The ideal victory is not that which is won because the contestant had everything in his favor. It is rather the one which is gained in spite of the odds which the contestant had against him. It is what men do that lives after them. There is an earthly side to immortality. The deeds done in the flesh make an epitaph which cannot deceive. The will of man is not only his danger, but it is also his hope. The voice with which we cry into the past is echoless, and ineffectual are the hands with which we beat against its closed portals. Very swiftly [time] flies by us, but not so swiftly but that we can tinge it with the very color of our souls as it passes. He shrank from [high duty and responsibility], as greatness usually does. True worth is seldom a candidate. In church and state alike, things go better when the office seeks the man. ...Jesus saved by believing in sinners.---The human heart shrivels under accusation. It blossoms under the radiant influence of someone’s confidence. If they work on week days as they ought to work, they will not be found complaining of too much rest on Sunday. The whole world has for a norm the attitude of the individual toward it. One has but one chance at this life, and he has a right to make that one effort the best possible. The waste of [any of a day’s 24 hours] is the same kind of a mistake as is the waste of money or property.---The person who keeps any one else waiting for him is guilty of theft. Finding one’s true place in the world is a serious matter. Find out what you are good for; get ready to do that thing well; then do it with all your might. If the thing you are doing is worth while, don’t give it up. The rewards of the game are won neither by the fine beginning nor the brilliant play, but by the steady endurance which holds on to the last. Life is one great endurance test. You will never have cause to complain of any day that has witnessed real progress. Whatever [life’s consequences] be called, it is not a penalty imposed, but a result arrived at. Whoever succeeds must carry a cross of self-denial. One has little ground for satisfaction over a mere random success. It is real achievement that brings enduring satisfaction. Awareness/Perspective/Thought The best thing that can happen to the truth is that it be investigated. The truth, however, is never reached by methods of prejudice or undue assumption. It is approached by fair and honest habits of thought. We need but to look at the facts. One owes it to truth also to know the other side. One must at least give others credit for having opinions. Listen to all, and accept only that which seems to bear the test of truth. Stay with the right, though all the rest of the world disagree with you. If you find that your position was wrong, forsake it immediately. Thinking is not always the order of the day, however, when either profit or appetite is involved.