LORD TENNYSON

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow;
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true

ANON

A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.

ANON

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits.

THICH NHAT HANH

From time to time, to remind ourselves to relax, and to be peaceful, we may wish to set aside some time for a retreat, a day of mindfulness, when we walk slowly, smile, drink tea with a friend, and enjoy being together as if we are the happiest people on earth.

ROBERT LYND

Were I a philosopher, I should write a philosophy of toys, showing that nothing else in life need to be taken seriously, and that Christmas Day in the company of children is one of the few occasions on which men become entirely alive.

SHIRLEY TEMPLE

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.

HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.

BURTON HILLIS

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree - the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.

OREN ARNOLD

Christmas gift suggestions -
to your enemy, forgiveness.
to an opponent, tolerance.
to a friend, your heart.
to a customer, service.
to all, charity.
to every child, a good example.
to yourself, respect.

CALVIN COOLIDGE

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

NORMAN COUSINS

There ain’t much fun in medicine, but there’s a whole lot of medicine in fun.

MILTON GARLAND

Don't worry about anything. Worrying never solved anything. All it does is distort your mind.

THE DALAI LAMA

Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.

EDWARD R. MURROW

Difficulty is an excuse history never accepts.

Today's post is the one thousandth on this blog

To mark the occasion I’m publishing again my special favourite -

“You will find meaning in life only if you create it. It is not lying there somewhere behind the bushes, so you can go and you search a little bit and find it. It is not there like a rock that you will find. It is a poetry to be composed, it is a song to be sung, it is a dance to be danced.” (written by the Indian mystic OSHO 1931-1990)

from FragrantHeart.com

The best time of my life is right now.

St FRANCIS of ASSISI

Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

BAIZHANG

Cling to nothing; crave for nothing

MARCUS AURELIUS

Such as are your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind, for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.

African Proverb

When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.

WOODROW WILSON

Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.

FRANZ SCHUBERT

Let us take men as they are, not as they ought to be.

GILDA RADNER

Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.

BUDDHA

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth - not going all the way and not starting.

ANON

Only those who do nothing make no mistakes.

AUGUSTUS HARE

Half the failures of this world arise from pulling in one's horse as he is leaping.

DALE CARNEGIE

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon, instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.

From the Dhammapada

Better than a thousand
Hollow words
Is one word that brings peace.

[according to tradition, the 423 verses that make up the Dhammapada were spoken by the Buddha on different occasions]

BARBARA DE ANGELIS

Love is a force more formidable than any other.  It is invisible, it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment and offer you more joy than any material possession could.