My favorite political quote

[Andiamo1]

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

-Teddy Roosevelt

[ladybug52]

Now I need to copy, paste and print this. It's very realistic and straightforward. I never wish for a different life, but sometimes for a different me. I have the attention span of a fly, and the impulse control of a 3 yr old. Its hard for me to concentrate on good qualities, I am much more comfortable with my flaws.
You seem like you would be a great psychotherapist.....
Thanks for the time on your couch here, I gotta get up and go to work:)
Hugs,
Bug

[Trish77]

In companion with what you're talking about ... a friend of mine made a comment the other day that I agree with ... that we are the sum total of all our experiences and they make us who we are, whether we like it or not.  And I tend to agree.  Regardless of who I aspire to be ... and I aspire to be quite a bit ... I am not completely immune to the experiences of my past that have shaped me throughout the years.  In some ways they motivate me and in other ways they inhibit me.  My emotional response to certain things is based on the sum total of my experiences.  I can work hard to change the things that I can change.. and there are other things that are inherent in me that I cannot change and I can simply manage them.  I cannot live anyone else's life but my own.  I can wish I had a different life but what good does it do me?  I can only live my own life and do the best I can with MY life.  I think it holds me back to wish for things I cannot change when I am better off accepting that things have been as they have been and making the very best of what I have and not wasting time on regrets and wishing for a different life that I did not have that would have changed the life I do have.  I cannot change those things.  All I can do .. and it is quite a bit . is make the very best of the life I have with the resources, hope and determination that lies within me.  It truly is about the journey and not the destination.

[Andiamo1]

Grin

[Deb_c430]

"It is terrible to contemplete how few politicians are hanged." - The Cleveland Press, 3/1/21

Tink this one suits the times

[Andiamo1]

You raise an interesting idea with that quote:  I spent many years in the corporate world and I used to watch some people make it to the top and others, perhaps with more talent, get stalled and not reach their full potential.

I think people have a metric in their head that judges their performance as a person.  People seem to form the judgment by taking what they feel about themselves and combining that with what other people think of them.  The percent value that people assign to these to inputs very tremendously from person to person.

I think the people that do best are the ones that judge themselves and don't use too much of other people's opinion.  Some people take too much from their own opinion and lose the ability to judge societal rights and wrongs - Bill Clinton is a perfect example of that.

I think both the TR quote and and the Mandala quote talk about this from different angles.

Thanks for the post and comments.
Eric

[ladybug52]

Thank you! I use to have it in a drawer at work and would pull it out when fear sometimes tried to prevent me from doing what  was right.  I would remind myself that I had the power within me to lead in the right direction,
Thank you Trish, you made my day!
Hugs,
Bug

[Trish77]

Now that is one powerful set of words.  I think I will copy that and paste it somewhere where I can read it regularly.  I am not held back by fear .. If anything holds me back it is a sense of inferiority to others even if I feel my own capability.  That is some powerful, Bug.  Thank you for posting that.

[ladybug52]

This quote was always credited to Nelson Mandela....it was my favorite political qoute, but I found out it was used in his inauguration speech, not penned by Mandela, just quoted:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

BTW, I love Teddy's quote "There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country..." A man ahead of his time...
Bug

[scratchinghead]

Fear of success is what I suffer from. seriously

[eureka254]

Great quote! The original Teddy had character and words that were far from soft, fluffy, or mushy! :)  (I always found it a fun fact that he was an afternoon napper, though.)

I did recognize it once I read the first few words -- though for myself, I find remembering words of wisdom difficult unless I can sing them, lol... so, in the same vein of which you speak, I find in Bette Midler's song 'the Rose' some good verses... (not as quotable as Teddy, but more singable lol)

"Its the heart afraid of breaking... that never learns to dance.
Its the dream afraid of waking... that never takes the chance.
Its the one who wont be taken, who cannot seem to give,
And the soul afraid of dying, that never learns to live."

P.S.  Gotta love CT, hmm?  Beaches, mountains, farms, and NYC all under 2 hours from anywhere in the state.  Great location for a seafarer like yourself! :)

[Andiamo1]

Fear of failure has always been a major issue with me.  I never let it stop me, but it often causes me to lose sleep.  That is why this quote resonates with me so well.

I am glad you like it as well.
Take care,
Eric

[Trish77]

Near my home, there is a small park.  A small playground was recently built there and all the playground equipment has some sort of firefighter theme...then there are some benches over the way a bit, placed amongst the trees surrounding the central focal point.  Scattered amongst the benches are blocks of rough carved stone and randomly placed on those carved stones are firefighter helmets that represent local firefighters who lost their lives in the course of duty ..either to profession-related illnesses or otherwise. .   .. The focal point in the middle of the benches is a large, carved black monument created by a local sculptor commissioned by the local firefighter assocation ... two angels with widespread wings, one facing one way, one the other...and they look down over the city .. which is also carved into the base of the monument.   The monument is a tribute to all firefighters, in the city and elsewhere.  It also explicitly honours the firefighters who lost their lives in 9/11.

I walk through that park on my way to and from work sometimes.  It's a lovely little alternative route .. and I noticed the writing on the base of the monument and stopped to read it.  The words really had an impact on me and quite resonated with me.  It really made me think of all of us here fighting our own individual battles with this disease.

The quote written on there that I read that day is the one you've just posted.  Six degrees of separation.

Trish