Every child

Every child has known God
Not the God of names
Not the God of don’ts
Not the God who ever does anything weird,
But the God who knows only four words.
And keeps repeating them, saying:
“Come Dance with Me, come dance.”

Hafiz

The truth is

"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."

~M. Scott Peak

Live as if

"Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!"

~Viktor E. Frankl

We were not hoping

"We were not hoping for happiness –
And yet we were not prepared for unhappiness."

~Viktor E. Frankl

A man who for years

"A man who for years had thought he had reached the absolute limit of all possible suffering now found that suffering had no limits, and that he could suffer still more, and more intensely."

~Viktor E. Frankl

It did not really matter

"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual."

~Viktor E. Frankl

Between stimulus and response

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

~Viktor E. Frankl

Woe to him

"Woe to him, when the day of his dreams finally came, found it to be so different from all that he had longed for!"

~Viktor E. Frankl

Set me

"Set me like a seal upon thy heart, love is as strong as death."

~Song of Solomon 8:6

Man is capable

"Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible, and of changing himself for the better if necessary."

~Viktor E. Frankl

We can discover

"We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways:
(1) by creating a work or doing a deed;
(2) by experiencing a something or encountering someone; and
(3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering."

~Viktor E. Frankl

When we are

"When we are no longer able to change a situation – just think of an incurable disease such as inoperable cancer – we are challenged to change ourselves."

~Viktor E. Frankl

Fundamentally

"Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him – mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp."

~Viktor E. Frankl

We who lived

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

~Viktor E. Frankl

A man

"A man can get used to anything, but do not ask us how."

~Viktor E. Frankl

Nietzsche's words

"Nietzsche's words, 'He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.'"

~Viktor E. Frankl

We have come to know

"We have come to know man as he really is. After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips."

~Viktor E. Frankl

An incurable psychotic

"An incurable psychotic individual may lose his usefulness but yet retain the dignity of a human being. This is my psychiatric credo."

~Viktor E. Frankl

Freedom

"Freedom is not the last word, freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. The positive aspect of freedom is responsibleness." "That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast."

~Viktor E. Frankl

Only in quiet waters

"Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world."

-- Hans Margolius

Meditation brings wisdom

"Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom."

-- Buddha

While I agree

Bill: While I agree that in time our band will be most triumphant. The truth is Wyld Stallions will never be a super band until we get Eddie Van Halen on guitar.
Ted: Yes, Bill. But, I do not believe we will get Eddie Van Halen until we have a triumphant video.
Bill: Ted, it's pointless to have a triumphant video before we even have descent instruments.
Ted: Well, how can we have descent instruments when we don't really even know how to play?
Bill: That is why we need Eddie Van Halen!
Ted: And, that is why we need a triumphant video!

~Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

Thanks to great leaders

Thanks to great leaders, such as Genghis Khan, Joan of Arc, and Socratic method . . . the world is full of history.

~Ted, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

You killed Ted,

You killed Ted, you medieval dickweed!

~Bill, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

You can

You can always go down the road if you're willing to make the journey.

~from Shark Tank

Thou art

“Thou art all ice.
Thy kindness freezes.”

~William Shakespeare

There are some people

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.

-Douglas Everett

If a person

"If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life."

-- Billy Graham

I will not say

I will not say, Do not weep... not all tears are an evil.

~Gandalf, Lord of the Rings

Hold your ground,

Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!

~Aragorn, The Lord of the Rings

Home is behind

Home is behind, the world ahead... And there are many paths to tread. Through shadow, to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight... Mist and shadow, cloud and shade, all shall fade... all... shall... fade...

~Pippin, song from Lord of the Rings

Destroy it!

Sam: FRODO!
Frodo: I'm here Sam.
Sam: Destroy it!
[Frodo holds the ring on its chain over the edge of the pit]
Sam: Go on! Now! Throw it in the fire!
[Frodo stares at the ring, the ring whispers to him]
Sam: What are you waiting for? Just let it go!
[Frodo turns and looks at Sam]
Frodo: The ring is mine.
[He snaps the chain and approaches the ring to his finger]
Sam: No... no...
[Frodo slips the ring on and vanishes]
Sam: NO!

Do you remember the Shire

Sam: [Both are overcome by exhaustion] Do you remember the Shire, Mr. Frodo? It'll be spring soon. And the orchards will be in blossom. And the birds will be nesting in the hazel thicket. And they'll be sowing the summer barley in the lower fields... and eating the first of the strawberries with cream. Do you remember the taste of strawberries?
Frodo: No, Sam. I can't recall the taste of food... nor the sound of water... nor the touch of grass. I'm... naked in the dark, with nothing, no veil... between me... and the wheel of fire! I can see him... with my waking eyes!
Sam: Then let us be rid of it... once and for all! Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you!

~Frodo and Sam, The Lord of the Rings

Oh... That's nice.

Oh... That's nice. Ash on my tomatoes!

~Pippin, The Lord of the Rings

The Quest stands

The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true.

~Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings

The world is changed.

The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.

~Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings

Go back, Sam

Frodo: Go back, Sam. I'm going to Mordor alone.
Sam: Of course you are. And I'm coming with you.

~Frodo and Sam, Lord of the Rings

You are a Ring-bearer

You are a Ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a Ring of Power is to be alone.

~Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings

In the place of a Dark Lord

In the place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Morn! Treacherous as the Seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair!

~Galadriel, The Lord of the Ring

It began with the forging of the Great Rings

It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves; immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven, to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern over each race. But they were all of them deceived, for a new ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret, a master ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all. One by one, the free peoples of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the very slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory was near, but the power of the ring could not be undone. It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father's sword. And Sauron, enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. And the ring of power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur, to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, the ring ensnared another bearer. The ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels under the Misty Mountains, and there it consumed him. The ring gave to Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind; and in the gloom of Gollum's cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived. Its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum. But then something happened that the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, of the Shire. For the time will soon come when hobbits will shape the fortunes of all...

~Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings

One Ring

"One Ring to Rule Them All.
One Ring to Find Them.
One Ring to Bring Them All
and In The Darkness Bind Them."

~Lord of the Rings

One does not simply walk into Mordor

One does not simply walk into Mordor. It's black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The great eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly.

~Boromir, The Lord of the Rings

Ash Nazg Durbatuluk

Ash Nazg Durbatuluk,
Ash Nazg Gimbatul,
Ash Nazg Thrakatuluk,
Agh Burzum-ishi Krimpatul.

~Gandalf: [speaking the words engraved on the One Ring], The Lord of the Rings

Are you frightened

Aragorn: Are you frightened?
Frodo: Yes.
Aragorn: Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you.

Frodo and Aragorn, The Lord of the Rings

Keep breathing.

Keep breathing. That's the key. Breathe.

~Gimli, The Lord of the Rings

Look at my men.

Look at my men. Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end, as to be worthy of remembrance.

~Theoden, The Lord of the Rings

If Aragorn survives

If Aragorn survives this war, you will still be parted. If Sauron is defeated and Aragorn made king and all that you hope for comes true you will still have to taste the bitterness of mortality. Whether by the sword or the slow decay of time, Aragorn will die. And there will be no comfort for you, no comfort to ease the pain of his passing. He will come to death an image of the splendor of the kings of Men in glory undimmed before the breaking of the world. But you, my daughter, you will linger on in darkness and in doubt as nightfall in winter that comes without a star. Here you will dwell bound to your grief under the fading trees until all the world is changed and the long years of your life are utterly spent.

~Elrond, The Lord of the Rings

Mordor

Mordor... the one place in Middle-Earth we don't want to see any closer... the one place we're trying to get to... is just where we can't get. Let's face it, Mr. Frodo. We're lost!

~Sam, The Lord of the Rings

So this is the answer

So this is the answer to all the riddles: here in the wild I have you, two halflings and a host of men at my call, and the Ring of Power within my grasp.

~Faramir, The Lord of the Rings

I always like

I always like going South; somehow, it feels like going downhill.

~Treebeard, The Lord of the Rings

From the lowest dungeon

From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth... Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountain side... Darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time... The stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as a life age of the earth... But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done.

~Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings

And whose side are you on?

Pippin: And whose side are you on?
Treebeard: Side? I am on nobody's side, because nobody is on my side, little orc.

~Pippin and Treebeard, The Lord of the Rings

That doesn't make sense

That doesn't make sense to me. But, then again, you are very small.

~Treebeard, The Lord of the Rings

Oh, but you are alone

Oh, but you are alone. Who knows what you have spoken to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all your life seems to shrink, the walls of your bower closing in about you, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in? So fair, yet so cold like a morning of pale Spring still clinging to Winter's chill.

~Grima Wormtongue, The Lord of the Rings

It's been going for hours

Merry: It's been going for hours.
Pippin: They must have decided something by now.
Treebeard: Decided? No, we have just finished saying "Good Morning".
Merry: But it's night time already! You can't take forever!
Treebeard: Now, don't be hasty, master Merriadoc.
Merry: We're running out of time!

~The Lord of the Rings

You must understand

You must understand, young Hobbit, it takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say.

~Treebeard, The Lord of the Rings

This looks strangely familiar

Sam: This looks strangely familiar.
Frodo: Because we've been here before. We're going in circles!

~Frodo and Sam, The Lord of the Rings

What do you fear

Aragorn: What do you fear, my lady?
Eowyn: A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.

~Aragorn and Eowyn, The Lord of the Rings

The women of this country

The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them.

~Eowyn, The Lord of the Rings

The enemy?

The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he comes from, and if he really was evil at heart. What lies or threats led him on this long march from home, and would he not rather have stayed there... in peace? War will make corpses of us all.

~Faramir, The Lord of the Rings

Three hundred lives

Three hundred lives of men I have walked this earth and now I have no time.

~Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings

Where is the horse and the rider?

Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like wind in the meadow. The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow. How did it come to this?

~Theoden, Lord of the Rings

Bring

Bring your pretty face to my axe.

~Gimli, The Lord of the Rings

Be silent.

Be silent. Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I did not pass through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm.

~Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings

So much death

Theoden: So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?
Aragorn: Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them.
Theoden: For death and glory.
Aragorn: For Rohan. For your people.

~Theoden and Aragorn, The Lord of the Rings

All our hopes

All our hopes now lie with two little hobbits, somewhere in the wilderness.

~Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings

I can't do this, Sam.

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.


~Lord of the Rings

I think

I think we might have made a mistake leaving the Shire, Pippin.

~Merry, The Lord of the Rings

A red sun rises

A red sun rises, blood has been spilled this night.

~Legolas, The Lord of the Rings

The strength of the Ringbearer

The strength of the Ringbearer is failing. In his heart, Frodo begins to understand. The quest will claim his life. You know this. You have foreseen it. It is the risk we all took. In the gathering dark, the will of the Ring grows strong. It works hard now to find its way back into the hands of men.

~Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings

Where would you be without me

Where would you be without me, gollum, gollum?
I saved us!
It was me!
We survived because of me!

~Gollum, The Lord of the Rings

It's talking

It's talking, Merry. The tree is talking.

~Pippin, The Lord of the Rings

A great host, you say?

Theoden: A great host, you say?
Aragorn: All Isengard is emptied.
Theoden: How many?
Aragorn: Ten thousand strong at least.
Theoden: [astonished] Ten thousand?
Aragorn: It is an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of men. They will be here by nightfall.
Theoden: Let them come.

~Aragorn and Theoden, Lord of the Rings

No tomb

No tomb for Denethor and Faramir. No long, slow sleep of death embalmed. We shall burn, like the heathen kings of old. Bring wood and oil.

~Denethor, The Lord of the Rings

I am a servant of the Secret Fire

I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. Go back to the shadow. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun! You shall not pass!

~Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings

We wants it

We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses. Wicked, tricksy, false!

~Gollum, The Lord of the Rings

It's true

Gimli: It's true you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for dwarf men.
Aragorn: [whispering] It's the beards.
Gimli: And this in turn has given rise to the belief that there are no dwarf women, and that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!
[Eowyn laughs]
Gimli: Which is, of course, ridiculous.

~Gimli and Aragorn, Lord of the Rings

To put the world in order

"To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right."

~Confucius

We be nice

We be nice to them, if they be nice to us.

~Gollum, The Lord of the Rings

The positive thing

"The positive thing about writing is that you connect with yourself in the deepest way, and that's heaven. You get a chance to know who you are, to know what you think. You begin to have a relationship with your mind."

-- Natalie Goldberg

The significant business

"The significant business of your life is alive and well, awaiting discovery, within your very soul. You and I were born to come into ourselves as complete and distinctive persons. Accepting this, we build a valuable life."

-- Marsha Sinetar