Commonplace Book

A Commonplace Book. “Commonplace”, from the Latin 'locus communis', meaning “a theme or argument of general application.”  For me, it is a collection of thoughts, ideas, anecdotes, poems, observations, and quotes that stood out and caught my attention, some with comment, some without. Essentially a scrapbook, a repository of thoughts too good to just pass over and let go.

“Many of the things you can count, do not count. Many of the things you cannot count, really do count.”

(Albert Einstein)

"Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate."

(Albert Schweitzer)

“God cannot steer a parked car. We've got to be moving.”

(Mission President, Stake Conference, 25 August 2018)

“We are guided by a living prophet who takes counsel and guidance from a living God.”

(Stake President, Stake Leadership Meeting, 25 August 2018)

“Faith and trust in the Lord give us the strength to accept and persist, whatever happens in our lives.”

(Dallin H Oaks, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Jan. 29, 2002 • BYU Devotional)

“We speak of the pioneers gaining stronger testimonies from the extremities of their experiences. But sometimes I wonder if pushing our family handcarts across the constantly present and intrusive sin drenched, immoral, addictive, landscape of modern society isn't just as much “in our extremity” as was pushing pioneer handcarts in the pioneer era of the church.”

(Sacrament meeting talk August 12, 2018)

“Perhaps the proportion of stupidity to intelligence in America is fairly constant over time, and today just seems especially soggy with stupidity because social media and mesmerized journalists give it such velocity.”

(George Will, Poor Portland progressives: So much to protest, so little time, Washington Post, August 8, 2018)

“Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.”

(Patrick Henry, Second Virginia Convention met March 20, 1775)

“Don’t think your future will be determined by forces outside your control. You are indeed surrounded by forces outside your control, but what matters is how you choose. Everything else will follow from that. Choose the good and good things will happen to you. Choose the bad, and eventually you will suffer. Bad choices create bad people who create bad societies, and in such societies, in the fullness of time, liberty is lost. … Define yourself as a free moral agent, capable of choosing a better future.”

(Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, On Not Being A Victim, Re'eh 5778, August 8, 2018)