

You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do. - Henry Ford

Doing something is different from thinking about doing something; it is more difficult because it requires more discipline and courage. - Nicholas Pratt

Doing something the first time is very hard.
Doing it the second time is easier.
Doing it the third time is easier still.
With persistence, eventually doing it becomes second nature. - Nicholas Pratt

Timeless Quotes Part-9

DECISION
Whenever you’re called on to make up your mind,
And you’re hampered by not having any,
The simplest way to solve the dilemma you’ll find,
Is simply by flipping a penny.
No, not so that chance shall decide the affair,
As you’re passively standing there moping.
But as soon as the penny is up in the air,
You’ll suddenly know what you’re hoping. - Piet Hein, Grooks

“Sir, what is the secret of your success?” a reporter asked a bank president.
“Two words.”
“And, sir, what are they?”
“Right decisions.”
“And how do you make the right decisions?”
“One word.”
“And, sir, what is it?”
“Experience.”
“And how do you get experience?”
“Two words.”
“And, sir, what are they.”
“Wrong decisions.”

Make big decisions in the calm. - Dwight D. Eisenhower

DELEGATION
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraining enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it. - Theodore Roosevelt

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. - George S. Patton, Jr.


DESIRE
You can have anything in this world you want, if you want it badly enough and you’re willing to pay the price. - Mary Kay Ash

Games are generally won by the boys with the greatest desire. - Paul Bear Bryant

DESTINY
Man is man because he is free to operate within the framework of his destiny. He is free to deliberate, to make decisions, and to chose between alternatives. - Martin Luther King

Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. - William Jennings Bryan

Timeless Quotes Part-8

CONVERSATION
Take as many half minutes as you can get, but never talk more than half a minute without pausing and giving others an opportunity to strike in. One of the best rules in conversation is, never to say a thing which any of the company can reasonably wish had been left unsaid. - Jonathan Swift

COUNCIL
Never take the advice of someone who has not had your kind of trouble. - Siney J. Harris

Never trust the advice of a man in difficulties. - Aesop

Never give advice unless asked. - German proverb

COUNTRY
A man's feet should be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world. - George Santayana

COURAGE
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. - Ambrose Redmoon

You cannot run away from a weakness; you must sometime fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now, and where you stand? - Robert Louis Stevenson

Courage is resistance to fear. - Mark Twain

Without courage, all other virtues lose their meaning. - Winston Churchill

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

COURTESY/PROPRIETY
When you are in Rome live in the Roman style; when you are elsewhere live as they live elsewhere. - Saint Ambrose

CREATIVITY
Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything. - George Lois

CRITICISM
Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they please. - Pythgoras


DANGER
If you are out of trouble, watch for danger. - Sophocles

DARING
Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary. - Sir Cecil Beaton

To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily; Not to dare is to lose oneself. - Soren Kierkegaard

DECISIONS
In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing that you can do is nothing. - Theodore Roosevelt

Timeless Quotes Part-7

COMMUNICATION
The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said. - Peter F. Drucker

Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people. - William Butler Yeates

COMPLIMENTS
Learn how to pay compliments. Start with the members of your family, and you will find it will become easier later in life to compliment others. It's a great asset. - Letitia Baldrige

Don't tell a woman she's pretty; tell her there's no other woman like her, and all roads will be open to you. - Jules Renard

CONDUCT
Be neither too remote nor too familiar. - Charles, Prince of Wales

Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none. - Benjamin Franklin

CONFIDENCE
It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it. - Lillian Hellman

Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. - George Herman

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt

CONTENTION
The best armor is to keep out of range. - Italian proverb

Above all things, never be afraid. The enemy who forces you to retreat is himself afraid of you at that very moment. - Andre Maurois

Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft! - Theodore Roosevelt

Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve. - Chinese proverb

CONTENTMENT
Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another. - Marquis de Condorcet

Be content with your lot; one cannot be first in everything. - Aesop

He who is content with little has everything.

Timeless Quotes Part-6

CHANGE
You have to really want to change to make a change. - Nicholas Pratt

You have to do things differently to get different results. - Nicholas Pratt

All conditions, good or bad, are temporary. - Nicholas Pratt

People can change but rarely do. - Nicholas Pratt

CHARACTER
A man's character is his fate. - Heraclitus

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. - Ann Landers

The true test of civilization is, not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops but the kind of man that the country turns out - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nothing is more significant of men's character than what they find laughable. - Johann Wolfgang Goethe

Sow a thought, reap an act;
Sow an act, reap a habit;
Sow a habit, reap a character:
Sow a character, reap a destiny. - Anonymous

Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. - Abraham Lincoln

A truly successful personality knows how to overcome the past, use the present, and prepare for the future—but unless we can first surmount the past, we cannot effectively cope with either the present or the future. - Sydney J. Harris

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are. - John Wooden

CHARM
Charm is the quality in others that makes us more satisfied with ourselves. - Henri Frédéric Amiel

CHEMISTRY
The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed. - Carl Gustav Jung.

CHOICE
Look at your choices, pick the best one, then go to work with all your heart. - Pat Riley

Timeless Quotes Part-5

BELIEF
"Your biggest challenge isn't someone else. It's the ache in your lungs and the burning in your legs, and the voice inside you that yells 'CAN'T", but you don't listen. You just push harder. And then you hear the voice whisper 'can'. And you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you really are." - Unknown

When you believe and think I can, you activate your motivation, commitment, confidence, concentration, and excitement, all of which relate directly to achievement. - Jerry Lynch

The key to success is to determine your goal and then act as if it were impossible to fail—and it shall be! - Dorothea Brande

BOLDNESS
You've got to be brave and you've got to be bold. Brave enough to take your chance on your own discriminations—what's right and what's wrong, what's good and what's bad. - Robert Frost

What you can do, or dream you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. - Goethe

Be bold and mighty powers will come to your aid. - Basil King

BOOKS
Learn to love good books. There are treasures in books that all the money of the world cannot buy, but that the poorest laborer can have for nothing. - Robert G. Ingersoll

Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as by the latter. - Paxton Hood

BOREDOM/EXCITEMENT
Think excitement, talk excitement, act out excitement, and you are bound to become an excited person. Life will take on a new zest, deeper interest and greater meaning. You can think, talk, and act yourself into dullness or into monotony or into unhappiness. By the same process you can build up inspiration, excitement, and a surging depth of joy. - Norman Vincent Peale

BUSINESS
Don't open a shop unless you know how to smile. - Jewish proverb

The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows. - Aristotle Onasis

CAPABILITY
If you would be remembered, do one thing superbly well. - Saunders Norvell

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, "Certainly I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. - Theodore Roosevelt

CAREER
Don't choose a profession just for money. Choose a profession as you would choose a wife—for love and for money. - John Huston

CAUTION
Measure a twice times and cut once. - Turkish proverb

Greed!!...Where does it ends

There is a story about a wealthy farmer who was once offered all the land he could walk
on in a day, provided he came back by sundown to the point where he started. To get a
new start, early the next morning the farmer started covering ground quickly because he
wanted to get as much land as he could. Even though he was tired, he kept going all
afternoon because he didn't want to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to gain more
wealth.

Late in the afternoon he realized the condition he had to fulfil to get the land was to get
back to the starting point by sundown. His greed had gotten him far enough. He started
his return journey, keeping an eye on how close he was to sundown. The closer it got to
sundown, the faster he ran. He was exhausted, out of breath and pushed himself beyond
the point of endurance. He collapsed upon reaching the starting point and died. He did
make it before sundown. He was buried and all the land he needed was a small plot.
There is a lot of truth in this story and a lesson to be learned. Whether the farmer was
wealthy or not, any greedy person would have ended the same way.

Timeless Quotes Part-4

ATTITUDE
If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call fourth its riches. - Rainer Maria Rilke

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. - Norman Vincent Peale

The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitude of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.

BEGINNINGS
Dare to be wise; begin! He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses. - Horace

Omnium rerum principia parva sunt." [Everything has a small beginning.] - Marcus Tullius Cicero

The greatest achievements were at first and for a time dreams. The oak sleeps in the acorn. - James Allen

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. - Mark Twain

BEHAVIOR
So live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!" - Victor E. Frankl

BELIEF
Whether you think you can or think you can't—you are right. - Henry Ford

Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact. - William James

Belief that a problem can be solved is essential to its solution. - Nicholas Pratt

Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself. - Robert Collier

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you would like to win but think you can’t,
It’s almost certain that you won’t.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger woman or man,
But sooner or later, those who win
Are those who think they can.

Timeless Quotes Part-3

ANSWERING
When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?" Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

ANXIETY
Do not . . . hope wholly to reason away your troubles; do not feed them with attention, and they will die imperceptibly away. Fix your thoughts upon your business, fill your intervals with company, and sunshine will again break in upon your mind. - Samuel Johnson

APPEARANCE
Keep up appearances; The world will give the credit for the rest. - Charles Churchill

Beware so long as you live, of judging people by appearances.
- La Fontaine
Be not deceived with the first appearance of things, for show is not substance. - English proverb

APPRAISAL
It's no use trying to sum people up. One must follow hints, not exactly what is said, nor yet entirely what is done. - Virginia Woolf

Let us take men as they are, not as they ought to be. - Franz Schubert

If you want to judge a man, take a look at his enemies. - Harry Golden

I usually make up my mind about a man in ten seconds, and I rarely change it. - Margaret Thatcher

ARGUMENT
Audi partem alterum.[Hear the other side] - Saint Augustine

ASKING/SEEKING
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. - Chinese proverb

Ask, and it shall be given you;
Seek, and ye shall find;
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you;
For every one that asketh receiveth;
And he that seeketh findeth;
And to him that knocketh it shall be opened. - Jesus of Nazareth

Timeless Quotes Part-2

ADVICE
Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. - Cicero

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't. - Erica Jong

Seek advice from those only whom you deem competent to give it, and then you need not hesitate to follow it. Receive good advice gracefully, asked or unasked. - Charles Simmons

Write down the advice of him who loves you, though you like it not at present. - English proverb

Don't give cherries to a pig; don't give advice to a fool. - Irish proverb

AFFECTION
Talk not of wasted affection! Affection never was wasted. . . . - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

AGE
Every man desires to live long, but no man wishes to be old. - Jonathon Swift

Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair. In the central place of every heart, there is a recording chamber; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage, so long are you young. - Douglas Mac Arthur

AIM
Thomas Carlyle was once talking to a young friend, and asked him what his aim in life was. The young man replied that he had none. "Get one, then, and get it quick," said Carlyle, sharply. "Make something your specialty. Life is a very uncertain affair. Knowing a little about five hundred things won't do us much good. We must be able to do something well, that our work will be needed and valuable." - Kate L. Gates

Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood....Make big plans, aim high in hope and work. - Daniel H. Burnham

AMBITION
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too, can become great. - Mark Twain

First, you must be ambitious, but you must not be so nakedly aggressive that your fellow workers rise up and destroy you. "Tout soldat porte dans sa giberne le baton de marechal." [Every soldier has a marshal's baton in his knapsack.] Yes, but don't let it stick out. - David M. Ogilvy

Children, you must remember something. A man without ambition is dead. A man with ambition but no love is dead. A man with ambition and love for his blessings here on earth is ever so alive. Having been alive, it won't be so hard in the end to lie down and rest. - Pearl Bailey

ANGER
Anyone can become angry—that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way—that is not easy. - Aristotle, The Nichomachean Ethics

Never forget what a man says to you when he is angry. - Henry Ward Beecher

When anger rises, think of the consequences. - Confucius

Never do anything when you are in a temper, for you will do everything wrong. - Baltasar Gracian

Anger is what arouses you to challenge a situation. Aim to use it to improve things. Often, with it, you can change things. - Walter McQuade and Anna Aikman