#31 Clearing your Mind

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

- Imagine several places where you live where this walk could be very invigorating.
- To what extent do we live in a culture of over the counter fixes?
- How do you like to clear your head?

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#30 What's on your Night Table?

Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. ~P.J. O'Rourke

- You are what you eat, watch, read? Is this statement true?
- Do you prefer fiction or non fiction?
- Will you ever give up living, breathing books for the 'e' variety? i.e. - Kindle, iPad...

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#29 Desire to Acquire

The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one. ~Erma Bombeck

- How do stores ensure that you buy more than you planned to?
- How often do you buy on impulse?
- Why is the desire to acquire so strong?

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#28 Technology Effects

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. ~Albert Einstein

- How would you define humanity?
- What technological achievements have been truly devastating to humanity?
- What technological achievements have benefited humanity?

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#27 Striving for Excellence

Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing. ~Harriet Braiker

- How are striving for excellence and perfection different?
- It's human nature to label or stereotype people. Are you a perfectionist?
- When did you accomplish excellence, something which tested your full powers?

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#26 Wrestling with Grief

She was no longer wrestling with the grief, but could sit down with it as a lasting companion and make it a sharer in her thoughts. ~George Eliot

- When was the last time that grief overwhelmed you?
- How did you cope with your grief?
- What does Eliot mean when she says that grief can be "a lasting companion?'

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#25 Action is Eloquence

Action is eloquence. ~William Shakespeare

I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts. ~John Locke

- What actions dominate your day?
- What actions have you admired from others?
- When have you felt that words rang hollow?

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#24 The power of a smile

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. ~Mother Teresa

- What does a smile communicate?
- What can a smile accomplish?
- When have you given and received the power of a meaningful smile?

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#23 The Mystery of Hair

If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in a library? ~Lily Tomlin

Those curious locks so aptly twin'd,
Whose every hair a soul doth bind.
~Thomas Carew

Hair brings one's self-image into focus; it is vanity's proving ground. Hair is terribly personal, a tangle of mysterious prejudices. ~Shana Alexander

- Are you having a good hair day?
- What are the attributes of a great hair stylist?
- What's so mysterious about our attitudes to hair?

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#22 Silence as strength

Silence is a source of great strength. ~Lao Tzu

- Why is silence often difficult to achieve?
- What is true silence?
- How can silence be a great strength?

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#21 Quick Fixes

There's no quick fix - that's take two aspirins and call me in the morning. ~ Deepak Chopra

- What did Chopra mean in his response to the distressed person?
- In what sense do we live in a culture of quick fixes?
- What kind of counselling might this person need? Where lie the answers?

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#20 Fusing Mind and Body

Yoga is bodily gospel. ~Reaven Fields

The yoga mat is a good place to turn when talk therapy and antidepressants aren't enough. ~Amy Weintraub

Tai Chi Chuan, the great ultimate, strengthens the weak, raises the sick, invigorates the debilitated, and encourages the timid. ~Cheng Man Ching

- How much do you know about eastern meditation practices?
- What can the west learn from these perspectives?
- When did you appreciate a quiet moment of reflection with mental and body discipline?

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#19 Get Moving....

Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states. ~Carol Welch

- How important is exercise to you?
- What form(s) does it take?
- How transformative is exercise in your life?

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#18 Let Go of Searching...

As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself. ~ Shunryu Suzuki (1904-1971)

- Westerners are encouraged to seek and to find. How does this quote turn that notion upside down?
- When did you find the true essence of life when you weren't really looking for it?
- What deceptive shadows lurk in your daily life?

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#17 The Medium is the Message

The medium is the message. ~ Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980)

- How do the mass media: newspapers, books, television, Internet, iPods, iPhones, video games, movies, social media, photography, Kindle, etc. vary in their message?
- How are continued innovations in mass media shaping our culture?
- Which media do you prefer?

(You are also free to recommend other meaningful quotations for future consideration.)

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#16 Know Oneself

Life is a constant challenge to know oneself. ~Osho

- How well do you know yourself?
- What steps can you take to nurture your self awareness?
- To what extent is self awareness empowerment?

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#15 The Sea Pronounces Something

The sea pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper; I cannot quite make it out. ~ Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize winning author

- Think of times when you enjoyed being by the water.
- Dillard's tone is pensive, searching. Why the yearning?
- How do you respond to life's questions, mysteries?

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#14 Preventing Poverty

Anticipate charity by preventing poverty; assist the reduced fellow man, either by a considerable gift or a sum of money or by teaching him a trade or by putting him in the way of business so that he may earn an honest livelihood and not be forced to the dreadful alternative of holding out his hand for charity. This is the highest step and summit of charity's golden ladder. ~ Maimonides (1135-1204)

- What is particularly proactive about this quote?
- How does this quote provide a foundation for social justice?
- Where are the greatest needs today: close to home, nationally, internationally?

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#13 Moving on from Mistakes...

There is no mistake so great as the mistake of not going on. ~ William Blake (1757-1827, poet, painter)

- Blake, repeats 'mistake', for emphasis. Why?
- What do people often do after making a mistake?
- How should one move on after making a mistake?

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#12 Hear, See, Do

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. ~ Chinese proverb

- Think of a presenter/teacher who really helped you to learn by doing.
- How can presenters/teachers more thoroughly engage their audiences?
- When have you taught yourself and/or someone a skill?

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#11 The only gift...

The only gift is a portion of thyself. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

- Why is a purchased gift often the more desirable option?
- What gift of a person's time and talents have you appreciated?
- What personal gift can you provide to a person this week?

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#10 No duty is more urgent...

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. ~James Allen

-How often do you take for granted that others know how grateful you are of them?
-What can you do this week to show thanks to the caring people around you?
-What overtures of thanks can you make to the peripheral people in your life?

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#9 Tis a Gift to be Simple

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning, turning we come round right.

~ 1848, Shaker song by Joseph Brackett

- Why is it difficult to live simply and humbly?
- How does simplicity and humility foster freedom and happiness?
- When have you felt release as the song describes so well?

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#8 Enthusiasm over Wisdom

I prefer the errors of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom. ~ Anatole France

Where have you seen the lifeblood of enthusiasm?
When and why is human error a good thing?
Why do we need to temper our wisdom?

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#7 The Tissue of Every Day Life

Life, we learn too late, is in the living, in the tissue of every day and hour. ~ Stephen Leacock

-Why is there a tone of regret in the quotation?
-This tissue of life includes what?
-What opportunities have you neglected, or captured recently?

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#6 Challenges of Child Raising

Your children need your presence more than your presents. ~ Jesse Jackson

-Everybody loves presents. What are good presents for children, the questionable ones?
-For parents what does 'presence' mean while raising children? Provide specific examples.
-Why is this quote particularly relevant in today's world?

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#5 Food conundrum

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. ~Jim Davis

The local groceries are all out of broccoli, Loccoli. ~ Roy Blount Jr.

Why do many gravitate to the 'junk' foods?
Do you follow the government food guides?
What is your philosophy on food?

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#4 Appreciate the Climb

Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. Climb slowly, steadily, enjoying each passing moment; and the view from the summit will serve as a fitting climax for the journey. ~ Harold B. Melchart

-What can you appreciate about Melchart's analogy?
-To what extent might your daily pursuit of goals detract you from the beauty all around?
-How can you bring more joy into your daily life?

-Comments are welcome. Also help me find meaningful quotes. Let's share.

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#3 Careless and tidy...

Be careless in your dress if you must, but keep a tidy soul. ~Mark Twain

-To what extent are your decisions made out of self interest and vanity?
-How important are appearance and status in your daily life?
-What does Twain mean by a tidy soul?
-What are enduring values?

-Comments are welcome. Also help me find meaningful quotes. Let's share.

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#2 Happiness and serving

I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. ~ Albert Schweitzer

- How does this quote seem to counter the dominant societal perspectives today?
- What are the obstacles to service?
- Do you actively seek out opportunities to serve or do you try to avoid it?
- When have you found happiness in serving?
- What steps can you take in 2010 to enrich your service opportunities?
- What charitable organizations do you appreciate?

-Comments are welcome. Also help me find meaningful quotes. Let's share.

Follow Quoteflections on Twitter. Paul Cornies at Quoteflections.

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#1 How we spend our days...

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. ~Annie Dillard

-Think about what fills up your day,.. each and every day.
-Think about your activities, attitudes, interests, and lifestyle. Are you happy with your daily regiman?
-What small step can you make today to begin to transform your days?

-Comments are welcome. Also help me find meaningful quotes. Let's share.

Follow Quoteflections on Twitter. Paul Cornies at Quoteflections.

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