Don' Count a Man a Failure Until He’s Dead

“Because a fellow has failed once or twice, or a dozen times, you don’t want to set him down as a failure till he’s dead or losses his courage—and that’s the same thing.”

–George Horace Lorimer

No Such Thing as Perfection

“Perfection does not exist; to understand it is the triumph of human intelligence; to expect to possess it is the most dangerous kind of madness.”

–Alfred De Musset

Aim High!

“Aim at the sun, and you may not reach it; but your arrow will fly far higher than if you aimed at an object on a level with yourself.”

–J. Hawes

Dodging Duty Never Works

“A duty dodged is like a debt unpaid; it is only deferred, and we must come back and settle the account at last.”

–Joseph Fort Newton

Fresh Starts

“Every day is a fresh start. You awake every morning as a tabula rasa (clean slate).

Edmond Danken Sailor

The Value of a Flawed Diamond

“Better to be a strong man with a weak point, than to be a weak man with a strong point. A diamond with a flaw is more valuable than a brick without a flaw.”

–Wm. J. H. Boetcker

Don't Show Your Temper!

“Don’t permit yourself to show ‘your’ temper, and always remember that when you are in the right you can afford to keep your temper, and when you are in the wrong you cannot afford to lose it.”

–J. J. Reynolds

The Important Role of a Teacher or Mentor

“The role of a teacher or mentor is not to make your journey easier, just to help make it possible. It would be a disservice to you if you were denied all of the learning experiences from important bumps and pitfalls along the way.”

–Edmond Danken Sailor

Happiness Requires Action

“Action may not always bring happiness; but there can be no happiness without action.”

–Disraeli

Practice Courtesy for a Better World

“Courtesy is really nothing more than a form of friendliness. It is amazing what a warming influence it can have on an otherwise dreary world. It has been said that a rise of one degree Fahrenheit in the mean annual temperature of the globe would free both polar regions from their ice. It is thrilling to contemplate what frigidity might be dispelled in the world of human relations if people made just a little better effort to be friendly.”

–M. Barton

Build Courage

“If we survive danger it steels our courage more than anything else.”

–Niebuhr

A Really Great Man!

“A really great man is known by three signs—generosity in design, humanity in execution, moderation in success.”

–Bismark

Practice Good Habits

“When we have practiced good actions awhile, they become easy; when they are easy, we take pleasure in them; when they please us, we do them frequently; and then, by frequency of act, they grow into habit.”

–Tillotson

Do More Than You Say!

“If we could only make our hands move as actively as our tongues, what wonders we could accomplish! Almost everyone loves to hear his own voice. It is so easy too! Yet if we could say less and do more for each other’s good, not alone would every home be happier, but communities would be enriched thereby. Instead of criticism by speech, to show someone a better way to do a thing would be of much greater value.”

–John Wanamaker

Character is Credit

“Character writes’ a letter of credit upon some men’s faces that is honored wherever presented. You cannot help trusting such men. Their very presence gives confidence. There is “promise to pay” in their faces which gives confidence and you prefer it to another man’s endorsement. Character is credit.”

–Thackeray

Technology is Neutral

“Technology is only as good or bad as the person using it.”

--Edmond Danken Sailor