QUOTATIONS

Romain Gary was a successful author and man of mystery and intrigue.  He even tricked the nation of France into awarding him two of the same award, normally only given to a person once in a lifetime.  His autobiography is seen to be somewhat inflated and enhanced, but his observations on the value of humor to our lives is profound.  

In the final episode of this 5-part series on David Whyte’s book Consolations. This week, we discuss disappointment, an integral part of any journey of self improvement. We need not reject it or avoid it, but instead embrace it as a catalyst to our transformation. It reveals the potential future us, perhaps beyond what we could have imagined.

In this, the 4th of 5 episodes on David Whyte's book Consolations, we examine confession.  Not the religious form, but the broadly applicable form.  It is a type of self-aware rejection of the old ways and an adoption of the new, even at the expense of image or prestige.  

In this, the 3rd of 5 episodes on David Whyte's Consolations, we explore love and closeness.  They are not without risk, but the potential beauty in the act of laying down our arms and dropping our defenses can be incredible.  

In the 2nd episode of this 5 part series, we examine anger through author David Whyte's words, both its origins and its impacts to identify that which we hold most dear.  It's an important lesson as life is full of opportunities to be angry and therefore opportunities to grow and to learn.  

David Whyte is an author and poet and his book Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words is one of my very favorite books.  In this series we will explore his words and seek deeper meaning.  We begin the new year with, appropriately, a quote on Courage.  

Bill Whitaker is a host of the critically acclaimed 60 Minutes broadcast and has covered many challenging stories for years.  He has seen the best and worst of humanity through the lens of a camera and at the end of a microphone.  His message from a 2021 episode of the show is as accurate and encouraging today as it was then.  

Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived around the turn of the 20th century and was a strong advocate for social change.  She edited and published a magazine entitle The Forerunner and in it she explored a wide range of topics.  She challenged the status quo for parents and children and the world took note.  Her quote on a young person's duty to society is the topic of today's episode.  

Former first lady Barbara Bush had both influence and wealth, yet one of her most quoted lines is about giving.  As we are amid the holiday season, it is useful for us to remember that giving does more than make us feel good...it takes us out of ourselves and makes us aware of others.  This is a lesson worth remembering year-round.  

Austin von Letkemann is the creator of Mandatory Fun Day, a comedy/satire social media page that pokes fun at the military and all its quirks.  He also drops some very profound and challenging thoughts on leadership.  Today's quote is one such thought.  Austin challenges us to challenge our subordinates but not waste their time, to be stable for them and not inject more friction than already exist...

Ed Helms portrayed the memorable character Andy Bernard on the hit show, The Office.  Andy was quirky and unique and not unlike a coworker many of us would recognize.  In the series finale, he delivered a truly memorable quote and punch to the gut to remind us to cherish where we are before it's over.  

There isn’t a lot of well-known poetry by Rose Milligan, but Dust if You Must is one you should know. It’s a fantastic reminder that life can be cruel and short and that spending our time on superficial things that matter little might just be the thing we regret the most in the end. Today’s episode is dedicated to my good friend Kenny Brown, who lost a shipmate and close friend early this year. He...

Today's quote is delivered by the late actor Alan Rickman in the movie Eye in the Sky.  It is a challenging quote and is fitting for the week after Veterans Day/Armistice Day.  Veterans bear a burden for their service but do appreciate the acknowledgement and appreciation we receive.  

Steve Jobs was the cofounder of Apple and an icon in the modern technological age.  He made more money than most of us could ever hope to make and his influence is felt around the world to this day.  Yet, he often took time to write brief notes to his future self highlighting his basic humanity.  Today's quote is one such note, sent in 2010, reminding himself of his place in the world.  

I released a previous episode about Carl Sagan and his affinity for books.  In today's episode of Quotations, I explore his famous quote from his book The Pale Blue Dot.  The famous photo of Earth taken by Voyager 1 from 3.7 billion miles away shows us clearly just how small we really are in the grand scheme of things.  It's a smallness worth remembering when the world seems to large.  

Lupita Nyong'o has starred on the stage and on the silver screen.  She won an Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave and during her very brief acceptance speech took a few moments to remind herself and the world that dreams are valid, regardless of from where you come.  

Winston Churchill led his nation through one of the most trying times in human history by the strength of his will and his incredible speaking abilities.  Naturally, I had to include a quote of his in my introduction music for this podcast.  Today's quote comes from one of three incredible speeches he gave in the first two months of his time as Prime Minister of England in 1940.  His words stir th...

In this, the first of four episodes in which we will explore the quotes snippets that are a part of the show's introductory music, we revisit Rudyard Kipling's famous poem "If."  It is, arguably, one of the most recognizable and memorable poems of all time.  I originally examined the poem in 2022 with my good friend Sean Powell in Episode 111.  I enjoy this poem very much and it teaches me somethi...

Aimee Lehto Schewe is a designer and marketer.  Her words, the subject of today's episode, are often incorrectly attributed to the great boxer, Muhammad Ali.  This means she is definitely good at her job!  There were, in fact, part of an early 2000s ad campaign Aimee helped to create for the brand Adidas.  Behind the words are great power and motivation.

Eddie Vedder...accomplished lead singer of Pearl Jam and solo artist and songwriter has a voice we all recognize.  What makes today's quote so compelling is not only his voice but the words and meaning behind them.  Society certainly is a crazy breed...and today we consider, pause, and ruminate on sufficiency, contentedness, and peace from his song, Society.  

William Butler Yeats was a famous Irish poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  He wrote a lot about loss and death in war, but today's poem is a bit different.  It's about loss in a different form, a loss of love.  Sad, but accepting.  Sorrowful, but kind.  It is the type of poem with which we can all relate.  Join me as we explore When You are Old.

Meekness is not a word we use regularly in society.  For many it connotes weakness or passivity.  This is not necessarily what it truly means in practice.  Humility and meekness go hand in hand and employing humility in equal measure to our certainties is a surefire way to make the world a better place.  Today's quote is about exactly that.  

Pearl Cleage is an author, poet, and playwright with a resume full of challenging works on difficult topics.  Her accomplishments and publications are many and she is no stranger to late nights and long hours of hard work.  That said, she also understands the importance of downtime and caring for ourselves amidst the hustle and bustle.  Today's quote highlights that need and shows us the differenc...

Alfred North Whitehead was an accomplished mathematician and philosophy of the early 20th century.  He taught the great Bertrand Russell and published long-lived titles in both academic disciplines.  His writings, while challenging, are deep and insightful.  His description of progress and how both change AND order collaborate within it is the subject of today's memorable quote.  

Epicurus was a Greek philosopher who believed that philosophy should enhance the lives of its constituents, reducing their pain and suffering and fear to near zero.  He provides us with a solid litmus test for those claiming to be philosophers or espousing philosophical certainty.  His words we should apply broadly and relentlessly in our lives.