Thursday, May 1, 2008

Self-Mastery

“Great God, I ask for no meaner pelf, than that I may not disappoint myself.... That my weak hand may equal my firm faith, and my life practice what my tongue saith.... ~ Henry David Thoreau "Prayer"

"I do not ask for any crown, but that which all may win. Nor try to conquer any world, except the one within.” ~ Louisa May Alcott

“The virtue of all achievement is victory over oneself. Those who know this victory can never know defeat.” ~ A. J. Cronin


“The first and best victory is to conquer self: to be conquered by self is of all things, the most shameful and vile.” ~ Plato

“The height of a man’s success is gauged by his self-mastery; the depth of his failure by his self-abandonment.” ~ Leonardo Da Vinci


“Over the times thou hast no power. To redeem a world sunk in dishonesty has not been given thee. Solely over one man therein thou hast quite absolute, uncontrollable power. Him redeem and make honest.” ~ Thomas Carlyle


“The real measure of a man’s wealth is how much he should be worth if he lost all his money.” ~ Anonymous


“The great virtue of a man lies in his ability to correct his mistakes and continually to make a new man of himself.” ~ Wang Yangming 王陽明 (1472–1529)


"It is not shameful to stumble and fall. What is shameful is not recognizing werein one has stumbled; what is shameful is to have stumbled and fallen and not struggled back up to your feet again -- that is truly shameful." ~ Chinese Proverb