“We were born of risen apes, not fallen angels, and the apes were armed killers besides. And so what shall we wonder at? Our murders and massacres and missiles, and our irreconcilable regiments? Or our treaties whatever they may be worth; our symphonies however seldom they may be played; our peaceful acres, however frequently they may be converted to battlefields; our dreams however rarely they may be accomplished. The miracle of man is not how far he has sunk but how magnificently he has risen. We are known among the stars by our poems, not our corpses.”
Robert Ardrey via Acts of God
“There is nothing wrong with making mistakes. Mistakes are part of life an essential for growth. It’s like that saying, ‘Happiness comes through good judgment, good judgment comes through experience, and experience comes through bad judgement.’ But there is something very wrong with making the same mistakes over and over again, day in and day out. This shows a complete lack of self-awareness, the very quality that separates humans from animals.” ~ Robin S. Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
“The happiness you are searching for comes through reflecting on the worthy aims you are dedicated to achieving and then taking action daily to advance them. This is a direct application of the timeless philosophy which prescribes that those things which are most important should never be sacrificed to those things which are the least important.” ~ Robin S. Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
“There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only opportunities to grow, learn and advance along the road of self-mastery. From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher.” ~ Robin S. Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
“Every event has a purpose and every setback its lesson. I have realized that failure, whether of the personal, professional or even spiritual kind, is essential to personal expansion. It brings inner growth and a whole host of psychic rewards. Never regret your past. Rather, embrace it as the teacher that it is.” ~ Robin S. Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
Poem from Jamesy Boy – A Young Man’s Resolve to Keep Moving Forward in Spite of Incredible Life Challenges
In my mind, there’s a boy who exists in chains.
Inside a cold, dark room of painful solitude is where he will remain.
Behind these walls, the sorrow is inevitable, as relentless as the passage of time.
Mentalities corrupt and dark, brainwashed, and hopelessly blind.
Prisons are packed with crowded spaces, lifers and guards with hollow faces.
Shackled hearts afraid of changes, and weakened wills become complacent.
Yet, I maintain with patience, time can limit but not shatter my will, strength blazed across my chest as solid as penitentiary steel.
But the silence speaks, it tells me all I need to hear, it confirms my beliefs and its promises I have to fear.
It reminds me that without freedom, I’m alone.
And these whitewashed walls don’t make up for blackened souls.
I’ve given 95% of my boys a handshake than a pound, before they were either locked down or buried off in cemetery grounds.
What I’ve done is who I am, but who I am is what I do now.
I won’t let up or cease to fight.
Just time, I plan on doing it right.
And what’s right lies within me.
I’m learning to appreciate my struggle for it would be hard to find the joy of accomplishment without it.
We live and we learn.
We rise and we fall.
Like the heartbeat of a sleeping giant, with bittersweet dreams.
Stay up, never down.
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More: Poems // Resources on Starting Fresh
Watch: Jamesy Boy [2014]
