The Assignment from BellaDonna

My new friend BellaDonna challenged me in her comment regarding my blog The Power of Words. Maybe challenged is a little strong. Always the professor, this is what she said:



Words are powerful because they have the ability to create or to destroy.



Think about that. What examples spring to mind?



Here's a prompt: Write a poem (or piece of prose) on the creative -- or destructive -- potential in words, using specific examples.



Well, here goes:



The teenage boy sat in the back of the classroom. He was three months into seventh grade and things were so different at this new school. Always before, in elementary school, he had been the class clown; the outgoing one. Now, in this new environment, he found himself the target of abuse. Verbal and physical abuse.

Here he comes. It's fat boy.


Look at his clothes.


You're ugly.

Taunts all day long. His books would disappear, only to be found hidden away.


Homework would be stolen, then grudgingly returned.

The outgoing little boy was disappearing, and a shy, introverted young man was taking his place.



Sometimes, that class clown would come out. The cheerleader made the class clown come out; the boy liked the cheerleader. So one day between classes, at her locker, the class clown asked her to go to a dance. After she got over the shock, what came next was not words, but laughter. Her friends joined in with her. The laughter cut just like well used words can cut. After that, the clown followed the advice of the Beatles. He hid his love away.



The teenage boy grew up to be a man. A quiet man. He became friends by graduation with all that originally bullied him. Even the cheerleader, who actually apologized.



He lives a quiet but happy life now. Most of the time. I see him every morning.








How do I know all this?








The teenage boy was me.

A repost from 12/08/2007 ~ Thoughts and musings on the Power of Words

I added some. It is in red

Sometimes I think that we don't know, or we forget, the power of those little things we string together to form sentences. They can bring a smile to someone's face or a tear to their eye. Also, what isn't said can sometimes be just as powerful; mainly hurtful. The forgotten "I Love You" all the way down to saying nothing at all.

What really sucks is when you say something and it is misunderstood. When I say something, it is only meant in a good way. When I offer advice, albeit unsolicited, it is not in a malicious manner. You can mean well and .....

SONG TIME!!!

I'm just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood.

QUOTE TIME!!!

Henry Brooks Adams said

"No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous."

What got me started thinking on this? It was lyrics I heard from the song "Sing For The Moment" by Eminem.

"Yet everybody just feels like they can relate, I guess words are a mothafucka they can be great. Or they can degrate, or even worse they can teach hate''

Surprisingly profound. *note "degrade" was intentionally misspelled to rhyme*

What got me re-thinking about the power of words? Things. Mainly, I posted a blog last night, which after some thought I deleted. It sounded cryptic, which was not my intention at all. Words can bring you up or down for sure. Certain words can bring you down even further. Take my word for it.

How powerful do you think words are?

No Title Needed

Don't go changing, to try and please me
You never let me down before
Don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore

I could not leave you in times of trouble
We never would have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are

Don't go trying some new fashion
Don't change the color of your hair
You always have my unspoken passion
Although I might not seem to care

I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.

I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew
What will it take till you believe in me
The way that I believe in you.

I said I love you and that's forever
And this I promise from the heart
I could not love you any better
I love you just the way you are.

I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.

GBE 71 - Simple Pleasures

The subject this week is "Simple Pleasures." Here are some that I thought of over the past couple days, plus some I've heard over the years.

Receiving an unexpected compliment.


Helping someone in need.


Making someone smile.


Daydreaming


Finding money you didn’t know you had.


Receiving a real letter or package via snail mail.


Making the yellow light.


Hearing the right song at the right moment.


Catching a glimpse of bare skin on the opposite sex.


People watching.


A beautiful view.


Relaxing outdoors on a sunny day.


Listening to good music.


Taking a long, relaxing shower.


A good novel.


The smell of fresh-cut grass.


The smell of the earth.


Watching the sunrise.


Watching the sunset.


Walking on the beach.


Laughing till your sides hurt.


A long conversation with a good friend.


Being lazy on a Sunday.


An uncluttered room.


Fries and a milkshake.


Singing in the shower.


Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.


Homemade pie.


Laying back and watching the stars.


Laying back and looking up at clouds.


Watching a lightning storm.


Reese’s peanut butter cups.


PB&J sandwich.


Seeing your savings account grow.


Watching your debt shrink.


A gentle breeze.


Checking something off your to-do list.


A clear desk.


Watching animals in nature.


An empty email inbox.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "Simple Pleasures"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for everyone to read your submission.

GBE 70: Optimism

I saw the subject this week and knew it was a time for me to take a walk in the Garden of Quotes. I never know what I'll find.

This weeks subject is Optimism, which Merriam-Webster's defines as:

Pronunciation: /ˈäp-tə-mi-zəm/
Function: noun
Etymology: French optimisme, from Latin optimum, noun, best, from neuter of optimus best; akin to Latin ops power — more at opulent
Date: 1759

1 : a doctrine that this world is the best possible world

2 : an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome

“An optimist is the
human personification of spring.”
~ Susan J. Bissonette







“Smile when it hurts most.”



“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” ~ Maria Robinson



“May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams. May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays.”







“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again.” ~ Alex Tan



“If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.” ~ John Heywood (English Playwright and Poet, 1497-1580)



“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.” ~ Peace Pilgrim (American Teacher and Spiritual leader and Peace Prophet, 1908-1981)







“May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism.”



“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise” ~ Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)



“Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!” ~ Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)







“An optimist will tell you the glass is half-full; the pessimist, half-empty; and the engineer will tell you the glass is twice
the size it needs to be”


“A pessimist is a man who thinks all women are bad. An optimist is one who hopes they are.” ~ Chauncey Depew (American Industrialist and Politician, 1834-1928)



“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” ~ William Arthur Ward (American dedicated scholar, author, editor, pastor and teacher)



“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. And you can do it when things are tough.” ~
Richard M. DeVos







“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” ~ Helen Keller (American Author and Educator who was blind and deaf. 1880-1968)



“Optimist: Day-dreamer more elegantly spelled” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)



“It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right”







“Optimist: Person who travels on nothing from nowhere to happiness” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)



“For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else” ~ Winston Churchill (British Orator, Author and Prime Minister during World War II. 1874-1965)



“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose” ~ Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese born American philosophical Essayist, Novelist and Poet. 1883-1931)







“I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will” ~ Antonio Gramsci (Italian intellectual, Politician and Founder of the Italian Communist Party whose ideas still greatly influence Italian Communism. 1891-1937)



“In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.” ~ Daniel L. Reardon







“A pessimist only sees the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all--he's walking on them.” ~ Leonard L. Levinson



“Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power” ~William James (American Philosopher and Psychologist, leader of the philosophical movement of Pragmatism, 1842-1910)






“A pessimist is an optimist with experience” “One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.”






“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight. . . The truly wise person is colorblind.” ~ Albert Schweitzer (German medical Missionary,Theologian, Musician and Philosopher. 1952 Nobel Peace Prize,1875-1965)


“Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can't be done.” ~
Bo Bennett







“Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.”~ Lao Tzu (Chinese taoist Philosopher, founder of Taoism, wrote "Tao Te Ching" (also "The Book of the Way"). 600 BC-531 BC)



“May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism.”



“If I could turn the hands of time, I'll turn it forward to tomorrow. I want to move beyond with optimism and growth, taking the past which has gone by as my lessons in realizing the future with hope, courage and determination.”






“Great leaders are pragmatists who can deal with difficult realities but still have the optimism and courage to act.” ~ Nitin Nohria



"I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present." ~ Rabindranath Tagore



"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams." ~
Dr. Jonas Salk



"I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy... you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in." ~
Katherine Mansfield

“The man who is a pessimist before forty-eight knows too much; if he is an optimist after it he knows too little” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910) “Teaching is the greatest act of optimism” ~ Colleen Wilcox

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you have a favorite quote about optimism?
I'd love for you to tell me.
Please feel free to share any that I didn't list,
as I am always interested in quotes.
I guess you could call me a
Quote Collector.

~Peace~


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "Optimism"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for everyone to read your submission.

GBE-69 - I Resolve To...

I haven't really resolved to do anything. After some soul searching at Christmas, I decided that I don't need to change myself to be liked. I will be me, I will not conform. You know me and quotes. One that came to mind was "To thine own self, be true." - Shakespeare (Hamlet) inspired by Socrates (Know Thyself). I have always loved that quote, but it was not something I aspired to do. Now it is. I am who I am.

Right now, I am smiling.

Here are a few other quotes. Then, enjoy this video. Great song and more great quotes. :D

"Conform and be dull." ~ James Frank Dobie

"I'm not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I've always been a freak. So I've been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I'm one of those people." ~ John Lennon

"The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself." ~ Rita Mae Brown






I wish everyone Peace, Love and Happiness as we move on into 2009. ~ Kevin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topics are

"I RESOLVE TO..."
-or-
"MY BEST/WORST LIST FOR 2008"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private so that everyone can read your blog.

Blast from the past.- Strap in, shut-up, and hold on. We’re going back.

When I saw this, I just had to repost it.

This was
originally posted by Johnny Virgil on 10/12/07 on the blogsite
15 Minute Lunch.

--------------------------------------------------

Last weekend I put an exhaust fan in the ceiling for my wife's grandfather. After a bunch of hours spent in The Hottest Attic In The Universe, he had a ceiling fan that ducted to the side of his house.

While my brother-in-law and I were fitting the fan in between the joists, we found something under the insulation. What we found was this:



A JC Penney catalog from 1977. It's not often blog fodder just falls in my lap, but holy hell this was two solid inches of it, right there for the taking. I thumbed through it quickly and found my next dining room set, which is apparently made by adding upholstery to old barrels:



Also, I am totally getting this for my bathroom, because obviously nothing absorbs errant pee like a nice, thick shag:



There's plenty more home furnishings where those came from, however I'm not going to bore you with that. Instead, I'm going to bore you with something else. The clothes.

The clothes are fantastic. Imagine if you wore them today.

Here's how to get your ass kicked in elementary school:



Just look at that belt. It's like a boob-job for your pants. He probably needed help just to lift it into place. The belt loops have to be three inches long, for god's sake. And way to pull your pants up to your armpits, grandpa.

Here's how to get your ass kicked in high school:



This kid looks like he's pretending to be David Soul, who is pretending to be a cop who is pretending to be a pimp that everyone knows is really an undercover cop. Who is pretending to be 15.

Here's how to get your ass kicked on the golf course:



This "all purpose jumpsuit" is, according to the description, equally appropriate for playing golf or simply relaxing around the house. Personally, I can't see wearing this unless you happen to be relaxing around your cell in D-block. Even then, the only reason you should put this thing on is because the warden forced you to at gunpoint.

Here's how to get your ass kicked pretty much anywhere:



I'll bet these guys do ok with the ladies. If you look at that picture quickly, it looks like Mr. Bob "No-pants" Saget has his hand in the other guy's pocket. In this case, he doesn't, although you can tell just by looking at them that it's happened - or if it hasn't happened it will. Oh yes. It will. As soon as he puts down his color-coordinated coffee cup.

Here's how to get your ass kicked at the beach:



He looks like he's reaching for a gun, but you know it's probably just a bottle of suntan lotion in a holster.

How to get your ass kicked in a meeting:



If you wear this suit and don't sell used cars for a living, I believe you can be fined and face serious repercussions, up to and including termination. Or imprisonment, in which case you'd be forced to wear that orange jumpsuit; which, frankly, is a step up.

How to get your ass kicked on every day up to and including St. Patrick's Day



Dear god in heaven, I don't believe that color exists in nature. There is NO excuse for wearing either of these ensembles unless you're working as a body guard for the Lucky Charms leprechaun.

In this next one, Your Search For VALUE Ends at Penneys.



As does your search for chest hair.

And this -- Seriously. No words.



Oh wait, it turns out there are words after all, and those words are What. The. Fuck. I'm guessing the snap front gives you quick access to the chest hair. I think the little tie must be the pull tab. If you look closely, it says, "In case of chest hair emergency, pull tab quickly and back away."

Also, judging by the sheer amount of matching his/hers outfits, in 1977 it was apparently considered pretty stylish for couples to dress alike. These couples look happy, don't they?





I am especially fond of this one, which I have entitled "Cowboy Chachi Loves You Best."



And nothing showcases your everlasting love more than the commitment of matching bathing suits. That, and an appreciative blonde with a look on her face that says "I love the way your junk fights against that fabric."



Then, after the lovin', you can relax in your one-piece matching terry cloth jumpsuits:



I could go on, but I'm tired, and my eyes hurt from this trip back in time. I think it's the colors. I will leave you with these tasteful little numbers:




Man, that's sexy.

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GBE 68 - My Christmas, and my guilty pleasure. (one of them)

My Christmas day was a quiet one, spending time with my mom (my only family), relaxing and spending time online, especially youtube. I evaluated my life so far and I am thankful for all the blessings in my life. I really tried to remember what Christmas was all about.

I came across this one song (kinda got stuck on Lita), and was immediately reminded of a friend. I listened, going from one video to another. You think that youtube is not addicting? I was on there for hours, thanks to those "Related Videos".

So, revealed is my guilty pleasure. I am putting on some of the videos I enjoyed. Thank goodness for music. It was there, as it always is, to bring me out of my funk. I hope you enjoy them and I wish you ALL the best.

When you watch the last video, let us all hope that things will be better in 2009.

Peace ~ Kevin

Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne - Close My Eyes Forever






Metallica - Master Of Puppets - (Live Seattle 1989)






Guns.N.Roses-Sweet Child O'Mine






Lita Ford - Lisa (written for her mother who died of breast cancer)






Lita Ford - Falling In And Out Of Love






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is
"My Christmas Day"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private so that everyone can read your blog.

Lonely People ~ This is for you... for me...for us.

Lately, I have been reading and hearing how friends of mine and people I don't even know are lonely; sad; heartbroken; played. This has caused me to take a long look at my life. Some would call it soul-searching.

I will admit that I feel lonely at times. I can be in the middle of a crowd and feel so alone. At times I do feel that life has passed me by. That I will never have the love of another. Yet I love myself. I enjoy my own company. Aren't you supposed to love yourself before you can love another?

This is a major step for me. For those of you who know me, you know I am not one to reveal my feelings. I try and keep them hidden deep inside me. I don't do the greatest;
*my heart is on my sleeve*
*my face reveals what I am thinking*
*my words I must, I have to choose carefully*

But I have decided to accept the fact that I MIGHT have to live my biggest fear. That fear? Being without anyone to love or be loved by. But now that I have accepted it, it really is no longer a fear. The weight is off me.

Does this mean I have given up?

Does this mean I will no longer try?

Does this mean I won't feel a tug at my heart when I see a happy smiling couple?

No, I definitely won't give up. No, I still will try. And yes, I will still feel that little tug. I am just not going to dwell on it. I will enjoy my own company for now, until I find someone who will enjoy it also and who I can share it with. Who I can love, and be loved in return. I know someone is out there. With my little quirks and idiosyncrasies, it will take quite a patient and caring woman. One thing I do have is patience. Someday...

Please don't think I wrote this for comments saying "poor you". I wrote this for all of us; just a little bonus of me sharing me. :)
The following is for all who are feeling hurt. May you find whatever it is you are searching for.

Peace ~ Kevin

This is for all the lonely people

Thinking that life has passed them by
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
And ride that highway in the sky

This is for all the single people
Thinking that love has left them dry
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
You never know until you try

Well, I'm on my way
Yes, I'm back to stay
Well, I'm on my way back home (hit it)

This is for all the lonely people
Thinking that life has passed them by
Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup
And never take you down or never give you up

You never know until you try

Happy Holidays, everyone!!!

A beautiful, peaceful song with a really cool video that I happened to come across. Enjoy.

Happy Holidays, everyone.
Peace ~ Kev

GBE 67 - Alone

I saw the GBE subject this week and immediately thought of this song. Nothing else I can say, except from time to time, I've related to it. Especially the lines "Till now I always got by on my own, I never really cared until I met you." We all at one time or another feel alone. I love this song.





I hear the ticking of the clock
I'm lying here the room's pitch dark
I wonder where you are tonight
No answer on the telephone
And the night goes by so very slow
Oh I hope that it won't end though
Alone

CHORUS:
Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

You don't know how long I have wanted
To touch your lips and hold you tight
You don't know how long I have waited
You don't know how long I have waited
And I was gonna tell you tonight
But the secret is still my own
And my love for you is still unknown
Alone

CHORUS

How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone
Alone, alone


Now, a bonus point round. Listen to "What About Love", also by Heart. Listen especially to the chorus, and try to guess who sings backup for Ann Wilson. Can you? Listen and hear.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "On Being Alone"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private so that everyone can read your blog.

GBE 66 - LOYALTY

This weeks subject is Loyalty. This is a characteristic that I find to be an admirable trait in people and one I feel I have.

Merriam-Webster's defines Loyalty as:

The quality or state or an instance of being loyal

Function: noun Inflected

Form(s): plural loy·al·ties

Etymology: alteration of Middle English leawte, lewte, from Anglo-French lealté, leauté, from leal, leial loyal

Date:15th century

synonyms see fidelity.

"Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses." ~ Ann Landers (American Advice columnist, 1918-2002)



"The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty." ~ Zig Ziglar
(American motivational Speaker and Author. )







"At different states in our lives, the signs of love may vary: dependence, attraction, contentment, worry, loyalty, grief, but at the heart, the source is always the same. Human beings have the rare capacity to connect with each other, against all odds."



"Most important in a friendship? Tolerance and loyalty." ~ Joanne Kathleen Rowling (English Writer, author of Harry Potter, b. b.1965)



"Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence." ~ Colin Powell (Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-93)







"We are all in the same boat in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty." ~ G. K. Chesterton (English born Gabonese Critic, Essayist, Novelist and Poet, 1874-1936)



"The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals." ~ Rensis Likert



"When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I'll like it or not. Disagreement, at this stage, stimulates me. But once a decision has been made, the debate ends. From that point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own." ~ Colin Powell (Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-93)



"Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in every walk of life" ~ Napoleon Hill (American author, 1883-1970)







"Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values." ~ Ayn Rand (Russian born American Writer and Novelist, 1905-1982)



"Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice." ~ Woodrow T. Wilson (American 28th President of the United States 1856-1924)



"I'll take fifty percent efficiency to get one hundred percent loyalty." ~ Samuel Goldwyn (Polish born American movie Producer and Founder of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1924. 1882-1974)







"A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down." ~ Robert Benchley



"Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego and the drive to get things done." ~ Colin Powell (Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-93)



"Masters who sacrifice for servants will receive the gift of loyalty." ~ Proverb



"If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans" ~ James Herriot (Scottish Veterinarian and Writer. 1916-1995)







"The best way to keep loyalty in a man's heart is to keep money in his purse." ~ Irish Proverb



"Through loyalty to the past, our mind refuses to realize that tomorrow's joy is possible only if today's makes way for it; that each wave owes the beauty of its line only to the withdrawal of the preceding one." ~ Andre Gide (French writer, humanist and moralist, 1947 Nobel prize for literature, 1869-1951)



"In thy face I see the map of honor, truth, and loyalty" ~ William Shakespeare (English Dramatist, Playwright and Poet, 1564-1616)



"Besides pride, loyalty, discipline, heart, and mind, confidence is the key to all the locks." ~ Joe Paterno (American Football coach, b.1924)



"Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul." ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)







"Independence - is loyalty to one's best self and principles, and this is often disloyalty to the general idols and fetishes" ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)



"When put to the test, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness" ~ Elbert Hubbard (American editor, publisher and writer, 1856-1915)



"Always laugh heartily at the jokes your boss tells, it may be a loyalty test." "The rope by which the great blocks of taxes are attached to any citizenry is simple loyalty." ~ Stephen King (American Writer, best known for his horror novels. b.1947)



"Unless you can find some sort of loyalty, you cannot find unity and peace in your active living" ~ Josiah Royce (American Philosopher. 1855-1916)







"The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace." ~ Michael Jordan (American NBA Basketball Player, widely considered to be the greatest player in the history of the game, b.1963)



"Morale is the state of mind. It is steadfastness and courage and hope. It is confidence and zeal and loyalty. It is elan, esprit de corps and determination." ~General George Catlett Marshall (American military commander during WWII 1880-1959)



"Patriotism is voluntary. It is a feeling of loyalty and allegiance that is the result of knowledge and belief. A patriot shows their their patriotism through their actions, by their choice." ~ Jesse Ventura (American Governor of Minnesota, b.1952)



"Loyalty is a feature in a boy's character that inspires boundless hope." ~ Sir Robert Baden-Powell (British Army Officer, founder of the Boy Scouts, 1857-1941)



"The best things in life are never rationed. Friendship, loyalty, love, do not require coupons."







"If you want loyalty - get a dog. If you want loyalty and attention - get a smart dog." ~ Grant Fairley



"A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle." ~ George William Curtis (American social reformer, author and editor, 1824-1892)



"You've got to give loyalty down, if you want loyalty up." ~ Donald T. Regan



"Mere human beings can't afford to be fanatical about anything. Not even about justice or loyalty. The fanatic for justice ends by murdering a million helpless people to clear a space for his law-courts. If we are to survive on this planet, there must be compromises." ~ Storm Jameson







"People who love only once in their lives are. . . shallow people. What they call their loyalty, and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination." ~ Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)


"He who does not feel his friends to be the world to him, does not deserve that the world should hear of him." ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Playwright, Poet, Novelist and Dramatist. 1749-1832)


"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." ~ Josh Billings (American Humorist, 1818-1885)


"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.""There is no friend as loyal as a book." ~ Ernest Hemingway (American novelist and short-story writer, Won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954, 1899-1961)


"Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart" ~ Bible







"Unless you can find some sort of loyalty, you cannot find unity and peace in your active living" ~ Josiah Royce (American Philosopher. 1855-1916)



"Patriotism is just loyalty to friends, people, families." ~ Robert Santos "Loyalty is still the same, whether it win or lose the game; true as a dial to the sun, although it be not shined upon." ~ Samuel Butler (English novelist, essayist and critic, 1835-1902)


"Loyalty is a fine quality, but in excess it fills political graveyards." ~ Neil Kinnock (English Politician, b.1942)


"It is easier for a man to be loyal to his club than to his planet; the bylaws are shorter, and he is personally acquainted with the other members" ~ E. B. White (American writer 1899-1985)







Do you have a favorite quote about loyalty?
I'd love for you to tell me.
Please feel free to share any that I didn't list.

~Peace~

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This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "Loyalty"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private so that everyone can read your blog.