Welcome to my Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote. See today's daily inspirational quotes below.
May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Halloween 2018


What lessons might Halloween hold for us?

1. What appears very scary is probably nothing to fear when thoughtfully examined in the light.

2. Take time to laugh at yourself. Those who feel too important to laugh at themselves rob themselves, their family, and their friends of a great source of joy.

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
- e. e. cummings

Laugh at yourself and at life.
Not in the spirit of derision or whining self-pity,
but as a remedy, a miracle drug, that will ease your pain,
cure your depression, and help you to put in perspective
that seemingly terrible defeat and worry
with laughter at your predicaments,
thus freeing your mind to think clearly
toward the solution that is certain to come.
Never take yourself too seriously.
- Og Mandino

The burden of the self is lightened when I laugh at myself.
- Rabindranath Tagore

I will not play tug o' war.
I'd rather play hug o' war.
Where everyone hugs instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles and rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses, and everyone grins,
and everyone cuddles, and everyone wins.
- Shel Silverstein

Grin your smile; giggle your laugh; unfurl your joy;
dash the last trace of your self-consciousness;
and cavort your most uninhibited play.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Lighten Up, Be Happy

The Need for Humor

Laughter

Not Too Serious
        

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Do What You Can


Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
- John Wooden

The only thing necessary for evil to triumph
is for enough good men to do nothing.
- Edmund Burke

The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive.
The great opportunity is where you are.
- John Burroughs

Always do the best you can,
and everything else will take care of itself.
Focus your energies on doing what you can
rather than worrying about what you can't.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Further reading: Simply Do Your Best

Take Action on Things That Matter

DO IT

You Are What You Do
     

Monday, October 29, 2018

Our Hope for the Future is Peaceful Cooperation


The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.
- Bertrand Russell

There is only one way... to get anybody to do anything.
And that is by making the other person want to do it.
- Dale Carnegie

Every kind of peaceful cooperation among men
is primarily based on mutual trust
and only secondarily on institutions
such as courts of justice and police.
- Albert Einstein

Communication leads to community, that is,
to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.
- Rollo May

Ideologies separate us.
Dreams and anguish bring us together.
- Eugene Ionesco

Further reading: Evolving Toward Cooperation

Stand Together

Progress of the Human Mind

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Become Conscious of Spirit Within


Heaven is within us, and we experience it
to the degree that we become conscious of it.
- Ernest Holmes

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.
- Henry David Thoreau

Heaven means to be one with God.
- Confucius

Affirmation:
I am one with Spirit. Spirit is within me.
Spirit permeates me and surrounds me.
Spirit is my comfort and my strength.
I am one with Spirit.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: An Attitude of Gratitude

Being at Peace

Welcome to Our Family

Serving Others (pathway to Heaven)
   

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Your Vote is Your Voice, Let It Be Heard


We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.
- R. Buckminster Fuller


VOTE Early! In most places, early voting is available. Vote NOW!

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone,
and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.
- John Quincy Adams

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent
about things that matter.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us;
what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.
- Albert Pike

Create the legacy of a better world.
Leave this world a better place than you found it.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Further reading: Create Light for Others

True Measure of a Successful Life

We Belong to Each Other

A Truly Successful Life
    

Friday, October 26, 2018

Appreciating All the Good People


It does no harm just once in a while to acknowledge that
the whole country isn't in flames,
that there are people in the country besides politicians, entertainers, and criminals.
- Charles Kuralt

It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil.
If they would only expend the same
amount of energy loving their fellow men,
the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui.
- Helen Keller

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything,
I still believe that people are really good at heart.
- Anne Frank

There are a lot of people who are doing wonderful things,
quietly, with no motive of greed, or hostility toward other people,
or delusions of superiority.
- Charles Kuralt

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.
- Audrey Hepburn

America's present need is not heroics but healing;
not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration.
- Warren G. Harding

Appreciate good people, wherever they are.
Appreciate friends, family, and community.
Appreciate those who serve you.
Appreciated those you serve.
Give thanks for all the good people you interact with daily.

Photo shows people in Austin waiting for the bats to fly out from under the bridge at sunset.

Further reading: Life Really Is Good

Appreciate Yourself

Bounty of the Earth
      

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Choose Wisely in an Always Changing World


Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.
- Anonymous

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.
- Confucius

The only way to make sense out of change
is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
- Alan Watts

Today's Affirmation:
I welcome change as a great adventure.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Make Your Own Choices

Welcome the Unknown

Be an Instrument of Change

Stay Adaptable
    

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

To Be Kind Is To Be Fully Human


Kindness is perhaps the most essential quality of being fully human.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
- Dalai Lama

A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve.
- Joseph Joubert

Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love.
- Lao Tzu

Further reading: The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Albert Pike: What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us.

The Cab Ride

Aesop: Gentleness and kind persuasion win where force and bluster fail
     

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Master of My Fate


I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.
- William Ernest Henley

Steve Jobs' Three Rules of Life ...

1. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

2. Don't be trapped by dogma -
which is living with the results of other people's thinking.
Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.

3. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition -
they somehow already know what you truly want to become.
- Steve Jobs

Today's affirmation:
I set my own course through the ocean of life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Big Dream - Big Adventure

Fun and Success

Life and Death: Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005 (video)

Creating Your Masterwork


   

Monday, October 22, 2018

Try a Different Approach


Persistence only takes you so far.
Then you need to try a different approach.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Life repeats itself mindlessly.
Unless you become mindful, it will go on repeating like a wheel.
- Osho

I am persuaded that the world has been tricked into adopting
some false and most pernicious notions about consistency -
and to such a degree that the average man has
turned the rights and wrongs of things entirely around
and is proud to be "consistent," unchanging, immovable, fossilized,
where it should be his humiliation.
- Mark Twain

If you do what you've always done,
you'll get what you've always gotten.
- Anthony Robbins

Further reading: Flexibility is Key to Progress

Our Habits

A Better Plan

Cheer for Endings

Your Whole Toolkit
     

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Thanks are More Powerful than Demands


If the only prayer you said in your whole life was,
Thank you, that would suffice.
- Meister Eckhart

However much or little you have,
"Thank You" is always a more powerful prayer than, "I need more."
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.
Have you used one to say "thank you?"
- William Arthur Ward

Whoever does not regard what he has
as most ample wealth, is unhappy,
though he be master of the world.
- Epictetus

Further reading: Gratitude for Small Miracles

Unanswered Prayers

Zero-Based Gratitude

The Power of Gratitude
      

Saturday, October 20, 2018

It's About the Journey


It is good to have an end to journey towards;
but it is the journey that matters in the end.
- Ursula K. Le Guin

Come dress yourself in love, let the journey begin.
- Francesca da Rimini
 
To live only for some future goal is shallow.
It's the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top.
- Robert M. Pirsig

Happiness isn't at the end of the rainbow.
Happiness is at the beginning of the rainbow.
Following the rainbow is happiness,
not getting to the end of it.
- Werner Erhard

Further reading: Staying Adaptable

Be Flexible

The Secret of Happiness

Choosing to Love Life
       

Friday, October 19, 2018

Vote Early!


In most locations, early voting and/or vote-by-mail are available now.

VOTE Early! Vote Now!
Please remind all your friends to vote!

We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.
- R. Buckminster Fuller

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent
about things that matter.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold
is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
- Thomas Jefferson

Bad politicians are sent to Washington [and state and local government] by good people who don't vote.
- William E. Simon

PLEASE VOTE!
Please remind all your friends to vote!

Thank You,
  Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Don't Worry - Don't Hurry


You're only here for a short visit.
Don't hurry. Don't worry.
And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.
- Walter Hagen

Worrying is like a rocking chair,
it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.
- Glenn Turner

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow,
it only saps today of its joy.
- Leo Buscaglia

Further reading: Small Pleasures

Yes, YOU Can Be Happy

Say NO to Stress: 8 Easy and Powerful Ways
     

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Life is Filled with Contradictions


The contradictions are what make human behavior
so maddening and yet so fascinating,
all at the same time.
- Joan D. Vinge

I think wholeness is God's design for us;
and that often amounts to embracing contradictions.
- Bono

The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am,
then I can change.
- Carl Rogers

Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past
have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable.
- George S. Patton

Actions are always more complex and nuanced than they seem.
We have to be willing to wrestle with paradox in pursuing understanding.
- Harold Evans

Life only appears complicated when one is worrying.
Relax, and life becomes simple again.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Maybe So, Maybe Not. - Ancient Taoist Proverb

Yin-Yang

Overflowing Cup of Tea - Zen Koan

Balance in All Things
      

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Be Still and Know that I am God


The world clamors, "Do more! Be all that you can be!"
But our Father whispers, "Be still and know that I am God [Psalm 46:10]."
- Joanna Weaver

When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world,
we lose connection with one another - and ourselves.
- Jack Kornfield

Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness.
It does not believe that I do not want it.
- Mary Oliver

May your life always be Counterpoint to the Clamor of the World.
May you delight in Dancing Lightly With Life.
May you soar on eagle wings, high above the madness of the world.
May you always sing Melody in the Symphony of Your Life.
May you taste, smell, and touch your dreams of a beautiful tomorrow.
May your sun always shine, and your sky be forever blue.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today's affirmation:
I am Counterpoint to the Clamor of the World.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Try Meditation

Ten Little Tips to Feel Happier Right Now

Make Healthy Choices to Relieve Stress

12 Ways to De-Stress Your Life

A Life of Harmony
    

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

True Love is an Act of Faith


Love is an act of faith,
and whoever is of little faith is also of little love.
- Erich Fromm

Love is an undulating energy that moves through you,
within you, and radiates out of you,
and changes everything.
- Bartholomew

Love is the ultimate meaning of everything around us.
Love is not a mere sentiment.
Love is the ultimate truth at the heart of creation.
- Rabindranath Tagore

You know that you have fully experienced love
when you turn into love -
that is the spiritual goal of life.
- Deepak Chopra

Further reading: Natural Goodness

The Power of Unconditional Love

Giving Love and Comfort

What Does Love Look Like?
     

Monday, October 15, 2018

Act On Your Vision - Begin Today



Begin today. Act on your vision. Do your best.
If you take action, you may succeed or you may fail,
but if you do nothing, the only possible outcome is failure.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right,
you'll probably never do much of anything.
- Win Borden

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles.
Then the victory is yours
 It cannot be taken from you,
not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
- The Buddha

Take the initiative - don't wait for life to come to you.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

You can't let praise or criticism get to you.
It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.
- John Wooden

Today is your day to Spread Wing and Soar.
Fly Life on Free Wings, and Sing to its Glory.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Let Go and Begin Anew

How to Build Self Confidence

New Strength

Another Door Opens
      

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Faith is Much Better than Belief


Faith is much better than belief.
Belief is when someone else does the thinking.
- R. Buckminster Fuller

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

The attitude of faith is the very opposite
of clinging to belief, of holding on.
- Alan Watts

Faith is not belief.
Belief is passive.
Faith is active.
- Edith Hamilton

Further reading: The Power of Faith

Don't Worry about Tomorrow

The Edge of All You Know

Release the Struggle
    

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Our God-Given Natural World


A man is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him,
that of plants and animals as that of his fellow men,
and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help.
- Albert Schweitzer

People must feel that the natural world is important
and valuable and beautiful and wonderful
and an amazement and a pleasure.
- David Attenborough

This land, this water, this air, this planet -
this is our legacy to our young.
- Paul Tsongas

Be gentle with the earth.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

If future generations are to remember us more with gratitude than sorrow,
we must achieve more than just the miracles of technology.
We must also leave them a glimpse of the world as it was created,
not just as it looked when we got through with it.
- Lyndon B. Johnson

Further reading: Our Future is the World's Children

Legacy to Future Generations

One Planet, One People, One Destiny

Reverence for Our Earth
      

Friday, October 12, 2018

Greed, Jealousy, and Aggression are Symptoms of Fear


I have never met an aggressive person
who wasn't a fearful person.
- John Bradshaw

You will not be punished for your anger,
you will be punished by your anger.
- the Buddha

Once you recognize that greed, jealousy, and aggression
are symptoms of fear, you can begin to respond to negative people
with compassion, rather than with anger.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Whenever you are angry, be assured that
it is not only a present evil,
but that you have increased a habit.
- Epictetus

Further reading: Stop Anger Before It Stops You

Finding Peace in Forgiveness

Creatures of Emotion

Never Let Anyone Get Your Goat

Ending Your Anger
      

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Seeing the Past in New Ways


You change the past when you change the way you see it.
- Alan Cohen

History is a vast early warning system.
- Norman Cousins

Study the past, if you would divine the future.
- Confucius

Oh yes, the past can hurt.
But, you can either run from it or, learn from it.
- the movie The Lion King


Further reading: Release the Past

The Cleansing Power of Forgiveness

Learning From History

Letting Go - Moving On
       

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Friends are Always Beautiful


To the people who love you, you are beautiful already.
This is not because they’re blind to your shortcomings
but because they so clearly see your soul.
- Victoria Moran

In true friendship, one can express
anything and everything without feeling ashamed
or afraid of being rejected.
- Aparna Chatterjee

Real love is accepting other people the way they are
without trying to change them.
- don Miguel Ruiz

Appreciate your friends.
Grant them the freedom to be lovable, but fully imperfect.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Further reading: Accepting Our Friends' Uniqueness

Like Angels

Appreciating Friends

Encourage Me
      

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Gratitude for Everyday Blessings


It is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives
for which we should be particularly grateful.
They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness --
just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it;
just warmth and shelter and home folks;
just plain food that gives us strength; bright sunshine on a cold day;
and a cool breeze when the day is warm.
- Laura Ingalls Wilder

Gratitude is an attitude that hooks us up to our source of supply.
And the more grateful you are, the closer you become to your maker,
to the architect of the universe, to the spiritual core of your being.
- Bob Proctor

Food is our most fundamental material blessing.
Use each meal as an opportunity to feel gratitude for all the blessings of this life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today's Grace:
I give thanks for the blessings of this food
as a symbol of my gratitude
for all the manifold blessings of this life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Know that You have been Blessed

Life Really Is Good

Gratitude and Life

A Thankful Heart
      

Monday, October 8, 2018

Native Americans' Day 2018 (concurrent with Columbus Day)


Like slave-owners Washington and Jefferson, Christopher Columbus was a person of his time.
Moreover, like all persons of all times, Columbus possessed qualities to admire, and qualities to condemn.
In the century following Columbus' arrival in the Americas, 95% of the 70 million Native Americans were either killed by Europeans, or died from diseases brought by the Europeans.

Do not judge another person
until you have walked a mile
in their moccasins.
- Native American (various wordings)

It is not our differences that divide us.
It is our inability to recognize, accept,
and celebrate those differences.
- Audre Lorde

There is no neutrality.
There is only greater or lesser
awareness of one's bias.
- Phyllis Rose

Most everything in life
is about our point-of-view,
rather than any absolute.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Your Point of View

Through the Eyes of Another

Why I Choose to Believe that Others are Never the Cause of My Unhappiness

Byron Katie - The Work - No one can give you freedom but you
       

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Selfless Service


Do some selfless service for people who are in need.
Consider the whole picture, not just our little selves.
- Nina Hagen

May we make the world a little kinder
and more compassionate
by reminding ourselves that often it is the random acts
of kindness that most benefit all of us.
- Anonymous

Our compassion and acts of selflessness
take us to the deeper truths.
- Amma

Today's affirmation:
I choose the higher road -
the path of charity, acceptance,
love, selflessness, kindness.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Further reading: Open Mind - Open Heart

Empathy

Through Each Other's Eyes
    

Saturday, October 6, 2018

Your Own Unique Self


You didn't get stamped out of a mold. You aren't a "black person" or a "white person," a "fat person" or a "skinny person," a "bad person" or a "good person." You are a highly complex human being with emotions, beliefs, capabilities. Each day you face challenges to your health, relationships, finances, and world-view -- and every day you respond to those challenges in ways which are unique to you.

Honor and love all of your unique self. Never diminish yourself with self-applied labels or categorizations.

Everyone should carefully observe
which way his heart draws him,
and then choose that way with all his strength.
- Hasidic Proverb

Really rejoice in being yourself.
Have your own drumbeat.
- Kim Cattrall

Today's affirmation:
I am a unique expression of the universal fabric of creation.
I celebrate both my uniqueness and my connection with all that is.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: First-Rate Self

Accepting Our Friends' Uniqueness

A Mile in Their Moccasins
      

Friday, October 5, 2018

A Less Stressful and Happier Life


It is of the small joys and little pleasures
that the greatest of our days are built.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Maybe life isn't really as complicated
as we make it out to be.
Perhaps a simple child-like attitude would create
a less stressful and happier life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
- Lao Tzu

Today's project:
Meaningful and joyful lives are lived by adhering to one's personal value system - one's principles. Today, write your six to eight most important values on an index card, and refer to that card as you go about your life today.

Further reading: Ten Little Tips to Feel Happier Right Now

The Secret of Happiness

A Simple Life

What If Happiness...
     

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Seek Balance in Life

The ancient Chinese Yin-Yang symbol represents the balance of yin (peacefulness, serenity, acceptance, rest, rejuvenation, roots, tradition) with yang (activity, strength, striving, movement, change, wings, invention, progress). A meaningful and joyful life is to be found in balance.

Be aware of wonder.
Live a balanced life -
learn some and think some
and draw and paint
and sing and dance
and play and work every day some.
- Robert Fulghum

In the midst of movement and chaos,
keep stillness inside of you.
- Deepak Chopra

To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.
- Confucius

Manage the remarkable balance between acting
from your heart and close to your gifts
with completing the obligations
that your labor and tasks require of you.
Leverage opportunity AND seize joy.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Maintain a balance between skepticism and faith.
Maintain a beginner mind. Be open to possibility.
Don't give in to skepticism,
but don't give in to fantasy either.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Seek Balance in Life

Go With the Flow - Six Ways to Live a Happier Life

Balance Work and Play
     

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Every Day Is A Day To Be Thankful


The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.
- William Blake

Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.
- Paulo Coelho

A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect;
be open to receiving the bounty of the Universe.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies;
but let the thankful heart sweep through the day
and, as the magnet finds the iron,
so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!
- Henry Ward Beecher

Blessings flow toward gratitude.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Feeling Blessed

Gratitude for This Food

Release the Struggle

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life

Appreciating Our Blessings
    

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Principles are Sacred


Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

In matters of conscience,
the law of the majority has no place.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.
- Louis D. Brandeis

It is not desirable to cultivate
a respect for the law,
so much as for the right.
- Henry David Thoreau

Possession isn't nine-tenths of the law.
It's nine-tenths of the problem.
- John Lennon

Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed.
- Mark Twain

Further reading: Live Your Principles

For Future Generations

The Price of Standing for Something Important

Either Accept It, or Change It
     

Monday, October 1, 2018

You Make Your World


There are no facts, only interpretations.
- Friedrich Nietzsche

We want the facts to fit the preconceptions.
When they don't, it is easier to ignore the facts
than to change the preconceptions.
- Jessamyn West

Your point of view sets you up well in advance
for how you view the events as they unfold.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.
- Wayne Dyer

What we see depends more on ourselves than on what is "out there."
We see what we assume will be there.
We see what we expect to be there.
We see what we fear will be there.
And we see what we wish will be there.
Then we label what we "see" as fact.
...
Your world IS as you believe it is.
If you believe your world is a scary place, you are right.
If you believe your world is loving and supportive, you are also right.
You make your world with your attitude toward it.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Wherever there are disagreements and confrontations, there are at least two interpretations that are vehemently labeled as "fact." Almost everyone considers "I'm right, you're wrong," to be a fact - the only difference is to whom "I" and "you" refer. 

Further reading: What Is Reality?

Choosing the World You Live In

You are the Window

Assumptions
      
You can also have Jonathan Lockwood Huie's Daily Inspiration email sent by Follow.it - Choose the email service you prefer...
Get new posts by email: