Category: On this day in history

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have little” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt, Speeches, 1937

The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home ~ Confucius, Analects, 5th century BC

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” ~ Martin Luther King Jr

We all have life storms, and when we get the rough times and we recover from them, we should celebrate that we got through it. No matter how bad it may seem, there’s always something beautiful that you can find ~ Mattie Stepanek, Poetry collections, early 2000s

To judge a man by his weakest link or deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave” ~ Elvis Presley

There will be those who will tell you that you can’t make it because of how you look, because of the way you talk. We’ve all heard that – I almost listened ~ Douglas Wilder

“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me ~ Bruce Wayne, in Batman Begins

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything” ~ George Bernard Shaw, plays and essays, 1900s

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” ~ Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, 65 AD

Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing” ~ John Stuart Mill, inaugural address delivered at the University of St Andrews

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything” ~ George Bernard Shaw, Plays and writings, early 20th century

Freedom of speech must always include the courage to defend ideas, even when they offend” ~ Voltaire, Letters, 18th century

Champions are made when no one is watching, and strength is proven when everything goes wrong” ~ Nancy Kerrigan, Interviews, 1994

We are all waiting for something—what matters is how we spend the waiting, and whether we create meaning while we wait” ~ Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot, 1953

Adversity shows us the strength we didn’t know we had” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays, 1841

The first step toward change is simply daring to take it” ~ Alice Sanger, Sanger’s letters, 1890

Unity without freedom is oppression; freedom without unity is chaos” ~ Edward Heath, Heath’s address, 1973

Celebrate endings—for they precede new beginnings” ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie

To those who carry too big a burden to make it on their own, I want you to reach out and take your share of this…Because if I have earned it, so too have you” ~ Frank Sinatra, while accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred, for freedom is rooted in honesty and justice” ~ Václav Havel, Havel’s inauguration speech, 1989

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” ~ Galileo Galilei, Sidereus Nuncius, 1612

The Earth is a small and fragile place, but its beauty reminds us of the responsibility we share to protect it” ~ Frank Borman

To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable” ~ Ludwig van Beethoven

I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year. For in giving, we find our greatest treasures” ~ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, 1843

Equality for women is progress for all. When women thrive, communities and nations prosper” ~ Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

Even in war, there must be a line that humanity cannot cross; without it, we become what we claim to fight against” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success” ~ James Cameron

The strength of a nation lies in its unity, courage, and the perseverance of its people” ~ Frederick Douglass, 1876

The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” ~ William Wordsworth

Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” ~ James Dean, Dean’s personal writings, 1954