Every motion, being motion under resistance, must sooner or later come to an end...

"Every motion, being motion under resistance, must sooner or later come to an end; every rhythmic oscillation (unless externally reinforced) suffers some loss of rate and amplitude. The planets ride through a lesser orbit, or will ride, than once they rode; the sun will shine less warmly and brightly as the centuries pass away; the friction of the tides will retard the rotation of the earth. This globe, that throbs and murmurs with a million motions, and luxuriates into a million forms of riotously breeding life, will some day move more leisurely in its orbit and its parts; the blood will run cooler and more slowly in our desiccated veins; we shall not hurry any more; like dying races, we shall think of heaven in terms of rest and not of life; we shall dream of Nirvana. Gradually, and then rapidly, equilibration will become dissolution, the unhappy epilogue of evolution. Societies will disintegrate, masses will migrate, cities will fade into the dark hinterland of peasant life; no government will be strong enough to hold the loosened parts together; social order will cease to be even remembered. And in the individual too, integration will give way to disruption; and that coordination which is life will pass into that diffuse disorder which is death. The earth will be a chaotic theatre of decay, a gloomy drama of energy in irreversible degradation; and it will itself be resolved into the dust and nebula from which it came. The cycle of evolution and dissolution will be complete. The cycle will begin again, and endless times again; but always this will be the denouement. Memento mori is written upon the face of life; and every birth is a prelude to decay and death."

-- Will Durant on Herbert Spencer's "Equilibration"

Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat.

"Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat."

-- Napoleon Hill (1883 – 1970) American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
-- Gandhi

The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.

"The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world."

-- Marianne Williamson

Our military presence on foreign soil is as offensive to the people that live there as armed Chinese troops would be if they were stationed in TX

"The reality is that our military presence on foreign soil is as offensive to the people that live there as armed Chinese troops would be if they were stationed in Texas. We would not stand for it here, but we have had a globe-straddling empire and a very intrusive foreign policy for decades that incites a lot of hatred and resentment toward us."

-– Ron Paul

Beautiful pictures are developed from negatives in a dark room...

"Beautiful pictures are developed from negatives in a dark room... So if you see darkness in your life be reassured that a beautiful picture is being prepared."

-- Unknown

You build up a whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your s

"Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses. You build up a whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life... You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' or 'how very perceptive' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a body-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. Nothing should be able to do that. Especially not love. I hate love."

-- Neil Gaiman, as the character "Rose Walker" in The Sandman #65

You need a little bit of insanity to do great things.

"Want a good body? Work at it. Want to be a success? Work at it. Want to be truly exceptional? Be a touch insane... You need a little bit of insanity to do great things."
-- Henry Rollins

Do you ever feel that life is like a choose-your-own-adventure book?

"Do you ever feel that life is like a choose-your-own-adventure book? Every choice changes the story, opening up some possibilities, and closing off others. Except in real life if you make a bad choice you can't go back and try again, you are stuck with your first decision."

-- Laurell K. Hamilton

The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life.

"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl."
-- Stephan Hoeller