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Showing posts with label quotes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quotes. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Alexander the Great - Boogie Man or Immortal?

The records of history indicate that is what Alexander the Great said when others informed him about his father’s conquests.


“My father will get ahead of me in everything, and will leave nothing great for me to do.” 


Statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia

Clearly, Alexander the Great was no prophet. However, he is known in Western history as a remarkable military leader. In India’s history, children are told he’s the “boogie man”. - Alexander was born on 21st July 356 B.C. - Although his name is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, many biblical scholars believe that he is the “mighty king” referred to in the book of Daniel the Prophet (Chapter 11). - The meaning of the name Alexander is: “man’s defender, warrior”. The name suited him. Almost everyone knows about this “hero” who set out to conquer and Hellenize the entire world. * Do you have an opinion about him? You can find mine at the link supplied below.
If you don’t have any thoughts regarding the actual historical person, care to share what you thought about the 2004 movie which starred Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie and Val Kilmer. Here’s a link to a review by Rebecca Murray, writer for About.com.
Her opinion as expressed in the article, summarily stated? She gave it a Grade C+. Which means: Eh! She didn’t think it was all that! Me? I thought it sucked! Bad plot. Bad acting. But that’s just me.

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Alexander the Great by Philip Freeman

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Monday, January 16, 2023

Follow the Thinkers ~ Inspiration and Motivation for Every Day

Thank goodness for my Facebook memories. They are wonderful reminders of things I shared that I don't mind re-sharing again and again and again. This poster was shared via my profile timeline in 2014. Unfortunately, the link is broken. Unfortunate? NO! Fantastic! It gives me an excuse to create a new blog post and share the poster again!




& for a “Thinker (Quintet): Peace, Power, Respect, Dignity, Love” By: Anon and

The MLK quote below is not on the poster.  But I think it is something all of these thinkers would agree paves the way for everything and anything else that inspires us and moves us forward.

“It is not enough to say we must not wage war.
It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.”







Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Go Google Yourself!! Fairy Tales Do Come True.

"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale."
- Hans Christian Andersen

If you are you a writer or a blogger like me, then you'll appreciate this post.  I have been at this home biz endeavor for a while. (Started trying to blog and write in 2011.) 

Do you ever Google yourself (your name and a search term) to see what pops out in the search results? 

It's a serious search but also a lot of fun!

I write at various sites and wanted to quickly find some content I had published several years ago, so I Googled myself (fairy tales, cmoneyspinner).  The search engine generated 86,600 results (0.50 seconds). WHOA! The results also change depending on which browser (Chrome vs Firefox).  My fairy tales quest came true.  I found what I was looking for. YAY!!  I couldn't believe it!!   The search engine actually recognized me!  Happy to report that the first two search results actually did relate to what I was searching for.  What was curious was the rest of the page results? I don't quite get the connection. (O.o)  No matter.  The search results were fruitful.

There probably is no connection other than the fact that my name also shows up with some of those content links and the search engine decided to produce some more results to fill out the page.

Let's face it. It's artificial intelligence and a handy research tool. But the search engine can't do the thinking for you. You got the results. Now you're going to have narrow it down and do some cherry picking.


The search was still fun though! :)

By the way, do you know the name of the man who is called the father of fairy tales.  HINT:  It's not Hans Chrisitian Anderson.  (Answer.)



HCA By Thora Hallager (1821-1884) - http://museum.odense.dk/viden-om/hc-andersen/publikationer/jeg-sad-i-dag-for-photographen.aspx, Public Domain 








Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Women in Education Who Promote Human Rights: Jovita Idar

Spotlight on activist, journalist & teacher - Jovita Idár. She had a huge impact on early movements for the civil rights of Mexican-Americans in the United States and took action to ensure that Mexican-American students had access to educational opportunities.


Image credit: Twitter

That's an incredible thought.  Because my mother was not educated.  But she strove hard to try to get all of her children educated.  My oldest brother once remarked that if our mother had been educated she would have been unstoppable!

I understood what my brother meant.  However, my observation of my mother is very different from my brother's.  My mother may have not been formally educated, but she was very wise.  Her advice and guidance for life to all of us was profound and enlightening.  She wasn't educated but she sure wasn't ignorant!  

I think to make sure this quote is properly applied we need to clearly define what it truly means to be educated.  What do you think?



Original Source



Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Life Lessons: 3 Shakespeare Quotes To Live By


Have you often wondered if Shakespeare's pen was sharpened by his own personal life experiences or if he was just a guy who was gifted with an extraordinary writing style; was extremely witty, and just had a way with words?

Most of his memorable quotes come from his plays or poems but they're not just words on a piece of paper. They really do have real-life applications for all of us.  Like these 3 quotes.


1. “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”

I think we all agree that this is easier said than done.

Love all? That's insane! When it comes to love, humans are very selective. That would not be so bad if when we made the choice not to love, we simply remained neutral. But many choose to hate instead. However, truth be told, if each person was told that they only had two arbitrary choices in this life - Love All or Hate All – would we not all choose love? Of course! (Unless you're a spawn of Satan. :lol: )

Trust a few? We are born pure, innocent and carefree souls. Then … life happened! If we are fortunate in life, we learned at an early age “the few” who can be trusted. But for some, lack of trust is their defense mechanism. They suspect everybody and everyone is automatically deemed untrustworthy until those people can prove otherwise. Most of the time people like this have been hurt badly by others they did trust and consequently, nobody will ever get the chance to cause them pain again. The self-defense reaction is normal. But know this. Life will be a very heavy burden if you have absolutely no other human being that you can trust.

Do wrong to none? None? You mean NOBODY? But what if ____________? Everybody has something that goes in that blank. EVERYBODY!! And for many people, their justification is always that wrong was done to them first. But in the end, one can not disagree with the wise words of Master Shakespeare. His advice simply stated is just math. “Two wrongs don't make it right.”


2. “This above all: to thine own self be true.”

Who knows you better than you know yourself? Even the people you love and hold dear, who you trust the most and would give your heart to, don't know you better than you know yourself. If you lie to yourself and deceive yourself, without me being a mental health professional, I can predict that you're headed for a mental breakdown. Lying is a bad thing to do. Lying to yourself is the worst thing you could ever do! It will lead to delusion. Delusion is defined as an idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument, typically a symptom of mental disorder.


3. “The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”

This was the first Shakespearean quote that I was required to memorize and I have never forgotten it. If you never hear another quote or read anything else written by William Shakespeare, read these words, keep them in your heart, and embrace every opportunity you get to show mercy. You, the giver, and the one who receives from you, i.e. the taker, will both be blessed.

No really!  Try it!


If You Liked This, You Might Also Like:





More Delightful Shakespeare Quotes
 Found on Twitter





Monday, August 2, 2021

The Origin of Brutal Regimes is Ancient History

‘Violence is the common origin of all regimes. Life, discussion, and political choice occur only against a background of violence.’ ~ Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908–1961), “Humanism and Terror

Image: "The Legend of Sargon (The Goddess Ishtar Appears to Sargon, the Gardener's Lad)" By the contemporary artist, Edwin J. Prittie"

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I AGREE with Mr. Merleau-Ponty. Ever notice when most people speak of a regime they usually describe it as brutal? The use of violence is unrestrained and motivated by either the lust for power (control over a landmass and the people who live on it) and/or a desire for revenge (action required against some wrong done to them). The blood of innocents (and of some who are guilty) must be shed for the rise of the empire and must continue to be shed in defense of the realm.


People have free will and know the difference between good and evil. They choose evil. I blame Sargon. He started it. Many historians give him credit for being the first empire-builder.  I trace the origin of brutal regimes back to him.  He may be written in the historical records as The Great or The Magnificent but I say the man was nothing but a troublemaker and a hell-raiser.  (NOTE: Sharp contrast. Abraham never lifted a finger to build an empire or become ruler, yet he is the father of many nations. God called him out of the land that Sargon bathed in blood building his empire.)

The origin of brutal regimes may be ancient history, but sadly, brutal regimes still exist today all over the world.
  • Do you have an opinion, one way or the other about, the Merleau-Ponty quote? (Or about my insightful and simplistic philosophical points of view?)
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Links of Interest:







Friday, June 5, 2020

Government and Politics: The L'Amour Version of Democracy ~ AGREE or DISAGREE

“To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.” ~ Louis L’Amour

Agree or Disagree.

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I DISAGREE!!

I DON’T VOTE!! I PRAY!!

And in a democratic country … that’s OK!

In a democratic country, you can NOT VOTE and still COMPLAIN when something is NOT RIGHT!

The only other form of government that I think has redeeming qualities is Socialism.

But if I had to choose between Democracy and Socialism, I would choose Democracy.

As for the other forms of government? Whatever!

I’m for real when I say that. WHATEVER!

I think people are quite capable of governing themselves. But I also think a democratic nation does need a military force. I know there are some countries that don’t have a military. In a perfect world that would be ideal. But we don’t live in a perfect world. It’s a matter of national security.

With regard to utilizing a military solution as a resolution, I think ALL nations should have this attitude:

“Don’t start nothing. Won’t be nothing.
But if you start something …
you will regret that you barked up that tree!!”

It’s self-defense. Plain and simple.

I really think the only reason we need an elected fearless leader is in the event of a war, and that they should be equipped with the deal-making or negotiating skills to know how to make peace OR if need be, know enough about the “art of war” to make The Enemy go away so that we can live our lives in peace!

* * *

I totally disagree with Mr. L’Amour.

* I chose. You choose. *

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“To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.” ~Louis L’Amour

* Agree or Disagree. *

* * *

Links of Interest:

Pros and Cons of Democracy

Who Decided the Great Political Party Divide?


American Leaders : Who Framed the U.S. Constitution?

#DemocracyDefeated: How Indian Right-Wing Groups Stalled A Bollywood Period Drama ~ Global Voices (My Opinion)




Friday, May 29, 2020

A Salute to the Graduates of 2020! (And Beyond!)

In the USA, when you reach age 17 or18, you’re usually in 12th grade, which is your last year of high school. You’re a senior! It’s a pivotal moment of transition in life when you slide right into adulthood.


glitter-graphics.com

But even though you are a “brand new adult”, if you were like me, you still didn’t have to pay the rent or face other responsibilities because …? Because you still live at home with your parents.


It has been decades. I graduated from high school in the 70s. But I can remember my high school graduation was a big deal! My mother, my aunts, my brothers, and sister attended the ceremony, took pictures, everybody was smiling and happy! I don’t remember getting any gifts. That’s OK. We weren’t that financially well off. It’s enough that I have good memories of that day. 



I even remember the summer after I graduated I didn’t even get a job. I just stayed at home the whole summer. My mom let me enjoy those last few months of freedom with no responsibility. Then when September came I registered to start classes at the university and life carried on, but … IN A MAJOR WAY. It was my first real step towards independence. Got checked into my dorm room, registered for classes, signed up for a part-time college work-study job, and there was no parent or teacher there nagging and telling me what to do. If something needed to be done, it was all on me!

* * *

This post is inspired by the fact that my last child, my daughter, graduated from high school, Class of 2019. Woo Hoo! Her first year of college is not what she imagined.  This post is also dedicated to the high school graduating Class of 2020.  Because of the COVID-19 pandemic that transition for my daughter and for you has not exactly been smooth.  But the transition is happening.  Pandemic or no pandemic.  You're on the move now!

For each class of seniors, no matter what the year, it always takes me back to my own graduation ceremony.  I think I get more excited than the graduating class. Sharing some wise quotes to encourage all graduates and set them on the right path. Hoping and praying for your success!

“Stay on the course, never lose focus.”

In Hindi, they don’t say Congratulations! They say “Mujhe tum logo kiyadd bilkul nahi aayegi” which means “You’ve achieved success!”

“…Don’t wait for the future to change you, change your future.”

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”








Content previously published at Virily.com

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Where To Listen to Awesome Jazz Music!

"Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but is a gift that America has given the world."
- Ahmad Alaadeen















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* * * Do you know of any other sites where great jazz can be found?  Leave a comment.




This content also appears at my partner blog, My Blog Stop!

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

4 Life Quotes From 2 Sports Legends: Bruce Lee AND Muhammad Ali

Most people who know me know that I am not really into sports. There are certain Olympic competitions that I like to watch such as gymnastics, figure skating, and swimming. And two other sports competitions that I did not mind watching were martial arts and boxing.

That's my introduction for this blog post. I have selected quotes from 2 legends in the sports world of martial arts and boxing whose powerful words influenced and impressed much more than their fighting skills.

Bruce Lee (1940 – 1973) AND Muhammad Ali (1942 – 2016)
They may no longer be with us but their words live on.



I picked just 2 quotes from each man, to extract their wisdom and also to contrast and compare them to each other. The quotes are sensible and can serve as guiding steps for life, whether or not you are in the field of sports.


BRUCE LEE:  “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”
 
MUHAMMAD ALI: "Don't count the days. Make the days count."

Having followed the careers of both of these men, I can clearly see that they practiced what they preached.

Though Ali's quote does not talk about adapting, his fights in the boxing ring proved that he knew very well how to adapt. If a method he used didn't work, then he would change his style to beat the opponent. He also fought in a way that was like no other. His way of boxing was specifically his own.
The same goes for Bruce Lee. Many people can only try to emulate or imitate him. They can try. His style was specifically his own. To this day he set the “MMA standard” for all other martial artists and everybody else only hopes that they can come close to achieving it.

As far as counting the days, each one of them, in their prime, made sure that not a minute was wasted when pursuing their objectives.

* As for my own personal life application? Early in my life, I accepted that I am a unique individual. I'm unlike anybody else and I'm not supposed to be. That rule applies to everyone. We're not supposed to be like another person. But I also recognized my environment and the people around me and adapted to every situation without sacrificing what makes me unique. My late mother used to say: “Each person has their own gifts and they should use them for good.” Also, I realized that time or tomorrow is not promised to me. So I definitely understand the practicality and the value of making each day count. I determine to spend each day being engaged in fruitful activity. Because I know once that time is expended, I won't get it back.


BRUCE LEE:  “You just wait. I’m going to be the biggest Chinese Star in the world!”

MUHAMMAD ALI: "It's not bragging if you can back it up."

Others may have interpreted their words as self-aggrandizement or conceit. But both of these men proved that they were just stating the facts.

As for my own personal life application? I prefer not to draw attention to myself. So even though I had “gifts”, my mother never said it was necessary to announce that LOUDLY to everyone. I have always worked quietly to accomplish my goals. As long as I knew within myself that if I needed to say something out loud I really could back it up … that was good enough! LOL. :)

The tweet below is not a Bruce Lee or Muhammad Ali quote.  But it is more my style.  Hey!  It's my style.  I added something that is specifically my own (even though a lot of other people do this too):)




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Did you enjoy these quotes?

Did they contain wisdom that you can personally apply?


If you want to read more quotes from these 2 sports legends here are the references:

The 101 Ultimate Bruce Lee Quotes | Lifehack.org

11 Super Inspiring Muhammad Ali Quotes | Inc.com


Content first published at ForumCoin.com
:arrow: 
Below are my previous articles in this Quotes Series:

Monday, April 13, 2020

Gangsta Quotes … Uh! Question Mark?

Came across a Twitter account that shares quotes by notorious gangsters.  Such quotes always interest me.  They call themselves wise guys.  I am curious about their wisdom.  I scanned tweets that dated all the way back to 2012.  I found some surprises in the tweet stream.  Quotes one would not expect to find filed under “GangstaQuotes”.  Sharing them below.  It was like finding hidden treasure in plain view.  The quotes need no additional explanation.




#1 Frederick Douglas Quote?



#2 Julius Caesar Quote?



#3 Sun Tzu Quote?



#4 Martin Luther King Quote?



#5 You Don’t Need to be Gangster to Get Arrested.



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Content first published at Virily.com.

Monday, March 30, 2020

7 Lovely Logics and What They Mean to Me

Found a wonderful quote-pic which lists "7 Lovely Logics" and indeed they are quite lovely. No doubt, just like me, every person could read them and supply their interpretation of what these logics means to them.

7 lovely logics.jpg

1) Make Peace with your Past, so it doesn't spoil your Present.

This saying is so true. You need to realize that very few people go through life without making mistakes, without doing some things they regret, etc. Nobody is perfect and sinless. There may be people who won't -pic forgive you and choose to make peace with you. But if you can open your eyes every day and find something productive and profitable to do for the Present time that you have, then, DO IT! You can't FORGET your Past. Nevertheless, it's over! You can't go back to relive that time in order to do things differently. But you can make peace with yourself and Carry On.


2) What others Think of you is None of your Business.

Take this advice with a grain of salt. There are those who love you dearly and think very highly of you. They want others to think highly of you too. What they think of you IS YOUR BUSINESS. Listen to them and weigh their words very carefully IF they criticize what you say or what you do. They are very likely telling you something that's for your own good. But as for the HATERS? You don't need to give their words half an ear. IGNORE THEM!


3) Time Heals Almost Everything. Give the Time, Some Time.

I have lived long enough to know that time does heal almost everything. “Almost”. There is some pain you feel in your heart that doesn't heal, no matter how much time passes. The hurt doesn't go away. You just learn to live with it.


4) No one is the Reason for your Happiness, except You yourself.

Don't rely on or depend on others for your happiness and joy in life. But if there is someone or some people who ARE THE REASON for your happiness, count your blessings.


5) Don't compare your Life with others. You have No Idea what their journey is all about.

I wonder if the person who wrote this quote knew my mother. My mom used to tell me that constantly. Don't wish for the life of other people because you don't know what's happening in their lives. I took her advice on this.


6) Stop Thinking too much. It's Alright not to know all the Answers.

I say: There's no such thing as thinking “too much”. You should think as much as you want. But your thoughts won't always produce the answers to all of your questions. And that's OK. Lots of people live their life with unanswered questions. They still live!


7) Smile. You don't own all the Problems in the World.

Smile BECAUSE you don't own all the problems in the world. I would also like to add some advice that I once heard from a psychologist. She said: Recognize when the problem is YOUR problem and YOU need to solve it. Don't take on somebody else's problem and make it your problem. If it's their problem, they need to solve it.

Can I get an AMEN? :thumbup:


Zoom in (real dimensions: 800 x 704)Hope you enjoyed reading this. :D

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Previous Articles in This Post Series:

3 Shakespeare Quotes To Live By

3 Wise Quotes From Influential Women

5 Dr. Suess Quotes That Are Useful Parenting Tips

* NOTE:  Content previously published as part of a post series at Forum Coin.


Thanks for visiting!



Sunday, October 20, 2019

Artists I Fancy: Inspirational Quotes Adapted Into Cartoons by Gavin Aung Than, Zen Pencils

Cartoon quotes from famous folks like Maya Angelou, who inspire us - Presented to you by ZenPencils.com.


Discovered this site because it showed up in the post stream via Tumblr.com. Someone has taken one of Maya Angelou's well-known poems - “Phenomenal Woman” - and presented it in comic strip format. Their artistic endeavor was … in a word … phenomenal!
The image supplied with this post is a partial view of his work. To view the entire comic strip, click here.

Gavin Aung Than is the talented cartoonist who creates these “essential” moments in time.

You can submit a quote and he will create a cartoon or comic for it. He has done quotes by Kahlil Gibran, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lao Tzu, Winston Churchill and many more.
If you have a few hours, a slow day, nothing much going on … spend some time perusing this site. You'll leave inspired.

♥ In Memory of: - Maya Angelou (1928 – 2014)





♦ Official Website: zenpencils.com
♦ Tumblr Blog: zenpencils.tumblr.com
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