Companionship of Books
A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.
A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.
Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, ‘Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this:” Love me, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.
A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.
Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive e but what is really good.
Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see the as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe.
The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which on still listens.
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Three Days to See
All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited.
Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets?
Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the Epicurean motto of “Eat, drink, and be merry”. But most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death.
In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune, but almost always his sense of values is changed. He becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do.
Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.
The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
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Priceless Youth
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.
Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonders, the unfailing appetite for what’s next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart, there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, courage and power from man and from the infinite, so long as you are young.
When your aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you’ve grown old, even at 20; but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there’s hope you may die young at 80.
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Keep your original intention
you may not be ideal, but can't be cheeky; You can not great, but can't mean; You can not wise, not confused; You can not learned, but can't ignorance; You can not make friends, but can't withdrawn; You can not optimistic, but can't cynical; You can not generous, but can't deliberately; You can not pursue, but can't envy; You can not aggressive, but can't step backward.
Learn to forget
have grades will immediately forget, such ability won't look for trouble; Have the wrong to keep in mind, such ability won't repeat; Have the opportunity to jump on, such ability won't lose opportunity; Have the difficulties to find countermeasures, such ability solved.
What is lacking is practice
we lack of opportunity, but not for opportunity; We less not wealth, is the ability to create wealth; We lack is not knowledge, but you won't feel bored manner; We lack is not ideal, but physically practice. .com
Passion makes people progress
without passion, love is not burning; No friendship, friends won't full; No lofty sentiments, he was hard to realize; Not in the mood, it is hard to finish.
Favorite love
the starting point is love, spoiled foothold is hate; Jealousy is the starting point, the foothold is back into; The starting point of the dream is (bad), the foothold h.preparation is empty; Greed is the starting point of the surplus, the foothold is deficient.
Learning wisdom
not lit the spark of wisdom, clever mind also will be a stupid; Don't practice of establishment of the target, the romantic ideal will also lose luster; Do not value the precious time, the years of the life will be brief; Summarize experience of failure, not simple things make you do it.
Confidence makes success
only make his mind up himself, the body of the bending confidence to straight; Only to the cowardly strong body and bound up the steps to plan; Only make their narrow open up, shortsighted eye can put far; Only make his mind up, the foolish foolish fantasy to abandon!
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The power of knowledge is infinite
with knowledge to push the waves of thinking sails, with wisdom of Mars to ignite the spark of thought, with a romantic passion to create the good life, with the power of science to strong a pair of wings!
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happy is he who is content
people can not beautiful, but to health; One can not great, but be happy; One can not perfect, but want to pursue.
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There will always be opportunities in life
Our destiny offers not the cup of despair, but the chalice of opportunity.
I've been thinking about you
Why I have never catched the happiness? Whenever I want you ,I will be accompanyed by the memory of...
The price of love
It is well worth of falling love in someone,even can keep up with the unavoidable damage。
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