Words To Live By - Thoughts To Ponder by Michael E. Angier (book club recommendations TXT) 📕

and inertia. It energizes a stimulating and pulsating force.
Once it becomes the expected standard of performance, it develops a fiercely
driving and motivating philosophy of operation. Excellence is a state of mind
put into action. It is a road-map to success. When a climate of excellence exists,
all things—staff work, volunteer leadership, finances, program—come
easier.
Excellence in an organization is important—because it is everything.
—author unknown

The Touch of the Master’s Hand
’Twas battered and scarred and the auctioneer thought it barely worth his while
To spend much time with the old violin, but he held it up with a smile:
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried, “Who’ll start the bidding for me?”
“A dollar? A dollar”; then, “Two! Only two? Two dollars, who’ll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice; going for three-” But no,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man came forward and picked up
the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet as a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: “What am I bid for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two? Two thousand!
And who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going, and gone,” said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried, “‘We do not quite understand.
What changed its worth?” Swift came the reply: “‘The touch of a master’s hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin.
A “mess of potage,” a glass of wine; a game—and he travels on.
He is “going” once, and “going” twice, he’s “going” and almost “gone.”
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought
By the touch of the Master’s hand.
—Myra Brooks Welch


Story of a Failure
Mother died, ’18
Lost job, ’32
Defeated for legislature, ’32
Failed in business, ’33
Elected to legislature, ’34
Sweetheart died, ’35
Suffered nervous breakdown, ’36
Marriage proposal rejected, ’37
Defeated for speaker of the house, ’38
Married, ’42
Defeated for nomination to Congress, ’43
Elected to Congress, ’46
Lost renomination, ’48
Rejected for land officer, ’49
Son died, ’50
Defeated for Senate, ’54
Defeated for nomination for vice president, ’56
Defeated for Senate again, ’58
But in 1860, at the age of 51, Abraham
Lincoln was elected president of the United States


Emerson and Thoreau on Success
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent
people and affection of children; to earn the appreciation of
honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate
beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a
bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed
social condition; to know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,
and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will
meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will
put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new,
universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves
around and within him; or old laws will be expanded
and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he
will live with a license of a higher order of beings.”
—Henry David Thoreau


The Uncommon Man
I do not choose to be a common man.
It is my right to be uncommon—if I can.
I seek opportunity, not security.
I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled
and dulled by having the state look after
me. I want to take the calculated risk, to
dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.
I refuse to barter incentive for a dole.
I prefer the challenges of life to a guaranteed
existence, the thrill of fulfillment to the
stale calm of Utopia.
I will not trade freedom for beneficence,
nor dignity for a handout. It is my heritage
to think and to act for myself, enjoy the
benefit of my creations, and to face the
world boldly and say, "With God's help, this
I have done."
—author unknown


Anything Is Possible
If there was ever a time to dare,
to make a difference, to embark on
something worth doing, IT IS
NOW.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily
. . .
but for something that tugs at your
heart, something that's your inspiration,
something that's your dream.
You owe it to yourself to make
your days here count.
HAVE FUN, DIG DEEP,
STRETCH.
DREAM BIG.
Know, though, that things worth
doing seldom come easy.
There will be good days. And there
will be bad days.
There will be times when you want
to turn around, pack it up,
and call it quits.
Those times tell you that you are
pushing yourself, that you are not
afraid to learn by trying.
PERSIST.
Because with an idea, determination,
and the right tools, you can
do great things.
Let your instincts, your intellect,
and your heart, guide you.
TRUST.
Believe in the incredible power of
the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a
difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross
your path this year.
The start of something new brings
the hope of something great,
Anything is Possible.
—author unknown


Changing The World
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the
world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I
tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't
change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I
couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to
change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can
change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago
I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on
my family. My family and I could have made an impact
on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation
and I could indeed have changed the world.
—unknown monk, 1100A.D.

The Victor
If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win but think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will.
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.
—C.W. Longenecker

Happiness
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married,
have a baby, then another. Then we’re frustrated that the kids
aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. After
that, we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will
certainly be happy when they’re out of that stage. We tell ourselves
that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act
together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation,
when we retire. The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy
than right now. If not now, when?
Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit
this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite
quotes comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, “For a long time it
had seemed to me that life was about to begin—real life. But there
was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten
through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a
debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me
that these obstacles were my life.” This perspective has helped me
to see that there is no way to happiness.
Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have
and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special,
special enough to spend your time . . . and remember that time
waits for no one. So, stop waiting. There’s no better time than
right now to be happy.
—author unknown

How Do You Live Your Dash?
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her
tombstone
From the beginning . . . to the end
He noted that first came her date of
birth
And spoke the following date with
tears,
But he said what mattered most
of all
Was the dash between the years.
(1934-1998)
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth . . .
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we
own;
The cars. . . the house . . . the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard,
Are there things you’d like to
change?
For you never know how much time
is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile . . .
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy’s being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
. . .
Would you be proud of the things
they say
About how you spent your dash?
—author unknown

What It Takes To Be Number One
Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win
once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the
time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and
that’s first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don’t
ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game
for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in
anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.
Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he’s got to play from the
ground up—from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to
play. Some guys play with their heads. That’s OK. You’ve got to be smart to be
number one in any business. But more importantly, you’ve got to play with your
heart, with every fiber of your body. If you’re lucky enough to find a guy with a lot
of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the field second.
Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization—
an army, a political party