I thought I’d start a thread whereby all of us can share quotes or phrases that is meaningful and worth pondering over.
Here’s mine that I received via email from a good friend.
"Apologizing does not mean that you are wrong and the other one is
right…It simply means that you value the relationship much more than
your ego …"
Hi Rosalind,
Good thread, indeed.
‘You should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them’
‘Shield yourself from unhappy people.’
‘Broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.’
‘Sorrows keep you human, life keeps you humble.’
Hi Geraldine,
A good thread for us to reflect, thank you and here is another one which I came across somewhere when I was reading.
“SMILE increases value of FACE”
“ANGER spoils BEAUTY of SOUL”
“FAITH is FORCE of LIFE”
“CONFIDENCE is COMPANION of SUCCESS”
So, Keep SMILING………..:D
Our DESTINY!
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Ths is by the famous famous hallmark writer…Kahil Gibran(Israeli Lady)…if I remember correctly…
” Those who bring Sunshine in the lives of others
Cannot help but keep it from themselves ”
For those who might worry about a problem I learnt this from a “Money And You ” seminar and it is very appropriate to apply the theory to improve your current situation no matter what it may be…
“For things to change …I must 1st change”.(maybe I should revise my own notes 1st…ha ha ha
Hey Nancy, KC Lau and Patrick K,
Nice sharing……….
‘ There is very little difference in people but that little difference makes a big difference. This difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.’
‘No relationship is guaranteed to be fulfilling, everlasting and mutually beneficial.’
‘I am empowered to move forward or make space and my gift is letting go.’
Keep sharing……
Our lessons learned…..
In life we are to encourage and build up each other; not to discourage and tear down one another.
In life we are to add, not subtract; to multiply, not divide.
In life we are to leave an enduring impression; not a careless dent.
In life we are to smooth out the rough roads along the journey; not create new potholes.
In life we are to sing a joyful song; not just drone a groan.
In life we are to add our harmonious strains to life’s symphony; not strain the symphony with clatter and clang.
In life we are to soar on eagles’ wings; not to peck and cluck with our beaks in the dirt like chickens.
In life we are to radiate light into unseen places; not permit unknown fears to dim our radiance.
In life we are to leap in faith; not to limp with doubt.
In life we are to give freely of our time, our love, our resources; not to cling on to them greedily.
In life we are to lift up others; not push them down.
In life we are to open our hands to those in need; not to clutch our hands in fists of distrust.
In life we are to lend a helping hand to make loads lighter; not use heavy hands to hold others back.
In life we are to be messengers of peace, signs of joy; not Chicken Little portents of gloom-n-doom.
In life we are to enjoy, to savor, to remember, to reflect; not to overlook, to forget, to ignore, to reject.
In life we are to seek conscious awareness; not doze in the doldrums of half-awake.
In life we are to dare mighty things; not to fear things gravely.
In life we are to show up, stand up, step forward and speak up; not to cringe in fear, choosing to sit down, to step back, allowing the voices of silence to speak so loudly.
In life we are to exercise proper stewardship of earth’s resources; not pillage the heritage of future generations.
In life we are to move forward through forgiveness; not grind to a halt mired in bitterness and resentment.
In life we are to be wacky, weird, and wonderful in our own unique God-given way; not to
Best aid-n-proper lemmings, stuck on life’s treadmill.
In life we are to reach, to stretch, and to soar; not to slink in fear, held back by mistrust and doubt.
In life we are to realize: “I am a remarkable Somebody!”; not listen to other’s jabs: “You’re a Nobody, an Everybody, an Anybody.”
In life we are to comprehend, “I am worthwhile”; not tremble with feelings of worthlessness.
In life we are to create, to laugh, and to live life nobly; not to despair, to moan, or to live life less.
Cheers!
KC Lau, you have said all the things that make life beautiful. Even if we could just manage to adopt and practise some of them, the world will be a nicer place for all of us.
Thanks to Geraldine, PatrickK, Nancyfor sharing and Rosalind for initiating this timely post. All of us need to be reminded that life is beyond just ourselves, our needs, our opinions. We are all part of the greater scheme of things.
Good jobbbbbb…
It is so interesting, I would like to share too…
“Health is wealth. Peace of mind is Happiness”
“It is better to light the candle than to curse the darkness”
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery.
Today is a gift, that is why it is called present.”
Cheers
Hi All,
I love collecting quotable quotes. Here’s one from me… I think it’s most appropriate for SHC members :). Here goes…
“Age is a matter of the mind. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!”
So, to all the robust and active SHC members…keep happy and healthy.
PS – An idea – to start an online repository of quotable quotes which all can access to enjoy and/or add to it.
Thank you all for sharing your storehouse of wonderful quotes/phrases! Most of the quotes found online are from angmor sources but I know that there are Asian sayings that are equally as profound.
Please continue to share…sometimes someone says something meaningful to you or you get an inspiring email…POST IT HERE! :)
Ros
Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things.
Easy vs. Difficult
Easy is to get a place in someone’s address book.
Difficult is to get a place in someone’s heart.
Easy is to judge the mistakes of others
Difficult is to recognize our own mistakes
Easy is to talk without thinking
Difficult is to refrain the tongue
Easy is to hurt someone who loves us.
Difficult is to heal the wound…
Easy is to set rules.
Difficult is to follow them…
Easy is to show victory.
Difficult is to assume defeat with dignity…
Easy is to enjoy life every day.
Difficult to give its real value…
Easy is to pray every night.
Difficult is to find God in small things…
Easy is to promise something to someone.
Difficult is to fulfill that promise…
Easy is to say we love.
Difficult is to show it every day…
Easy is to criticize others.
Difficult is to improve oneself…
Easy is to make mistakes.
Difficult is to learn from them…
Easy is to receive
Difficult is to give
Easy is keep the friendship with words
Difficult is to keep it with meanings.
Easy to read this
Difficult to follow
People have one thing in common: They are all different.
Robert Zend
Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if he or she were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do so with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.
Og Mandino (1923 – 1996)
I have this inspirational poster that I put up in front of my work cubicle (then)and now at home in front of my writing desk. Like to share it with those of you who need a lift :
When things seem difficult and uphill,
Don’t look too far ahead, keep plodding on.
Inch by inch, the road will shorten
Till the rough patches be past and gone;
And you will look back, surprised and delighted to find,
That you have left so many miles behind.
Very soon the tedious climb will stop,
And you will stand triumphant at the top.
Hope this will help us all to persevere. Enjoy.
One of my favourites :
He who learns must suffer. And even in
our sleep pain that cannot forget falls
drop by drop upon the heart, and in our
own despair, against our will, comes
wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.
Aeschylus
This is from my late mother (in Teochew)
Hor….chap chim (befriend the good deeply),
Mor….chap chiem (befriend the bad shallowly).
Oi kiah…chai kiah (can walk, better walk)
Oi tick tor…chai tick tor (can enjoy, better enjoy).
Hai nang…hai kar kee (he who digs a pit for his brother shall himself fall into it)
The sun is always shining somewhere,
though the storms may obsure it from view
Always a light in the heaven,
though rain clouds may hide it too,
And though we lose sight of the brightness
and shadows may darken our door,
Always the sun will appear once again,
shining as bright as before.
Hi, saw this words written on the wooden panel of a house in the town centre during our Pulau Ubin Walk yesterday, I quote:
The Considerate man (or woman) changes himself to suit the world.
The Inconsiderate man (or woman) changes the world to suit himself.
All changes comes from the Inconsiderate man (or woman).
—- Marcus Aurelius.
Wondering whether any of the “Pulau Ubin Walk” SHCians saw these words. That house has quite “colour-wooden” walls …. full of “paintings” :)) :((
Aiyoh Ivan
Marcus Aurelius did not write as you have quoted. He wrote:
“The Considerate man changes himself to suit the world.
The Inconsiderate man changes the world to suit himself.
All change comes from the Inconsiderate man”‘
Ha ha ha, of course he did not mean “man” here as a gender but as an individual, the homo sapien.
Yes, I’ve managed to capture this on the camera and the colorful facade of the house too. Hopefully, able to share these with all of you soon.
dAISY
“…saw this (Marcus Aurelius) words written on the wooden panel of a house in the town centre during our Pulau Ubin Walk……..whether any of the “Pulau Ubin Walk” SHCians saw these words……..”
Now, Ivan-L, I worry for you.
Only 2 kinds of people can see that house, let alone the words – those with ying-yang eyes and those with a dark cloud hoveringg over his forehead. Let me tell you a bit abt this house which had a long long history.
The first house built thousands of years ago by citidev, was the true venue where Liu Bei, Kwan Yu and Zhang Fei to swear brotherhood (history wrongly records it as at Tao Yuan). There, they pricked their thumbs for blood mixed with samsu (again, history mistook it as bailiang jiu) in a bowl to drink. Recharged, they returned to fight Cao Cao in China.
Thereafter, the house operated as a gambbling den for pirates, bucanners and orang laut. They even hosted Chris Columbus to si-ki-puay on his way to discovering the Americas and it’s said that he, like any wall street angmoh, was also a financial wizard who wrote the articles of association of the first Ah Long shop in this region…..
Then, during the Jap occupation, the maraauders took possession of the house. It was used as a torture chamber. Wails, cries and howls of pain traversed the island nitely. At the height of the ruthless, horrific murders, headless bodies were seen running everywhere.
Peace returned in 1945 and priests and monks were called in to sign a truce with the avenging ghosts in a ceremony not any less tight in security than an apec mtg. The house was then draped over by a piece of cloth and, under chants, it disappeared only, if it’s to be seen again, by the 2 kinds I mentioneed.
Well, well but obviously not so well, Ivan-L, I fear you could be one kind. So how? If you believe me and I believe in him who told me, then it’s easy as abc.
Go back to where the house stood. Stand there, cross yr arms like ultraman and loudly proclaims (loud enough for the whole island to hear but dont use hailers) “I am Ultraman, ultaman so outta you go man or spirit”. Repeat it as many times from sunrise to sunset for 7 days…and resist anyone trying to put you into a straughtjacket.
Tat tat tat! Seems like you do have to worry but for yourself.
Well, Daisy, with deities atanding with me on my left and demons on my right, my only worrry is, how to get them to interact, be friends and so bring peace to the world. Being ageless, I had to abort my thought of asking them to join SHC.
Btw, Ivan-L sent me fotos of him lying in his birthday suit on vast grassland, playing with birds….real, feathered birds. Wisely, why go back to the house just to prove that he is ultraman and risk being made otak out of this good man?
Since this thread is on quotes, so must quote myself from the few which are neither profound nor profane.
“The monkey sneers at the donkey for not able to climb a tree. But when the monkey falls from his sleep and breaks his mouth, the donkey muses, isnt it good that I dont have this height to fall from?”
Profound Quotes from 4-8 year olds to share with SHCians….
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, ‘What does love mean?’
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
————————————————————
‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love..’
Rebecca- age 8
————————————————————
‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’
Billy – age 4
————————————————————
‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’
Karl – age 5
————————————————————
‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’
Chrissy – age 6
————————————————————
‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’
Terri – age 4
————————————————————
‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.’
Danny – age 7
————————————————————
‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that.. They look gross when they kiss’
Emily – age 8
————————————————————
‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.’
Bobby – age 7 (Wow!)
————————————————————
‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,’
Nikka – age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)
————————————————————
‘Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.’
Noelle – age 7
————————————————————
‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.’
Tommy – age 6
————————————————————
‘During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.’
Cindy – age 8
————————————————————
‘My mommy loves me more than anybody You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night..’
Clare – age 6
————————————————————
‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’
Elaine-age 5
————————————————————
‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.’
Chris – age 7
————————————————————
‘Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.’
Mary Ann – age 4
————————————————————
‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’
Lauren – age 4
————————————————————
‘When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.’ (what an image)
Karen – age 7
————————————————————
‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.’
Mark – age 6
————————————————————
‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’
Jessica – age 8
————————————————————
And the final one
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
‘Nothing, I just helped him cry’
Jonathan @#23
Awwww! those quotes are really sweet and the kids say such nice things.
Enjoyed reading them very much and will print them and paste it on my wall. It will make me smile whenever I feel the low’s.
Cheers
Caroline Gee
Hi Jonathan @23
I would like to add on, this is from my experience….
Love is when I said I like the “vegetarian bee hoon” and he (hubby) buy for me for three consecutive week end. hehehe…eat until “sian”, now dare not said anything nice otherwise I have to eat everyday……..hahaha :)
Ah Nee
————————————————————
Haha Ah Nee
Yours not so “chia lut” as its only 3 weekends.
When my daughters tell me they like something that I cooked, I will cook it for them for every day for the whole week thats why if they like anything now, they just eat and keep quiet.
Cheers
Caroline Gee
Hi Caroline#23 & Ah Nee#25,
Actually, it’s the ‘little’ things in life that mean ‘alot’ in love.
For me, I look forward to my daughters hug when I come home from work every day ;-)
Have a great weekend.
*A Love Letter to you all*
Dear SHC member
I will seek and find you.
I shall take you to bed and have my way with you.
I will make you ache, shake & sweat until you moan & groan.
I will make you beg for mercy, beg for me to stop.
I will exhaust you to the point that you will be relieved when I’m finished with you.
And, when I am finished, you will be weak for days.
All my love,
The Flu
Now get your mind out of the gutter and go get your flu shot!
Happy Reading,
If you are too fortunate,you will not know yourself;if you are too unfortunate,nobody will know you.
????????????????????
Adversity makes a man wise,not rich.
????????????????
Adversity successfully overcome is the highest glory.
??????????????
It is an equal failing to trust everybody,and to trust nobody.
??????????????????
The truths we least like to hear are those which it is most to our advantage to know.
?????????????????????????????
A man of words and not deeds is like a garden full of weeds.
?????????????????????
Cheers
? ??
Man, O Man!
?????????
?????????
When without money, keep pigs;
When have money, keep dogs.
?????????????
?????????????
When without money, eat at home with wife;
When have money, dine in fine restaurant.
???????????????
???????????????
When without money, ride bicycle;
When have money, ride exercise machine.
?????,????
?????,????
When without money, wish to get married;
When have money, wish to get divorced.
?????,??????
?????,??????
When without money, wife becomes secretary;
When have money, secretary becomes wife.
?????,?????
?????,?????
When without money, act like rich man;
When with money, act like poor man.
? ????????
Man, O Man, never tells the truth:
???????????
???????????
Says sharemarket is bad but keeps speculating;
Says money is evil but keeps accumulating.
???????????
???????????
Says women are trouble-makers but keeps desiring them;
Says high positions are lonely but keeps wanting them.
???????????
??????????!!!
Says smoking & drinking is bad but keeps partaking;
Says heaven is good but refused to go.
???????????
???????????
In the past, woman gives man their virginity;
Now, woman gives man their newborn.
????????
????????
In the rural area, chicken calls man awake;
In the cities, man calls for chickens.
???????????
???????????
In the past, famous actresses will not sell their bodies;
Now, actresses will set their bodies to get famous
??????
What is life about?
1 ??????
At one, YOU are the top priority
10 ??????
At ten, academic excellence is the top priority
20 ??????
At twenty, getting laid is the top priority
30 ??????
At thirty, a good career is top priority
40 ??????
At forty, keeping your body in shape is top priority
50 ??????
At fifty, beating others at mahjong is top priority
60 ??????
At sixty, keeping IT up is top priority
70 ???? ??
At seventy, remembering something is top priority
80 ??????
At eighty, moving around is top priority
90 ??????
At ninety, knowing directions is top priority
100 ??????
At 100, having your portrait on the wall is top priority!
Charles Wee
I like that Man O’ Man thing :)
Very amusing.
Cheers
Caroline Gee
Some thoughtful quotes from one of my favourite authors, Richard Bach. He is perhaps best known for his book ‘Jonathan Livingstone Seagull’ :
Here is a test to find whether your
mission on Earth is finished: If you’re
alive, it isn’t.
Your only obligation in any lifetime is to
be true to yourself. Being true to anyone
else or anything else is not only
impossible, but the mark of a fake
messiah.
Don’t be dismayed by good-byes. A
farewell is necessary before you can
meet again. And meeting again, after
moments or lifetimes, is certain for
those who are friends.
Bad things are not the worst things that
can happen to us. Nothing is the worst
thing that can happen to us!
What the caterpillar calls the end of the
world the master calls a butterfly.
An idea is never given to you without
you being given the power to make it
reality. You must, nevertheless, suffer
for it.
Today I’m going to share with you this story. It’s a bit long but it has a interesting message behind it.
It’s a story about the 2 choices you can make in your life every day to either enjoy your life or to hate it.
It’s a very inspiring story. Go on, read it. You’ll be glad you did.
******************************
You Have Two Choices.
Jerry is the manager of a restaurant. He is always in a good mood.
When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply:
“If I were any better, I would be twins!”
Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their job when he changed job, so they could follow him around from restaurant t restaurant.
Why?
Because Jerry was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him:
“I don’t get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?”
Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be a bad mood. I always choose to be in a good mood.
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from it.
Each time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I always choose the positive side of life.”
“But it’s not always that easy,” I protested.
“Yes it is,” Jerry said.
“Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk every situation is a choice.
You choose how you react to situations.
You choose how people will affect your mood.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.
It’s your choice how you live your life.”
Several years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business.
He left the back door of his restaurant open.
And then??
In the morning, he was robbed by three armed men.
While Jerry was trying to open the safe box, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination.
The robbers panicked and shot him.
Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about 6 months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be twins! Want to see my scars?”
I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
“The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied.
“Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.”
“Weren’t you scared?” I asked.
Jerry continued, “ The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expression on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared.
In their eyes, I read ‘He’s a dead man.’
I knew I needed to take action.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic to anything.
‘Yes.’ I replied.
The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets!’
Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead’.”
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude.
I learned from him that every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it.
The only thing that is truly yours – that no one can control or take from you – is your attitude, so if you can take care of that, everything else in life becomes much easier.
******************************
So what would your answer be the next time someone asks, “How are you doing today?”
Developing a positive attitude is all about how you frame the world. It’s about managing your mindset.
Manage Your Mind. Transform Your Life.
Thank you Steven-N. True enough, thr story is long and this forgetful befuddled me having scrolled up and down trying to grasp the messagee, was so frustrated that he foegets all he read except the name Jerry which reminds him of his 2 idols – Jerry (of Tom and Jerry) and the comedian Jerry Lewis….happy folks to look at.
But I will answer the qn “So what would your answer be the next time someone asks, “How are you doing today?” which doesnt need any scrolling to read. The answers will depend on the time when that qn was posed.
So, early in the morning the answer must be : “If I so clever hor, i will tell you what number to buy till sporepools pok-kai”.
Mid-say : “Why you so the kap poh one huh?”
The truth may only be told before the person sleeps provided he has had a good day and so is bothered….and his wife isnt waiting and groaning in bed already………
Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him. Aldous Huxley
A lot of people will tell you, “I really want to be happy!”
But what do they think about?
What do they dwell on?
What do they talk about?”
When you really want to be happy,
you quit complaining about your arthritis.
When you really want to be happy, you quit resenting
your boyfriend. Maybe you leave him, maybe you don’t,
but either way, you throw out your mental list of all his faults.
People become addicted to misery and complaining.
Mary says, “Well this happened so I have to talk about it.”
No you don’t, Mary!
You don’t have to eat everything you see and
you don’t have to talk about everything that happens.
When you really, really want to be happy, here is what will happen:
• you will think about things that make you feel good
• you will talk about things that make you feel good.
You become what you think about.
Hi Rosalind
By chance I found this “lovely” thread started by you… Nice… more quotes / phrases to add to my collection… thanks to everybody … ^0^
Here are some which I’ve collected :
– Calmness and tolerance act like air-conditioning in a room; they increase man’s efficiency.
– No matter how great your words may be, you will be judged by your actions.
– The more you enjoy putting in good efforts, the greater will be your happiness of receiving the fruits of those efforts.
– We all must face problems, but it is how you face them that counts.
– What causes the most pain – the mistake or the criticism for the mistake ?
– Tell the truth : there’s less to remember…
Happy reading…- Pauline (o^_^0)