February 12
BELIEF ABOUT BELIEF
February 3
“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”
-Voltaire
February 1
“What is my purpose in life?” I asked the void. “What if I told you that you fulfilled it when you took an extra hour to talk to that kid about his life?” said the voice. “Or when you paid for that young couple in that restaurant? Or when you saved that dog in traffic? Or when you tied your father’s shoes for him?
Your problem is that you equate purpose with goal-based achievement. God or the Universe or morality isn’t interested in your achievements… just your heart. When you choose to act out of kindness, compassion and love, you are already aligned with your true purpose. No need to look any further.”
– Tao & Zen
January 29
“The pitcher has got only a ball. I’ve got a bat. So, the percentage of weapons is in my favor and I let the fellow with the ball do the fretting.”
-Hank Aaron
January 27
“Failure is part of success. There is no such thing as a bed of roses all your life. But failure will never stand in the way of success if you learn from it.”
Hank Aaron
January 25
“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do is keep swinging.”
Hank Aaron
January 18
The first rule of leadership is to tell the truth.”
Jeh Johnson
January 11
“The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”
Plato
November 19
Perseverance produces character; character, hope; and hope never disappoints us.
Romans
November 9
Credit – Mother Teresa
November 3
“We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.”
–Will Rogers
June 29
“Any fight worth fighting is worth fighting again and again.”
-John Gardner
June 23
“This life therefore
is not righteousness
but growth in righteousness.
Not health but healing.
Not being but becoming.
Not rest but exercise.
June 19
“What do I require of thee, but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God?”
-Micah
June 4
“Hard things are hard.”
-A plaque on the desk of President Obama in the Oval Office
June 1
“If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships- the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together and work together in the same world, at peace.”
– FDR, in a never delivered speech drafted in Warm Springs just before his death
May 21
“Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.”
-Peter Drucker
May 17
THE CROW AND THE RABBIT- Modern Parable
A rabbit was hopping through the forest and encountered a crow sitting several limbs up a large tree. The rabbit stopped, looked up at the crow, and inquired, “What are you doing, Mr. Crow?”
“Just sitting here doing nothing,” Crow replied. “Mind if I join you for a while?” asked Rabbit. “Be my guest,” replied Crow.
Unbeknownst to Rabbit a fox was lurking behind the tree and suddenly attacked rabbit, devouring him on the spot.
And the moral of that story is this: If you are sitting around doing nothing, you better be pretty high up.
-Unknown
May 11
May 7
May 4
“I am neither a pessimist nor an optimist – I am a prisoner of hope.”
-Desmond Tutu
April 30
” Evil is allowed to survive when good people do nothing.”– Anon
April 27
“Leadership matters.”
– Jim Collins
April 23
“It wasn’t a disaster to be wrong- it was a disaster to make a decision that wasn’t properly based.”
-Anon, LeadingAge Member Trustee
April 20
April 17
“The worst decisions I ever made were the ones I didn’t make soon enough.”
April 13
“A paradox of leadership: when things are going well, people at the top often get too much credit. When things are not going well, leaders don’t really get the blame they deserve.”
-Larry Minnix
March 9
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
-Isaiah
March 6
“Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining.”
-Eli Feldman
April 3
“I’ve decided to get up every morning, tuck my titties in my pantyhose and keep on moving!”
-Virginia, a senior community resident going through a hard time
March 31
“Perseverance produces character; character, hope; and hope never disappoints us.”
-St. Paul in Romans
March 26
March 23
March 19
“You’ve no doubt heard it said the first criterion of leadership is: is there anybody following? I have come to believe that the question is the second criterion. The real first criterion of leadership is: Is there anybody actually leading”
-Larry Minnix
March 16
March 12
“It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.”
-Hubert H. Humphrey
March 9
…. think about this wisdom– fitting in professional as well as personal situations.
March 2
- “This would be a great time in the world for some man {or woman} to come along that knew something.”- Will Rogers
- “The forest was shrinking, but the trees kept voting for the ax. For the ax was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was wood, he was one of them.”- Turkish Fable
Introduction
When I retired from LeadingAge in 2015, they named the LeadingAge Leadership Academy in my honor – the greatest professional honor that I could imagine. Several hundred emerging leaders have completed the year-long fellowship program. The inaugural class gave me a gift – a leather-bound blank journal book to record reflections in it. It now reflects 15 years of quotes from others as well as my own ponderings. I tend to be folksy, so many of them begin with, “Like my late Uncle Clarence used to say …” or “Like my cousin Bubba always says…” I plan to put one or two a week on my web site.
I hope you take a look from time to time and find the “wisdom” meaningful– and encourage you to write down your own as they come to you. Some times I will offer brief commentary or context, but most often will let the pieces stand on their own.
Larry, your book is a wonderful reflection for reminding us why we live this work with older adults and why we entered the field! I have shared your book with our board and senior staff!
Ken…. you have made my day!… Let me know of any reax. hoping the book helps people! God bless!…Larry
I really enjoy these quotes. Keep them coming. Always loved your cousin Bubba stories!
Be on the lookout for Dan stories in the future…Larry
Larry,
These are such nuggets of clarity. Thank you for sharing them with all of us.
Thanks, Fran….. good to hear from you!…Larry
Larry, It is great to see your wisdom and witticisms…….Thank you for sharing. I have always enjoyed your “folksy” comments and sayings. I retired the year before you, and I can say it was the best decision for me. Enjoy your retirement and time with your family and friends. Take care.
Great to hear from you, Betty! Glad you are enjoying life!…Larry
Thank you! Hope you’ll keep reading….Stay safe…Larry Minnix