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    “When one of his workers asked for help in decision making, Gandhi told him, “I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starved millions? Then you will find your doubts and yourself melting away.” ~ Keshavan Nair, A Higher Standard of Leadership

      “Gandhi believed in the intrinsic good in every individual – the universality of humankind. He asked individuals to search for the truth that was within them and to act in accordance with their conscience. He devoted a great deal of his life trying to convince people to acknowledge the good in others, to reject differences based on caste, religion, and social position, and to work for the welfare of all.” ~ Keshavan Nair, A Higher Standard of Leadership

      Still I Rise

        You may write me down in history
        With your bitter, twisted lies,
        You may trod me in the very dirt
        But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

        Does my sassiness upset you?
        Why are you beset with gloom?
        ‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
        Pumping in my living room.

        Just like moons and like suns,
        With the certainty of tides,
        Just like hopes springing high,
        Still I’ll rise.

        Did you want to see me broken?
        Bowed head and lowered eyes?
        Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
        Weakened by my soulful cries?

        Does my haughtiness offend you?
        Don’t you take it awful hard
        ‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
        Diggin’ in my own backyard.

        You may shoot me with your words,
        You may cut me with your eyes,
        You may kill me with your hatefulness,
        But still, like air, I’ll rise.

        Does my sexiness upset you?
        Does it come as a surprise
        That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
        At the meeting of my thighs?

        Out of the huts of history’s shame
        I rise
        Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
        I rise
        I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
        Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

        Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
        I rise
        Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
        I rise
        Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
        I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
        I rise
        I rise
        I rise.

        ~ Maya Angelou, 1928 – 2014

        —— —— ——

        Click Here to see Maya Angelou Read this Poem herself!

        I Am Malala [Book]

          I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

          By:  Malala Yousafzai

          From this Book:  6 Quotes

          Book Overview:  When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.  On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.  I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.  I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person’s voice to inspire change in the world.

          Buy from Amazon!  Listen on Audible!

          Great on Kindle. Great Experience. Great Value. The Kindle edition of this book comes highly recommended on Amazon.

          Post(s) Inspired by this Book:

            “The television reports gave me my first inkling of a world beyond my own, a world that wasn’t fair or equal, a world of poverty, war, disease and famine. But I also realized that this state of affairs wasn’t necessarily a given, and that we have it in our power to make a difference, to make the world a better place for all. We have that choice. One thing’s for sure, though – if we do nothing, it will be a given.” ~ Chrissie Wellington, A Life Without Limits

              “The desire to rule over others, the will to power, is one of the greatest crimes that man has committed.”

              Osho, The Book of Understanding (page 177)

                “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

                  “If physical death is the price that I must pay to free my white brothers and sisters from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

                    “That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

                      “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

                        “Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

                          “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

                            “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

                              “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” ~ Martin Luther King

                                “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.