Thoughts on Thursday, Vol. 6

Here we are again...almost at the end of another week! Can you believe how far into 2011 we've already come? It amazes me when I think about it.

For today's Thoughts on Thursday, I thought I'd explore quotes about a few important qualities that I've been reflecting on lately.

First up is self-respect.

"In my day, we didn't have self-esteem, we had self-respect, and no more of it than we had earned." ~Jane Haddam

"He that respects himself is safe from others; he wears a coat of mail that none can pierce." ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." ~Cyril Connolly

"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~Frederick Douglass

"They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them." ~Mahatma Gandhi

I love every one of those. I've been reflecting a lot on people in my life who I hold as high examples of self respect, and I've really been thinking about how I stand among them. I feel like I'm someone who's pretty true to myself. It also makes certain relationships in my life stand strong and others fall to the wayside, because surrounding oneself with people who possess the traits one admires is a great way to foster those traits in oneself, don't you think?

Now, some thoughts on being yourself.

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." ~e.e. cummings

"Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess, and to gain applause which he cannot keep." ~Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, 1750

"Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another." ~Homer

"I am much better employed from every point of view, when I live solely for my own satisfaction, than when I begin to worry about the world. The world frightens me, and a frightened man is no good for anything." ~George Gissing

"Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you?" ~Fanny Brice

Lastly, some quotes on integrity. A most important attribute if ever there was one, in my book.

"I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day." ~Abraham Lincoln

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." ~William Shakespeare

"Transcend political correctness and strive for human righteousness." ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught." ~J.C. Watts

"Character is much easier kept than recovered." ~Thomas Paine

So, there you have it. I think reflecting on the traits I want to see in myself makes me take note of the traits of those in my life. It makes me think about who I look up to, you know? What about you? Feel free to sound off on other things you think are important in the comments section, and I'll see you folks here again tomorrow for our Friday Funnies.

♥ Marlee