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“The memory of the Bethlehem babe bears to mortals gifts greater than those of Magian kings, — hopes that cannot deceive, that waken prophecy, gleams of glory, coronals of meekness, diadems of love.”
Mary Baker Eddy
“Nothing will give permanent success in any enterprise in life, except native ability cultivated by honest and persevering effort. Genius is…” George Elliot
I’ve been thinking about these four quotes juxtaposed with each other and thought they may hit the nail on the head for you too…
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“The memory of the Bethlehem babe bears to mortals gifts greater than those of Magian kings, — hopes that cannot deceive, that waken prophecy, gleams of glory, coronals of meekness, diadems of love.”
Mary Baker Eddy
“If your daily life seems of no account, don’t blame it; blame yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its treasures. For the creative artist there is no impoverishment and no worthless place.” –Rainer Maria Rilke This quote is an apt summary of this blog where I share a small fraction of … Read more

Blog reader Libby shared with me some quotes her friend Karen put in the Palo Alto Reading Room window for National Bible Week, and I thought you might enjoy seeing them:
“Our ordinary mind always tries to persuade us that we are nothing but acorns and that our greatest happiness will be to become bigger, fatter, shinier acorns; but that is of interest only to pigs. Our faith gives us knowledge of something much better: that we can become oak trees.” E.F. Schumacher Sept/Oct Quest Magazine … Read more
I found this quote by Umair Haique in the Harvard Business Review blog encouraging: “If America wants to create the future… it’s going to have to prefer to buy stuff that offers real benefits, to work on stuff of real worth, to invest rather than just speculate, to educate and dedicate its time, energy, and … Read more
“… And it is a strange thing that most of the feeling we call religious, most of the mystical outcrying which is one of the most prized and used and desired reactions of our species, is really the understanding and the attempt to say that man is related to the whole thing, related inextricably to … Read more
Secrets of Beauty “For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the goodness in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never … Read more
Gandhi quote on violence “The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience; Knowledge without character; Commerce without morality; Science without humanity; Worship without sacrifice; Politics without principles.” ~ Mohandas K. Gandhi ~
I hope you enjoy this St. Benedict quote: “O Lord, I place myself in your hands and dedicate myself to you. I pledge myself to do your will in all things – To love the Lord God with all my heart, all my soul, all my strength. Not to kill, not to steal, not to … Read more
Inspirational Art Quotes: “Art is not a thing; it is a way.” Elbert Hubbard “Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” Leonardo da Vinci “To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist.” Schumman “Artists … Read more
I was really struck by the above verse in Hymn 361. My son is in the early throes of preparing for eight big college entrance tests this spring of his junior year. As a homeschooler, the scores on these tests are particularly important in validating his transcript. Recently, I bought the mountain of test prep … Read more
Ever wonder what I get back from my blog readers? The limerick Joe wrote for me made my day and inspired this post, but all of you are interesting people who contribute so much to my life! I cherish each of you. Here is a recent smattering of input from my readership: “There once was … Read more
As basically a multifaceted Renaissance person, and one that believes in and deeply practices cross-pollinating (see here), I’ve been contemplating what a singular purpose for me might be, especially as it relates to the following advice from four thinkers I respect. Quotes from great thinkers: “Hardly any human being is capable of pursuing two professions … Read more
I can’t help but note that before a worldwide 24 hour prayer watch for Egypt was over, a radical breakthrough occurred. The miscellaneous smorgasbord of quotes below came to mind as I thought about what we are seeing come to pass there. Let us celebrate, thank God, keep praying! Inspirational quotes about peace “It isn’t … Read more