No one is born with good character; it’s not a hereditary trait. And it isn’t determined by a single noble act. Character is established by conscientious adherence to moral values, not by lofty rhetoric or good intentions.
It is much more difficult to know what is fair than what is unfair.
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for, not so we feel guilty about what we have that others don’t, but to be genuinely grateful for our blessings.
If we don’t invest now in building character into children we will surely invest more tomorrow in trying to repair adults.
I think Samuel Johnson had it right when he observed that hope is itself a species of happiness. So if we want to be happy it only makes sense to discipline ourselves to choose our attitudes, to think positively and to be hopeful.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
If we keep treating our most important values as meaningless relics, that’s exactly what they’ll become.
Our expectation of the gratitude of others for what we’ve done for them is sometimes exaggerated because of our deep desire for appreciation and approval. When our good work or good deeds go unrewarded by hoped for praise, we feel like failures so we treat those who denied us our due as betrayers.
Success comes in cans. Failures comes in can’ts.
The best way to show true gratitude for all our blessings is to be genuinely happy.
When was the last time you wrote a thank you note? When was the last time you went beyond a mechanical “thank you” to express authentic gratitude? We can enrich the lives of others and ourselves by making it a habit to express genuine appreciation for what others have done for us.
Our obligation to others and a gift to ourselves is to acknowledge and authentically express genuine appreciation for courtesies, caring and concern others have given us.
It is not enough that we express our gratitude, we must experience it. We truly honor the must think about our blessings, separately and cumulatively It is not enough to count our blessings and express our gratitude if we don’t truly feel grateful.
Discipline yourself to start each day identifying something to be grateful about. The world opens to those who approach it with a grateful heart.
It is easier to be grateful for the things we have than to the people who have helped us get them.
Never do anything for another with the expectation of gratitude. The expectation itself turns the gift into an exchange and suggests a debt is owed you.
Don’t confuse fun with fulfillment, or pleasure with happiness.
Surround our children with a message of honor.
A person of character seeks true happiness in living a life of purpose and meaning, placing a higher value on significance than success.
A caring heart that listens is often more valued than an intelligent mind that talks.
You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter.