READ,WRITE & LIVE YOUR TRUTH

Month: August 2025

  • Best Quotes Ever. Searching for More -PART TWO

    E.G. Kardos

    I love quotes! And I am always searching for the best quotes ever.

    In a recent post, I shared how my search for one or two quotes led to over 500 of the best quotes ever for my book Zen Master Net Door: Parables for Enlightened Everyday Living.

    A person walking on a beach near the ocean

    Drawing from that post, where I shared some of the quotes I found for my book, I want to share a few more. These quotes cover topics such as: Simplicity and Living in the Ordinary, Happiness, Imagination, Compassion, Truth, Humility, Friendship, Kindness, Forgiveness, and Love.

    Photo by Parker Coffman

    Over Five Hundred of the Best Quotes Ever

    Quotes are relatable because they are simple, powerful words that, regardless of culture, religion, or upbringing, help show how little separates us. Many times, they remind us to let go and live inspired lives.

    Quotes tug at our emotions and serve as a kind of balm for what ails us.

    They give us validation when, unfortunately, others miss the chance to do so.

    The connection they create is incredible, as some of the greatest minds over a thousand years have thought and felt the very same things as us.

    We all strive for the same things in life, no matter our upbringing, religion, culture, or circumstances.

    Folks, we’re in this together; we are the same.

    Enjoy exploring some of the best quotes ever!

    Simplicity and Living Ordinarily

    Mental toughness is many things.  It is humility because it behooves all of us to remember that simplicity is the sign of greatness and meekness is the sign of true strength.  Mental toughness is spartanism with qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication.  It is fearlessness, and it is love.

    –Vince Lombardi

    Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does Nature, because in her inventions, nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous.  Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.  

    –Leonardo da Vinci

    Simplicity in character, in manners, in style; in all things the supreme excellence is simplicity

    -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

    There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and     truth. 

    –Leo Tolstoy

    All great change in America begins at the dinner table.  

    –Ronald Regan

    Simplicity is the final achievement.  After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.

    –Frederic Chopin

    It’s true.  I’m a simple person.  Some people tend to live from trauma to trauma, and that energizes them.  I have a hectic schedule, but my mind seeks simplicity – like being in nature, a long bike ride, or sitting on the back porch. 

    –Amy Grant

    Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. 

    –Aesop – The Astrologer 

    What we have to learn to do, we learn doing.

    –Aristotle

    Happiness

    Be content with your lot. 

    –Aesop – The Fox and the Crab

    Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

    –Mahatma Gandhi

    There is no value in life except what you choose to place upon it and no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself. 

    –Henry David Thoreau

    Happiness can exist only in acceptance. 

    -George Orwell

    To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind.  If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. 

    –Buddha

    Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness.  It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. 

    –Helen Keller

    Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. 

    –Eleanor Roosevelt

    Imagination

    Everything you can imagine is real.

    –Pablo Picasso

    Imagination is more important than knowledge.

    –Albert Einstein

    Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.

    –C.S. Lewis

    Compassion

    Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

    –Dalai Lama

    Forget injuries, never forget kindness.

    –Confucius

    The individual is capable of both great compassion and great indifference.  He has it within his means to nourish the former and outgrow the latter. 

    –Norman Cousins

    I believe that man will not merely endure.  He will prevail.  He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. 

    –William Faulkner

    The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another. 

    -Thomas Merton

    Truth

    Whatever is, is right.

    –Alexander Pope

    We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. 

    –Plato 

    From the evening breeze to this hand on my shoulder, everything has its truth. 

    –Albert Camus

    Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone. 

    –Jesus 

     

    Humility

    We often make much of the ornamental and despise the useful. 

    –Aesop – The Stag and His Reflection

    Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends. 

    –Dwight D. Eisenhower 

    Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance. 

    –Saint Augustine 

    Power is dangerous unless you have humility. 

    –Richard J. Daley 

    There is no gardening without humility.  Nature is constantly sending even its oldest scholars to the bottom of the class for some egregious blunder. 

    –Alfred Clayton

    Friendship

    Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead.  Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow.  Walk beside me that we may be as one.

    –Ute saying

    Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.        

    -Aristotle

    The only way to have a friend is to be one. 

    –Ralph Waldo Emerson

    I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world. 

    –Thomas A. Edison

    But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine. 

    –Thomas Jefferson

    Kindness

    No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. 

    -Aesop – The Lion and the Mouse

    Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people.  A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough. 

    –Franklin D. Roosevelt

    Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom. 

    –Theodore Isaac Rubin

    Kindness and faithfulness keep a king safe, through kindness his throne is made secure. 

    –King Solomon

    Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. 

    –Mark Twain

    That best portion of a man’s life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love. 

    –William Wordsworth

    Forgiveness

    Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom. 

    –Hannah Arendt

    Life is an adventure in forgiveness. 

    –Norman Cousins

    Forgiveness is the answer to the child’s dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is made clean again. 

    –Dag Hammarskjold

    To err is human; to forgive, divine. 

    –Alexander Pope

    He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven. 

    -Thomas Fuller

    Love

    There is no remedy for love but to love more. 

    –Henry David Thoreau

    Love takes up where knowledge leaves off. 

    –Saint Thomas Aquinas

    To love another person is to see the face of God. 

    –Victor Hugo

    Love sought is good, but given unsought, is better. 

    –William Shakespeare

    The greatest pleasure of life is love. 

    -Euripides

    Love has features which pierce all hearts, he wears a bandage which conceals the faults of those beloved.  He has wings, he comes quickly and flies away the same. 

    –Voltaire

    Love is a chain of love as nature is a chain of life. 

    –Truman Capote

    Where there is love there is life. 

    –Mohandas Gandhi

    Without love in your life, you have nothing. 

    –Wynonna Judd

    Love is life.  And if you miss love, you miss life. 

    –Leo Buscaglia

    Meditation and Prayer

    You become what you think about all day long.

    –Ralph Waldo Emerson

    If you begin to live life looking for the God that is all around you, every moment becomes a prayer.

    –Frank Bianco

    Prayer for many is like a foreign land.  When we go there, we go as tourists.  Like most tourists, we feel uncomfortable and out of place.  Like most tourists, we therefore move on before too long and go somewhere else. 

    –Robert McAfee Brown

    It is the prayer of my innermost being to realize my supreme identity in the liberated play of consciousness, the Vast Expanse.  Now is the moment, Here is the place of Liberation. 

    –Alex Grey

    Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand. 

    –Hippocrates

    Prayer is a thought, a belief, a feeling, arising within the mind of the one praying. 

    –Ernest Holmes

    I like the silent church before the service begins better than any preaching.

    –Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Experiences

    Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. 

    –Charles Adams

    If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we’d all be millionaires. 

    –Abigail Van Buren

    Life is the art of drawing without an eraser. 

    –John W. Gardner

    Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely. 

    –Auguste Rodin

    If you enjoyed this post, take a look at these: Searching for a Quote, and Finding the Best One or Maybe More,If You Were Able to Talk to Your OLDER Self, Eddie Zen: A Zen Master Next Door, Love is a Strange Thing, The Time We Have

    All quotes within this manuscript have been found in publications and the internet and remain the intellectual property of those to whom they have been attributed.  Usage of all quotations adheres to the fair use copyright principle. 

    Share your favorite quotes in the comment section below!

    About E.G. Kardos

    I am a fiction writer and the author of five books. My writing draws inspiration from the beauty surrounding us all—both in nature and in each other. Spirituality, friendship, love, and our connection to the universe inspire me to write.  Here’s more about me and my books.

    Latest Posts

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    All Posts

    Please notify me when you publish a new blog post.

  • Storytelling Within a Story, What Mentors Do Best

    E.G. Kardos

    Storytelling within a story. What’s that all about?

    Many of the most powerful stories ever told feature a mentor who guides the protagonist throughout their journey. Don’t we all love mentors, both in real life and in fiction? I know I do.

    Hopefully we’re connected with some amazing women and men who help us along the complex jounrey of our lives. A few names come to my mind who guided me at various times of my life, and they have made a difference. I bet you can rattle off a name or two as well.

    In literature, thse mentors are crucial to the flow of the story, and many times, they are characters who we love.

    Some fictional favorites come to mind: Gandalf, Yoda, Miss Jean Brodie, Haymitch, Mr. Keating, Helen Burns and Dumbledore. Great stories with memorable characters.

    There are so many more who enrich the stories we read, we tell and we see.

    Common Qualities

    Side view of a senior man with expressive features and a contemplative look in a dark setting.

    Mentors in books inspire the protagonists’ ongoing journey of understanding, growth, transformation, and connection to their true selves. They help the character make sense of their relationship with a power greater than themselves… and we get to experience a spectacular ride. 

    Photo by Trưởng Bản Review

    All mentors we meet in fiction share the common quality of possessing a strong and natural desire to give of themselves for someone else’s benefit.

    Above all, they have wisdom and that’s why they guide the protagonist with storytelling within the story .

    They know how to build genuine and healthy trust, and their timing is perfect. They understand exactly when, where, and how to share their wisdom to the protagonist at that very moment they need it the most.

    Like Us, Protagonists Learn Through Stories

    Storytelling within the story is done with vivid imagery, with allegory and symbolism. Sometimes these stories push the protagonist to act or give them a signal or clue of what’s to come. Sometimes it just to teach and to remind the protagonist of what they may already know.

    They Build Trust and are Relatable

    Mentors, with their stories, build trust. Relatable, mentors often reveal their own weaknesses and flaws. They are like the protagonist in some way–and they are like us.

    If a mentor doesn’t show compassion or has empathy, they are not a mentor.

    Wisdom is knowledge tempered by experience, and because of this, they make sound judgments. But they can’t tell the protagonist this.

    Oh no, they must find out on their own.

    So there story within the story is crucial for the protagonist to begin to understand themselves, their purpose and their quest.

    The protagonist of the stories we love, keep the ideas and the stories the mentor shares in the forefront of their minds as they decide the best move to take on their, sometimes, lonely path.

    Lonely or not, their path is usually dangerous, complex and tricky so, even with a mentor and their sage advice, it is not easy. 

    In the series, The Elias Chronicles, Elias’ mentor is Zoltan. The sorcerer, guides Elias through dark and uncertain times to help him to understand why he must take his journey—one he reluctantly began.

    Here’s an example of storytelling with a story. Enjoy a chapter from the first book, The Amulet: Journey to Sirok in this trilogy where Zoltan tells a story to Elias about The Tree of Life.

    18

    Tree of Life

    Exhausted from their journey to and from Budapest, Elias slept late the next morning. When he rose, the only sign of Zoltan was the breakfast coffee being kept warm on hot coals and a hardboiled egg on a small plate. Elias ate in silence. 

    He walked out of the cave into bright sunshine and sat on the ground under The Tree of Life in solitude with his thoughts. He sat at the exact spot he had fallen to his worst fear. Cimbora lay at his feet. 

    Trying desperately to tie together all his experiences, he brooded and wondered whether or not he was ready to confront the Sarkany. Zoltan walked up the path in silence and sat on a stump about twenty paces away. Minutes passed.

    “Elias, do you know why I am able to rest my weary bones on this old and decaying stump?”

    Elias looked up at him, said nothing but answered him by shaking his head.

    “Fear, Elias, fear.”

    “Huhh?”

    “Legend has it that the enormous tree, or the one which is giving you shade right now, produced a sapling that was growing as a healthy tree. A young boy nurtured the tree and would visit it frequently. It brought him joy to see it grow, weathering harsh winters and dry summers. That sapling grew for half a century and, as that boy became a man, he came back from time to time. Nevertheless, he would return to sit in solitude to ponder life and reflect on what he found in his soul. 

    “Although the man did not know for sure, he hoped the tree he cared for was an offshoot of the Tree of Life just mere paces away. Over the years as he watched it grow, he would admire them both—The Tree of Life and the tree he had nurtured. His contribution to its growth humbled him.

    “When the man became old, he came back to spend time and sit under the tree with a book. One day when he was hiking to the where the tree grew, he heard a troubling sound. He hastened his approach. He dropped his book and ran, and out of breath he approached the tree. Shocked, he realized it was too late. A young man with an axe had one or two final swings before the tree would fall. To the old man’s horror, he saw the tree that once pointed to the heavens fall to Earth.

    “‘What did you do? That was a precious tree and a one-of-a-kind gift to this planet! With all the other trees in this forest, why this one? There must be many trees closer to your home for your fire,’ the old man screamed. 

    “The young man replied, ‘Oh, this is not for firewood. I had to destroy this tree because I feared its magnificence would overshadow The Tree of Life. It may have become too beautiful and rival what we have come to know and depend on.’

    “‘You idiot!’ the old man said. ‘You fear the wrong thing. Fear not what may become beautiful and magnificent. There’s plenty of room for what is good. Embrace it and become part of it. Destroying what might be, dishonors today and disregards our hope for tomorrow.’ 

    “With that last swing only moments earlier, the old man knew, then, that there was nothing he could have done to save the life of the tree. There was only one place the old man could go from there—forward. With great difficulty and from a place of grace, the old man forgave the young man for his foolish wrongdoing, lowered his head, and he walked away in great sorrow. 

    “A month later, the old man came back with renewed joy in his heart knowing that the time he had spent nurturing the tree and sitting under her shade during his long life gave him refuge from a tired and fearful world. For that, he was grateful, and this memory would be cherished. However, on this day, he brought with him a sapling that he knew he would never live long enough to enjoy its shade but knew others would. He planted it and took care of it until he died. Some say they still see the man in the woods. Some say they feel his presence.”

    “So, Zoltan, which tree did he plant?”

    “It is the tree to my right. It is the tree that is home to the songbirds which bring me such delight. Listen, I hear one singing.” 

    Elias looked up and saw a beautiful tree, and then back to Zoltan. The music of the songbird came to the forefront and the air was full of life. They smiled.

    “Do you know what else the old man realized?”

    “I think so.”

    “Good Elias. Well?”

    “This is just my guess, but aren’t all trees…well all things, like The Tree of Life.”

    “How so?”

    “We live on a round ball. Doesn’t that make us all at the center of the world?” Elias asked.

    “Precisely. All beings are of value and have their place—no being is more worthy than another. I see you have been thinking. Now do you see what I am talking about?”

    “Little by little. I’m starting to understand myself,” said Elias

    “Good, Elias, good! Will you tell me what you have learned from your experiences of your quest so far?”

    “My deepest fear is not failure to follow the path to my dream. My true fear is what will become of me if I succeed. If I follow my heart, will others still love me for who I will become? Will I be able to handle success? Will I be honest and kind? Will I become arrogant? Will I still be me?”

    “My dear man, let me add that we do a disservice to ourselves and the light of humanity that has come before us, to purposefully be anything less than our authentic self. We cannot strive to be anything less than who we truly are.”

    “Understanding is one thing—doing it is another,” Elias said.

    “Yes, Elias you are right. I am embarrassed to say this is why I lost my finger. The finger that made me different and reminded me of who I was and still am. I so desperately wanted to be like the others that I…that I…”

    “Say no more,” interrupted Elias.

    “What I will say is that I regret my actions. I don’t want you to regret yours. So, as I see it, you have no choice in the matter. We must love ourselves enough to fully embrace our true nature. As our self-belief magnifies, we attract others to our light.”

    “Zoltan, you have it all together.”

     “Elias, a day does not go by without reminding myself what makes my heart beat. Our very nature is genuine—it’s real. It is how we were made.

     “I now know the significance of the amulet,” said Elias.

     “Shush, Elias. Since you know, and I know, we have no need to discuss it—do we?”

    Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

    If you enjpoyed this post, take a look at these: Fantasy Fiction and Real Life are the Same, More Ways to Think About Character Development, Mentors and Young Adult Fantasy, Why Fantasy is a Good Read, Developing the Protagonist.

    About E.G. Kardos

    I am a fiction writer and the author of five books. My writing draws inspiration from the beauty surrounding us all—both in nature and in each other. Spirituality, friendship, love, and our connection to the universe inspire me to write.  Here’s more about me and my books.

    Latest Posts

    Most Viewed Posts

    All Posts

    Please notify me when you publish a new blog post.

  • Searching for a Quote, and Finding the Best One or Maybe More

    E.G. Kardos

    I love quotes- all kinds of quotes.

    Wisdom

    Quotes say so much without taking up a lot of space on the page. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could express our thoughts in a sentence or two rather in a lengthy disertation?

    Photo by Feng Yu 

    Often, I find myself searching for a quote for various reasons. Like me, I bet you stop, read a quote, and take a moment to reflect on it. Sometimes, you smile afterward; sometimes, you feel puzzled; and sometimes, it’s something else entirely. 

    Not Long Ago

    I was searching for a quote for the book I wrote, Zen Master Next Door: Parables for Enlightened Everyday Living. It’s a book of seventeen short stories that suggest spiritual growth can be found in the most unexpected places, such as a child’s reaction to an event, a stranger who enters our lives, or even our neighbor next door. 

    Tongue in Cheek

    The stories are a little tongue-in-cheek to keep the reading light, and I must admit, they were fun to write. While the stories and the simple idea I used for each are straightforward, the message is anything but fluff. 

    Using everyday, relatable situations, I aimed to show how we all strive for the same things, regardless of our background, socioeconomic status, or where we are in life.

    Here’s the thing about searching for a quote: once I started, instead of finding one perfect quote I thought would demonstrate this concept, I began searching for a quote for each of the stories. 

    And it Snowballed

    I became so immersed that I decided to add, not one or two but many quotes throughout. I even created a section in the book filled with quotes that highlight the very human parts of our lives—quotes about our journey, love, loss, wisdom, and determination, to name a few

    —and I found quotes from diverse people as a true reflection of each aspect of our humanity.

    Five Hundred plus

    The more I delved into it, the more I realized that we all want and need the same things, no matter who we are. While searching for quotes, I compiled about five hundred that support the idea that simple, powerful words—regardless of culture, religion, or upbringing—help reveal how little separates us and remind us to let go and live inspired lives. 

    Through this search for quotes, I enjoyed writing a unique book full of stories that reflect the best parts of who we are, supported by quotes from those known to many of us. Here are some of the quotes in Zen Master Next Door.

    So, if you’re searching for a quote, take a look at these…more to come in a future post.

    The Journey

    Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire, the reality of your own nature should determine the speed.  If you become restless, speed up.  If you become winded, slow down, you climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion.  Then, when you’re no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn’t just a means to an end but a unique event in itself.

    Robert Pirsig

    In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time. 

    Leonardo da Vinci

    It’s taken me all my life to learn what not to play.

    Dizzy Gillespie

    Our life is a long and arduous quest after the truth and the soul requires inward restfulness to attain its full height.

    Mahatma Gandhi

    Yes we can.

    Barack Obama

    May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.  May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.

    Edward Abbey

    Today

    Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.

    Albert Einstein

    Never let yesterday use up too much of today.

    Will Rogers

    The past, the present and the future are really one: they are today.

     Harriet Beecher Stowe

    The future starts today, not tomorrow.

     Pope John Paul II

    Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero. 

    Translation: Seize today, and put as little trust as you can in the morrow.

    Horace

    Knowledge and Wisdom

    Seek Wisdom, not knowledge.  Knowledge is of the past, wisdom is of the future.

    Lumbee saying.  “Lumbee” is the name of a Native American tribe in North Carolina.

    Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.

    Alfred Lord Tennyson

    As soon as a man does not take his existence for granted, but he holds it as something unfathomably mysterious, thought begins.

    Albert Schweitzer

    To know that you know, and to know that you don’t know—that is the real wisdom.

    Confucius 

    Doubt

    Modest doubt is called the beacon of the wise.

    William Shakespeare

    Believing hath a core of unbelieving.

    Robert Williams Buchanan

    Laugh at yourself, but don’t ever aim your doubt at yourself.  Be bold.  When you embark for strange places, don’t leave any of yourself safely on shore.  Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory. 

    Alan Alda

    Determination

    Self help is the best help.  Heaven helps those who help themselves.

    Aesop – Hercules and the Wagoner

    One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged.  Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.

    Lucille Ball

    What saves a man is to take a step.  Then another step.

    C.S. Lewis

    It’s all about the attitude, gut, heart and determination to go out and give 120% every time to try and help the team win. 

    Bo Jackson

    Faith and Hope

    Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand.  

     Saint Thomas Aquinas

    Hope is the thing with feathers

    That perches in the soul.

    And sings the tune

    Without the words,

    and never stops at all.

    Emily Dickinson

    While there’s life, there’s hope.

    Cicero

    Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.  Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.

     Helen Keller

    Believe in yourself!  Have faith in your abilities!  Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. 

    Norman Vincent Peale

    Not truth, but faith, it is that keeps the world alive. 

     Edna St. Vincent Millay

    To disbelieve is easy; to scoff is simple; to have faith is harder. 

    Louis L’Amour

    Gentleness

    The greatest strength is gentleness.

    Iroquois saying

    Only the weak are cruel.  Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.  

     Leo Buscaglia

    Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.

     Saint Francis de Sales

    Gentleness is the antidote for cruelty. 

     Plato

    Peace

    Peace comes from within.  Do not seek it without.

    Buddha

    Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone

    lives. Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life.

    From The Mother by Bertolt Brecht

    There can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of men.

    Black Elk, Native American

    For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

    The Bible, Matthew 6:21

    While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.  

    Leonardo da Vinci 

    Self 

    Those who would mend other, should first mend themselves.

    Aesop – The Quack Toad

    Seek not good from without; seek it within yourself or you will never find it.

    Epictetus

    Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

    The Bible, John 8:32

    You only grow when you are alone.  

    Paul Newman

    If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die. 

    Maya Angelou

    There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.

    Benjamin Franklin 

    When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.  

    Billy Graham

    Friendship with one’s self is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.

    Eleanor Roosevelt 

    Introspection

    The night wind with the big dark curves of the night sky in it, the night wind gets inside of me and understands all of my secrets.

    Carl Sandburg

    Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

    Carl Jung

    I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within, It is there all the time.

    Anna Freud

    We forge gradually our greatest instrument for understanding the world – introspection.  We discover that humanity may resemble us very considerably – that the best way of knowing the inwardness of our neighbors is to know ourselves.  

    Walter Lippmann

    On being human

    We are what we believe we are.

    C.S. Lewis

    We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.

    Dalai Lama

    All I can say about life is, Oh God, enjoy it!

    Bob Newhart

    The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.

    George Orwell

    A human being is a deciding being.

    Viktor E. Frankl

    The ideas that have lighted my way have been kindness, beauty and truth. 

    Albert Einstein 

    You don’t have a soul.  You are a Soul.  You have a body.

    C.S. Lewis 

    The mind is never satisfied with the objects immediately before it,   but is always breaking away from the present moment, and losing itself in schemes of future felicity… The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope to hope.                                             

    Samuel Johnson

    Giving

    God gave us each a song.

    Ute saying

    Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.

     C.S. Lewis

    For it is in giving that we receive. 

    St. Francis of Assisi

    Time and money spent in helping men to do more for themselves is far better than mere giving. 

    Henry Ford

    Pity may represent little more than the impersonal concern which prompts the mailing of a check, but true sympathy is the personal concern which demands the giving of one’s soul. 

    Martin Luther King Jr.

    I had found a kind of serenity, a new maturity…  I didn’t feel better or stronger than anyone else but it seemed no longer important whether everyone loved me or not – more important now was for me to love them.  Feeling that way turns your whole life around; living becomes the act of giving. 

    Beverly Sills

    Let us not be satisfied with just giving money.  Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them.  So, spread your love everywhere you go. 

     Mother Teresa

    I have many more quotes in Zen Master Next Door, so I’ll post round two of Searching for a Quote soon.

    If you enjoyed this post, take a look at these:Best Quotes Ever. Searching for More -PART TWO,If You Were Able toTalk to Your OLDER Self, Eddie Zen: A Zen Master Next Door, Love is a Strange Thing, The Time We Have

    All quotes within this manuscript have been found in publications and the internet and remain the intellectual property of those to whom they have been attributed.  Usage of all quotations adheres to the fair use copyright principle. 

    Share your favorite quotes in the comment section below!

    About E.G. Kardos

    I am a fiction writer and the author of five books. My writing draws inspiration from the beauty surrounding us all—both in nature and in each other. Spirituality, friendship, love, and our connection to the universe inspire me to write.  Here’s more about me and my books.

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  • What is Real? Harry Potter Knows. Do You?

    E.G. Kardos

    “Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”

    Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry’s ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.

    “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

    ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

    What is real? What is merely just in our heads? I love this quote, not just because I enjoy reading and writing fantasy, but because the question of what is real and what is happening in our heads extends far into our own thoughts and feelings more than, perhaps, we realize.

    Sometimes we act on the thoughts in our heads by moving them to the “real” world. Other times, our thoughts sit idling in our heads always to live there and never to see the light of day.

    But could both scenarios be real?

    Here’s how I interpret this scene in the book and movie:

    grey concrete castle under blue sky during daytime

    “Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”

    Photo by Jules Marvin Eguilos

    Like most of us from time to time, Harry is unsure of himself and confused about what’s going on around him at that very moment. Or, could it be that he may be a bit fuzzy about all the experiences he has had since he first talked to the snake at the zoo? What’ more, he knows Dumbledore is dead, but he’s with him as they say, in the flesh—talking with him. If it were me, I’d be asking the same thing.

    After all, Harry’s a teenager still full of questions rather than answers. Knowing he’s the chosen one, and having been involved in countless supernatural events, doesn’t give him unlimited insights about everything. He keeps questioning his life, as he should.

    So when he asks, “Is this real?” what does he mean when he uses the word “this”? I’d like it to mean his entire adventure, his long journey, as well as that specific moment.

    But why would he ask, “…has this been happening inside his head?” when the person he’s talking to could also be in his head? Again, I have to believe that Harry is talking about his journey as he has attempted to understand it since he first arrived at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

    But that’s when Dumbledore says so matter-of-factly…

    “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry,…”

    But the defining moment comes when Dumbledore finishes his sentence and says,

    “… but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

    So, what is real? According to the “greatest wizard who ever lived”? Simply put, everything.

    And that’s all Harry needed to hear to complete his task.

    As the wise wizard, he might be saying more

    Dumbledore might be talking to Harry, but he’s also talking to us. He might be saying to us as well that what we find inside ourselves is real as well. We might not be able to touch it, smell it, hear it, taste it, or see it, but it’s as real as we are.

    It’s how we interpret life that makes it magical—or not.

    I love this quote because it makes so much sense to me. The magic of our lives isn’t what’s right in front of us; it’s how we feel about what’s right in front of us. Our emotions are powerful, and they drive our actions.

    When we feel strongly about something, we do something about it even if it seems impossible. We act out of love, we act out of fear, or with great hope. Sometimes we act with anger or despair, but we always act on what is in front of us because of what is inside our head—and heart. Our emotions make it real.

    If a thought is not in our heads, where else would we find the inspiration, drive, or desire to act? 

    One may not agree with me or may have an entirely different interpretation of this quote, and that is fine…no, that’s wonderful. Let me know what you think.

    If you like this post, you may like: Fantasy Fiction and Real Life are the Same, Mentors in Young Adult Fantasy, The Fantasy Trilogy: Saving the World One Book at a Time, or the Category, About Fantasy.

    About E.G. Kardos

    I am a fiction writer and the author of five books. My writing draws inspiration from the beauty surrounding us all—both in nature and in each other. Spirituality, friendship, love, and our connection to the universe inspire me to write.  Here’s more about me and my books.

    Latest Posts

    Most Viewed Posts

    All Posts

    Please notify me when you publish a new blog post.

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