Tact is the art of convincing people that they know more than you do.                   

                              ~ Raymond Mortimer

A Human Bill of Rights

I have the right to make my own choices.

I have the right to follow my own values and standards, as long as I am not abusive toward others.

I have a right to determine and honor my own priorities.

I have the right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect.

I have the right to be in a safe, non-abusive environment.

I have the right to trust others who earn my trust.

I have the right to be happy....

Our task is simple.  We should cease letting our existence
be a thoughtless accident.

                              ~ Nietzche

The Serenity Prayer
By Reinhold Niebuhr

God, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the Courage to change the things I can;
and the Wisdom to know the difference.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

                              ~ Max Ehrmann

Advice From a Tree
By Ilan Shamir

Dear Friend,

Stand Tall and Proud
Sink your roots deeply into the Earth
Reflect the light of a greater source
Think long term
Go out on a limb
Remember your place among all living beings
Embrace with joy the changing seasons
For each yields its own abundance
The Energy and Birth of Spring
The Growth and Contentment of Summer
The Wisdom to let go of leaves in the Fall
The Rest and Quiet Renewal of Winter

Feel the wind and the sun
And delight in their presence
Look up at the moon that shines down upon you
And the mystery of the stars at night.
Seek nourishment from the good things in life
Simple pleasures
Earth, fresh air, light

Be content with your natural beauty
Drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
Be flexible
Remember your roots

Enjoy the view!

Do not wait for the teachings from others, the words of scriptures, the principles of enlightenment.  We are born in the morning and we die in the evening; the one we saw yesterday is no longer with us today. 

                              ~ Bodhin Kjolhede

When we go before Him, God will ask, “Where are your wounds?”  And we will say, “We have no wounds.”  And God will ask, “Was there nothing worth fighting for?”

                              ~ Reverend Allan Boesak

There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment.  A person's life is a succession of moment after moment.  When one fully understands this moment, there will be nothing else to do and nothing else to pursue.

                              ~ Yamamoto Tsunetomo

I love you as you are, as you seek to find your own special way to relate to the world, or the way you feel that is right for you.  It is important that you are the person you want to be and not someone that I or others think you should be.  I realize that I cannot know what is best for you, although, perhaps, sometimes I think I do.  I've not been where you have been, viewing life from that angle you have.  I do not know what you have chosen to learn, how you have chosen to learn it, with whom or in what time period.  I have not walked life looking through your eyes, so how can I know what you need.

I allow you to be in the world without a thought or word of judgment from me about the deeds you undertake.  I see no error in the things you say and do, in this place where I am.  I see that there are many ways to perceive and experience the different facets of our world.  I allow, without reservation, the choices you make in each moment.

I make no judgment of this, for if I were to deny your right to evolution, than I would deny that right to myself and all others.  To those who would choose a way I cannot walk, whilst I may not choose to add my power and my energy to this way, I will never deny you the gift of love that God has bestowed within me for all creation.  As I love you, so I shall be loved; as I sow, so I shall reap.

I allow you the universal right of free will to walk your own path, creating steps or to sit a while if that is what is right for you.  I will make no judgment of these steps, whether they are large or small, nor light or heavy, or that they lead up or down, for this is just my viewpoint.  I see you do nothing and judge it to be unworthy, and yet it may be that you bring great healing as you stand blessed by the light of God.

I cannot always see the higher picture of divine order, for it is the inalienable right of all life to choose their own evolution, and, with great love, I acknowledge your right to determine your future.  In humility, I bow to the realization that the way I see is best for me does not have to mean that it is also right for you.  I know that you are led as I am, following the inner excitement to know your own path.

I know that the many races, religions, customs, nationalities and beliefs within our world bring us great richness and allow us the benefit of teachings of such diverseness.  I know we each learn in our own unique way in order to bring that love and wisdom back to the whole.  I know that if there were only one way to do something, there would need to be only one person.  I will not only love you if you behave in a way I think you should, or believe in those things I believe in.  I will understand you are truly my brother and sister, though you may have been born in a different place and believe in another God than I.

The love I feel is for all of God's world.  I know that every living thing is part of God, and I feel a love deep with every person, and all trees and flowers, every bird, river, ocean, and for all the creatures in all the world.  I live my life in loving service, being the best me I can, becoming wiser in the perfection of divine truth, becoming happier in the joy of unconditional love.

                                        ~ Copyright © 2007 Ajna Spirituality

In all the universe, in all time, you are the only you.
Never have molecules come together exactly like you,
never again will your footsteps be repeated upon this earth.
Your strength is the strength someone can count on,
your life is the life that can make a difference.

                                        ~ Author unknown

The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly.  Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.  To put it more accurately, it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly -- you usually don't use your mind at all.  It uses you.  This is the dis-ease.  You believe that you are your mind.  This is delusion.  The instrument has taken you over.  It's almost as if you were possessed without knowing it, and so you take the possessing entity to be yourself.

                              ~ Eckhart Tolle

When I see a mountain in the distance, it seems unattainable.  Yet I know that somewhere there is a path, and, if I choose, I can someday reach the summit.

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench.
Care about peoples' approval and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back -- the only path to serenity. 

                               ~ Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching

The greatest wealth is to live content with little, for there is never want where the mind is satisfited. 

                              ~ Lucretius

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.  Only through experience of trial and struggle can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

                              ~ Helen Keller