Benjamin Franklin

Genius without education is like silver in the mine.

Trouble springs from idleness and grievous toil from needless ease.

It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.

A small leak can sink a great ship.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.

Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.

The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.

Many a man thinks he is buying pleasure, when he is really selling himself to it.

He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.

The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.

Energy and persistence alter all things.

Most people return small favors, acknowledge medium ones and repay greater ones -- with ingratitude.

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [

O.S. January 6, 1705] – April 17, 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass 'armonica'. He formed both the first public lending library in America and first fire department in Pennsylvania. He was an early proponent of colonial unity and as a political writer and activist he, more than anyone, invented the idea of an American nation and as a diplomat during the American Revolution, he secured the French alliance that helped to make independence possible.
Franklin is credited as being foundational to the roots of American values and character, a marriage of the practical and democratic Puritan values of thrift, hard work, education, community spirit, self-governing institutions, and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious, with the scientific and tolerant values of the Enlightenment. In the words of Henry Steele Commager, "In Franklin could be merged the virtues of Puritanism without its defects, the illumination of the Enlightenment without its heat. To Walter Isaacson, this makes Franklin, "the most accomplished American of his age and the most influential in inventing the type of society America would become.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, philosopher, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century. His teachings directly influenced the growing New Thought movement of the mid 1800s.


The one thing in the world, of value, is the active soul.

Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.

Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us what we can be.

To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.

Imagination is not a talent of some men, but is the health of every man.

In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that I am his pupil.

Shallow men believe in luck, believe in circumstances. Strong men believe in cause and effect.

If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mousetrap, than his neighbor, though he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.

Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.

They can conquer who believe they can. He has not learned the first lesson in life who does not every day surmount a fear.

Speak the affirmative; emphasize your choice by utterly ignoring all that you reject.

Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons.

The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friendship.

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered.

The years teach much which the days never knew.

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it

An Idea For Action...

Japanese Garden Portland Oregon

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An Idea For Action

How Routine Is Your Routine?

Schedule an established weekly routine for your most productive activities. As you go through the day, identify activities that have the highest payoff for you and build enjoyable routines around those activities.

Today's Quest...

What are your most productive work activities?

Wouldn't it be helpful to increase the number of times that you perform your most productive activities?

What supportive activities could you transform into a routine that assists and augments your more productive activities?

"Don't tell me how hard you work. Tell me how much you get done."~ James Ling

Look back on your hopes and dreams for 2008. Now, look forward to 2009.

Are you ambitious enough to achieve even more?

"The men/women who succeed are the efficient few. They are the few who have the ambition and will power to develop themselves." ~ Herbert N. Casson

I define AMBITION as a strong inner-desire to achieve your most heart-felt goals... to actually LIVE what you value most.

Without moralizing the issue, ambition is about power. And you will find no greater power in life than actually declaring—and then living—your personal values.

What more is there than living your top 10 values? That's right, nothing.

You will have your best day ever—every single day—when you put more of what you value into every single action you take.

The simple fact is, a short list of values is all you need to design a well-lived life. Your values are those ideals such as freedom, beauty, honor, love, wisdom, giving, teaching, family or adventure that are more important to you than anything else.

A condensed list of values gives clarity to your life and establishes your ideal standards. This list is your best guide to personal and professional satisfaction. Put your list of personal values in writing—commit it to memory—and live each word—each and every day.

Have You Put It In Writing Yet?

If you haven't written down what's most important to you, at least find the time today to start the list. This will be the most time-productive thing you'll ever do.

Create a file called "most important" and begin a list before you leave today. This list will give clarity to your life and establish firm standards for you to live by.

Don't Know Where To Begin?

If you're hung up contemplating which values mean the most to you, go with your first response. Write it down. You can always review and revise your list later. Write down at least one of your deepest values before the end of this day.

How Can You Get To The Heart Of The Matter?

To discover what's most important to you, quiet the incessant chatter inside your head and listen closely to what your heart has to say.

Take a moment today to see if you can quiet the inner chatter, even briefly. A heart is a terrible thing to ignore.

How Will You Be Remembered?

If you want to know what's most important in your life, try writing your own obituary. The prospect of your own mortality quickly puts everything in perspective.
Start examining your life today, and record what's most important for you to experience during the limited time you have.

What Are The Ideals You Live By?

Values and ideals are similar. When determining your values, look toward the ideals you've always held. Use these to help specify your list of guiding values.

Examining your ideals gives you insight into your most heartfelt values.

It Takes Ambition...

Again, I ask the question, just how ambitious are you? Do you have the ambition to LIVE what's most important to you?

Why not?

Personally, I believe that if you learn to set highly desirable GOALS for yourself, and approach them with a high ENERGY level, together with a positive/optimistic ATTITUDE, you are well on your way to the success you desire.

We are now closing in on the end of summer. Time is running out for achieving your dreams and goals THIS year. But, if you have the AMBITION, you can still fast-track your success... simply by turning up your TQ a notch or two. -- E.R. Haas, CEO

"It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." ~ Roy Disney

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THINK TQ - The world leader in on-demand assessment and virtual training products for personal, corporate, and professional excellence. Think TQ has been publishing award-winning software, books, and systems for over 25 years.

QUOTE BY JIM ROHN

Columbia River and Mt Hood - Portland Oregon

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You must take personal responsibility.

You cannot change the circumstances,

the seasons, or the wind,

but you can change yourself.

That is something you have charge of.

Jim Rohn - Motivational speaker, author, entrepreneur