Simplicity is one of the traditional Quaker Testimonies.  Quakers recognize that “a simple lifestyle is [a] freely chosen . . . source of strength.”[i]  The assertion of freedom to choose is central in Quaker perspectives. For example, Quakers are encouraged to “not be persuaded into buying what you cannot afford” and to “keep informed” as important…

Abe Lincoln, Mark Twain and many others get credit for these words. As the idea has been around since pre-biblical Greek society, it is no wonder many people have said it, or something like it. The opposite seems ludicrous: Our words are more important and honest than our actions and choices. “Deeds are fruits but words are leaves” expresses the same idea with more…

Originally recorded in the 1600s, this proverb has its exact opposite in the phrase, “you can't teach old dogs new tricks.” Both sayings are used more to justify a choice - trying to learn something new or giving it up - rather than to inform a choice with intelligence. Sometimes it is…

I am unaware of anyone completing and publishing a project quite like this one. But I did stumble across an Amazon ad for the best seller, Until Today. I was humbled! The book is described as “365 daily devotionals that support the time-honoured adage, ‘Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?’” I was inspired! If Iyanla Vanzant can write 365…

This phrase is often identified as a “Chinese Proverb.” However, it was Peter Benenson, who was instrumental in the creation of human rights organization Amnesty International, who used the phrase in connection with Amnesty's symbol: a lit candle wrapped in barbed wire.

Isaiah 9:2

those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them…

This piece of advice is also common in AA circles. The implication is that even when your sobriety doesn't feel right you should not give up as the program will make sense with time. It is also used in other settings such as making a relationship work, going to church, working through depression and staying in school. It is not the same as simply being optimistic. It…

Nike ® found fewer words to say, “Action is the foundational key to all success.” Pablo Picasso usually gets the nod for this longer version but a particular context never appears. In my research, I came across a book of his entitled One Liners. I expected witticisms, but what I got were drawings of his that he made without taking his pencil off the paper. There are a few…

These common words echo the sentiment of other sayings including the Latin carpe diem, which translates in English as “seize the day.” Also familiar is “eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.” (1 Corinthians 15:32) The context of these words means so much. If the focus is on the here and now, then it is a call to make the most of things, perhaps meaning, literally, eat and…

Very similar words, depending on the translation, appear in chapter 64 of the Tao Te Ching written by Lao Tsu over 2500 years ago. It is surrounded by a number of similar phrases all saying that very big things begin with small things.  However, it is the words that precede the proverb which give it particular meaning: “manage before things get out of order.” We are…

While Quaker worship is quiet and patient, that does not imply that  Quakers are to lead lives entirely marked by retreat and reflection.  There is always the call to make a difference; To put action into words.  Quakers ask[i], “Do we partake in the joy of love of God and make our lives a celebration of the sharing of this love?”[ii]  The…