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.

“This life’s hard, man, but it’s harder if you’re stupid”

(From the 1973 movie The Friends of Eddie Coyle, which was based on the 1970 novel by the same name, written by George V. Higgins. The line was spoken in the movie by character Jackie Brown, which was played by actor Steven Keats) 

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

C. S. Lewis

“The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life.”

(Russell M Nelson, Doors of Death, April Conference 1992) 

“Problems beg us to remember God's promises.”

(Lysa TerKeurst, President of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the New York Times best-selling author) 

“I believe we are supposed to make the world as good as we can make it. We should not be like Jonah and sit on the mountain top waiting for Nineveh to go up in flames.”

(Neal A Maxwell, as quoted by Bruce C Hafen in A Disciple's Life, the Autobiography of Neal A Maxwell, Deseret Book 2002, 335) 

“There seems to be no end to the Savior’s desire to lead us to safety. And there is constancy in the way He shows us the path. He calls by more than one means so that it will reach those willing to accept it.”

(Henry B Eyring, Finding Safety in Council, April Conference 1997) 

“Sweet are the uses of adversity,

Which like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.”

(Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 2, scene 1, 12–17) 

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.”

(Author unknown) 

“Count your garden by the flowers,

never by the leaves that fall;
Count your days by golden hours
don’t remember clouds at all!
Count the night by stars, not shadows;
Count your life with smiles, not tears, and with joy
Count your age by friends, not years.”

(Dixie Willson, 1927)