Small Minds

"Small minds have always lashed out at what they don't understand. There are those who create...and those who tear down. That dynamic has existed for all time."

-- Katherine Solomon to Robert Langdon in Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" (p.503)

The Precise Problem

"Yes! Exactly! You've put your finger on the precise problem! The moment mankind separated himself from God, the true meaning of the Word was lost. The voices of the ancient masters have been drowned out, lost in the chaotic din of self-proclaimed practitioners shouting that they alone understand the Word...that the Word is written in their language and none other."

-- Peter Solomon to Robert Langdon in Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" (p.492)

Jesus Highjacked!

"From the Crusades, to the Inquisition, to American politics - the name Jesus had been highjacked as an ally in all kinds of power struggles. Since the beginning of time, the ignorant had always screamed the loudest, herding the unsuspecting masses and forcing them to do their bidding. They defend their worldly desires by citing Scripture they did not understand. They celebrated their intolerance as proof of their convictions. Now, after all these years, mankind had finally managed to utterly erode everything that had once been so beautiful about Jesus."

-- Dean Galloway in Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" (p.327)

Our Own Life

"Maybe it's easier to like someone else's life, and live vicariously through it, than take some responsiblity to change our lives into lives we might like."

--Tish Grier

Making Adjustments

"The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings."

--Okakura Kakuzo

"To repeat what others have said, requires education; to challenge it, requires brains."

--Mary Pettibone Poole

Fruit

"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?"

--Frank Scully

Mistakes

"Mistakes are the portals of discovery."

--James Joyce

The Present

"The time is now, the place is here. Stay in the present. You can do nothing to change the past, and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for."

--Dan Millman

Kindness

"Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world."

--Annie Lennox