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.
"Even
a bad experience becomes a good story. They are imperfect, but our memories and
stories of them get sweet with time."
(James
Hamblin, Buy Experiences, Not Things, The Atlantic, October 7, 2014)
“An
act of kindness is never wasted.”
(Michelle
D. Craig, Divine Discontent, October General Conference 2018)
“The
Earth laughs in flowers.”
(E.E. Cummings 1894-1962, American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright)
(E.E. Cummings 1894-1962, American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright)
“So
much is happening in nature right now—prime springtime—that it's hard to absorb
it all. ... Get outside today if you can!”
(The
Naturalists Notebook, thenaturalistsnotebook.com.)
“Rest
is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a
summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds
float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
(John Lubbock 1834-1913, English banker, liberal politician, philanthropist, scientist, and polymath)
(John Lubbock 1834-1913, English banker, liberal politician, philanthropist, scientist, and polymath)
"Look,
if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. . . . If you were
successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. ... The point is, is
that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also
because we do things together.”
(Barack
Obama, Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event in Roanoke, Virginia, July
13, 2012)
"American
society, understood as hundreds of millions of people making billions of
decisions daily, is a marvel of spontaneous cooperation. Sensible government
facilitates this cooperative order by providing roads, schools, police, etc.,
and by getting out of the way of spontaneous creativity. This is a dynamic,
prosperous society’s “underlying social contract."
(George
Will, Is the individual obsolete?, Washington Post, May 31, 2019)
“I
love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and
grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they
whose hearts are firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue
their principles until their death.”
(Leonardo
da Vinci)
“Transcendentals
— truth, goodness and beauty, which correspond sequentially to the mind, the
will and the heart.”
(Kathleen
Parker, Can Easter bring an end to this ungodly episode in American history?,
Washington Post, April 19, 2019)
“Pursuing
happiness should remain, mostly, a personal responsibility. Making it a public
responsibility would ensure failure.”
(Robert
J Samuelson, David Brooks, let me respectfully suggest: Lighten up, Washington
Post, 17 April 2019)
“Native
distinction needs no official stamp.”
(William
James, 1842-1910, American philosopher, psychologist, and educator)
“Opportunity
Cost: A benefit, profit, or value of something that must be given up to acquire
or achieve something else. Since every resource (land, money, time, etc.) can
be put to alternative uses, every action, choice, or decision has an associated
opportunity cost.”
(Business
Dictionary, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/opportunity-cost.html)
“Let
yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.”
(Jalāl
ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar,
theologian, and Sufi mystic)
“Get
mixed up with ... garbage and it will lead you to the landfill—the dumping
ground of temporal dreams and eternal destinies.”
(Dallin
H Oaks, Where Will it Lead?, BYU Devotional, November 9, 2004)
