Wisdom of the day · 1 September 2026

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

The beginning is the most important part of any work.

A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.

The wisest men follow their own direction.

There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness.

I endeavor to be wise when I cannot be merry, easy when I cannot be glad, content with what cannot be mended and patient when there is no redress.

Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.

You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.

It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Four steps to achievement: Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully. Proceed positively. Pursue persistently.