John Locke

"Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours."

"The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.

Mae West

"Take all you can get and give as little as possible."

"Never let one man worry your mind. Find 'em, fool 'em, and forget 'em."

"Don't worry; I ain't gonna hurt him. I just want to feel his muscles."

"I don't suppose you believe in marriage, do you?"
"Only as a last resort."

--from I'm No Angel

Phillip Lopate

It's Good We Only See Each Other Once a Week

It's good we only see each other once a week.
A young man about to move in with his fiancée
died of a sudden heart attack at twenty-six.
One hears these stories all the time.
The heart is trained to handle deprivation,
not unforeseen happiness. Just as when you
throw your arms around me I start to overflow,
but then I think of course, where was she before?
I deserve it and a lot more besides—
your love gets soaked up quickly
and I pull back brooding over something
I never had.
But don't stop on that account, keep going.

I was brought up to make
the most of accidental brushes with kindness.
My pleasures were collected almost unawares
from stationary models, like the girl
who sat in front of me in tenth grade,
who let me stroke and braid her golden hair
and never acknowledged it.
I wouldn't know what to do with frontal love;
would I? One snowy winter night in Montreal
I felt so great I danced a flamenco
and insisted that everyone call me Fernando.
But then I was by myself. And last night,
if there are many more nights
like last night with you —
when I think of all my nights of total happiness
I get the panicky sense that the balance
has already tipped,
and I will never again feel free
to pass myself off as a have-not.

Maybe it's good we only see each other once a week.
But don't stop on that account, keep going.

"It's Good We Only See Each Other Once a Week" by Phillip Lopate, from At the End of the Day. © Marsh Hawk Press, 2010.

DK

Keep busy. Don't dwell. Be thankful. Be strong.
It will be okay.

Rumi

Don't look for the remedy for your troubles outside yourself. You are the medicine. You are the cure for your own sorrow.

Arab proverb

The words of the tongue should have three gatekeepers.

via Eknath Easwaran