Wise words from a wise man
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Wise words from a wise man
I am a bit of a history buff. I enjoy watching historical documentaries and reading books on history. My husband and I are currently reading/discussing a book about Abraham Lincoln. He had so many wise words that can be applied to those of us dealing with addicts in our lives. I thought I'd share some of them and give my thoughts about some of them and how they apply to me.
Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Simple truth. We are all responsible for our own happiness....or lack thereof.
I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.
This one made me laugh. I remember when I first started attending Nar-Anon meetings, there was a lady I didn't care for. Skip forward a few years and she is now very dear to me.
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
If I want my tomorrow to be better, I'll start to make it so today. I have more control of my life (with considerable help from my HP) than I ever imagined.
I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.
My recovery has been (and still is) a remarkably slow journey. At those times when I felt I was moving backwards, perhaps I was merely standing still.
My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.
This one made me laugh.
Everybody likes a compliment.
Everybody.
Whatever you are, be a good one.
This one also made me laugh.....I've recognized myself as having been a particularly "talented" codependent. I'm trying to change that.
No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens.
Hmmmmmm........
Important principles may, and must, be inflexible.
My boundaries.
I don’t know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be.
I just liked this one.
Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.
Boundaries revisited.
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Unless they are codependent....sorry.....still chuckling at myself.
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.
Keeping it simple.
It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.
Won't list my vices here......lol......I assure you the list would be FAR longer than my virtues. Still laughing at myself.........
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.
Just because someone says something doesn't make it true. Remember that next time the addict says "it's your fault".
The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.
One day at a time.........
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.
All this time I attributed that quote to Samuel Clemens.
Hope everyone has a great day. Take some time to laugh, reflect, and love.
gentle hugs
ke
Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Simple truth. We are all responsible for our own happiness....or lack thereof.
I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.
This one made me laugh. I remember when I first started attending Nar-Anon meetings, there was a lady I didn't care for. Skip forward a few years and she is now very dear to me.
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
If I want my tomorrow to be better, I'll start to make it so today. I have more control of my life (with considerable help from my HP) than I ever imagined.
I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.
My recovery has been (and still is) a remarkably slow journey. At those times when I felt I was moving backwards, perhaps I was merely standing still.
My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.
This one made me laugh.
Everybody likes a compliment.
Everybody.
Whatever you are, be a good one.
This one also made me laugh.....I've recognized myself as having been a particularly "talented" codependent. I'm trying to change that.
No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens.
Hmmmmmm........
Important principles may, and must, be inflexible.
My boundaries.
I don’t know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be.
I just liked this one.
Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.
Boundaries revisited.
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Unless they are codependent....sorry.....still chuckling at myself.
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.
Keeping it simple.
It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.
Won't list my vices here......lol......I assure you the list would be FAR longer than my virtues. Still laughing at myself.........
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.
Just because someone says something doesn't make it true. Remember that next time the addict says "it's your fault".
The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.
One day at a time.........
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.
All this time I attributed that quote to Samuel Clemens.
Hope everyone has a great day. Take some time to laugh, reflect, and love.
gentle hugs
ke
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Join Date: Apr 2004
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America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves
Boy is that one true!
Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.
Yep sure does.
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other
A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have.
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.
I'll stop now, lol but I too 'love' Abraham Lincoln. Have heard very good reports about the "Lincoln" movie from friends and family, so many that I just might crack and go see it in the theater rather than waiting for it to come out on PPV.
Thank you for starting this thread.
Love and hugs,
Boy is that one true!
Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.
Yep sure does.
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other
A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have.
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.
I'll stop now, lol but I too 'love' Abraham Lincoln. Have heard very good reports about the "Lincoln" movie from friends and family, so many that I just might crack and go see it in the theater rather than waiting for it to come out on PPV.
Thank you for starting this thread.
Love and hugs,
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The Jungle
Posts: 5,435
Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly. The quotes were found on the internet and I gathered those up that seem to apply to my life and my journey in recovery (and stayed away from the political stuff--lol).
National Geographic is running a special by the same name "Killing Lincoln" on February 17th. Here's a link to a site about it:
Killing Lincoln | National Geographic Channel
I apologize if this has gone OT........
gentle hugs
ke
National Geographic is running a special by the same name "Killing Lincoln" on February 17th. Here's a link to a site about it:
Killing Lincoln | National Geographic Channel
I apologize if this has gone OT........
gentle hugs
ke
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 390
Wow, the quote on the front of the National Geographic story is enough! "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Sure sounds reminiscent of living with my AH! I'm going to dig a little deeper. Thanks for sharing this. I need a huge dose of wisdom at the moment.
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 2,684
Thought-provoking and interesting thread. Thanks for posting, KE.
Indeed, Abraham Lincoln was a genius, and I've thought of him as larger than life and an awe-inspiring man.
In recent years, I've learned that he suffered from (what they called at the time) "melancholy" and have been interested to learn about his burdens and how he coped.
Here's an excerpt from a very interesting article found at Lincoln's Great Depression - Joshua Wolf Shenk - The Atlantic
In his mid-forties the dark soil of Lincoln's melancholy began to yield fruit. When he threw himself into the fight against the extension of slavery, the same qualities that had long brought him so much trouble played a defining role. The suffering he had endured lent him clarity and conviction, creative skills in the face of adversity, and a faithful humility that helped him guide the nation through its greatest peril.
CLARITY. Some people, William Herndon observed, see the world "ornamented with beauty, life, and action; and hence more or less false and inexact." Lincoln, on the other hand, "crushed the unreal, the inexact, the hollow, and the sham"—Everything came to him in its precise shape and color." Such keen vision often brought Lincoln pain; being able to look troubling reality straight in the eye also proved a great strength.
Indeed, Abraham Lincoln was a genius, and I've thought of him as larger than life and an awe-inspiring man.
In recent years, I've learned that he suffered from (what they called at the time) "melancholy" and have been interested to learn about his burdens and how he coped.
Here's an excerpt from a very interesting article found at Lincoln's Great Depression - Joshua Wolf Shenk - The Atlantic
In his mid-forties the dark soil of Lincoln's melancholy began to yield fruit. When he threw himself into the fight against the extension of slavery, the same qualities that had long brought him so much trouble played a defining role. The suffering he had endured lent him clarity and conviction, creative skills in the face of adversity, and a faithful humility that helped him guide the nation through its greatest peril.
CLARITY. Some people, William Herndon observed, see the world "ornamented with beauty, life, and action; and hence more or less false and inexact." Lincoln, on the other hand, "crushed the unreal, the inexact, the hollow, and the sham"—Everything came to him in its precise shape and color." Such keen vision often brought Lincoln pain; being able to look troubling reality straight in the eye also proved a great strength.
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