Mystic Heart Song

Happiness depends upon ourselves. Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper.

Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.

Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.

Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.

My best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake. Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.

Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.

Excellence is never an accident. Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.

Excellence is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.

“The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle observed that pleasure with its instant gratification was not the same as happiness. Building a life of true happiness took patience and time, plus it involved living life with a purpose. Most often, that purpose was not to satisfy our own wants, but to bless the lives of others. We all deserved the kind of happiness that didn’t come cheap, was available for more than a limited time and that lasted for more than an instant – a happiness that came through serving others that lasted forever.” Judy Byington

Aristotle’s views profoundly shaped medieval scholarship. The influence of physical science extended from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages into the Renaissance. Aristotle was revered among medieval Muslim scholars as “The First Teacher”, and among medieval Christians as simply “The Philosopher”, while the poet Dante called him “the master of those who know.”