“The sign of a good leader is easy to recognize, though it is hardly ever seen. For the greatest leaders are those who share as equals in the trials and struggles, the demands and expectations, the hills and trenches, the laws and punishments placed upon the backs of those governed. A great leader is motivated not by power but by compassion. Therefore he can do nothing but make himself a servant to those whom he rules. Such a leader is unequivocally respected, and loved for loving.”
“Happiness isn t reserved for privileged individuals. It is a state of mind that can neither be bought nor stolen nor traded; it is a liberty available to anyone.”
“The best fathers have the softest, sweetest hearts. In other words, great dads are real marshmallows.”
“Thank you for the day and night, for rainy spells and summer’s light. Thank you for the skies of blue and puffy clouds in grayish hue. Thank you for the gigglefests and midnight’s cloak to hasten rest. Thank you for tomorrow new and yesterday’s tomorrow too. Thank you for “I’m glad we met” and also for “we haven’t yet.” Thank you for the peace of mind a grateful soul doth always find.”
“They say it s impossible. I refuse to believe it. The journey may be difficult and the desired end unlikely. My patience and commitment may be tested by something that won t happen overnight. It may be that I veer off the path or quit before reaching my goal, but that doesn t mean it is impossible.”
“So you had a bad day. Kick it aside and be grateful for one less bad day to pass through.”
“I have a funny side. I have a soft and sympathetic side. I have a serious side, and a seriously romantic side. I have lots of sides; it s the main course I haven t quite figured out.”
“The funny thing about an impossibility is that it tends to be a magnet for those who would prove it otherwise.”
“Why hasn t someone lassoed a few teenagers and had them sit down and write out all the supposed answers they have so we can solve the world s problems already?”
“The description of Huck’s father grabbed my full attention, and I glanced up at the book in my teacher’s hand as if to double check. My eyes bulged reflexively. Huck’s father was an abusive drunk just like mine. The boy was hopeful that a corpse found near the river was actually his dad, but it turned out not to be. It was spooky how high my hopes rose for the boy, and then sank so utterly low when the body was discovered to be a female in disguise. I should’ve mourned for the woman, but it was the boy I felt bad for.”
“Have you ever noticed how the most intriguing individual in the room seems content to listen sooner than speak?”
“If you d just learn to do as I say from the beginning, I wouldn t have to follow up your errors with reproving smirks and repeated I-told-you-sos.”
“One way or another, I think we are all destined to learn the same lessons in life. Universal truths are universal truths. They cannot be changed.”
“I made a sorry face in response to such strong insistence, but I couldn’t believe him. Fantasies were exactly that
“I couldn’t think of anyone I’d ever felt sorry for. There were plenty of kids I was envious of. There were others I achingly admired, but that might simply be another form of jealousy. Then there were those I feared, dreaded. And the worst of them, the man who shamed me. I could see my father’s angry features looming over my mother. I could clearly picture her beside him in his truck, cowering against the door while he belittled and assaulted her. I guess I did know someone I felt sorry for.”
“Smile wide to receive many smiles in return. But if you want a good laugh, smirk like a wicked, little imp and watch the range of expressions you re flashed.”
“The crazy thing about poetry is how its simplicity makes it complicated.”