Gender is the Key, but language is the biggest problem.
So for archive quotes, take the masculine to include the feminine.
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there — Rumi
Know a tree by it's fruit — The Bible
A Persian saying... 'The Walnut Tree'
Other people planted, so we could eat,
...We plant, so others may eat!
'IF' - by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Oh Great Spirit,
Earth, Sun, Sea and Sky
You are inside...
and, all a-round me!
"Men do not live only by fighting evils.
They live by positive goals... a vast variety of them" A.J. Ayer
Desiderata by Max Ehrmann 1927
"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."
HYMNS
Little words of kindness,How they cheer the heart;
What a world of gladness
Will a smile impart!
How a gentle accent
Calms the troubled soul,
When the waves of passion
O'er it wildly roll!
Little acts of kindness,
Nothing do they cost
Yet, when they are wanting,
Life's best charm is lost.
Little acts of kindness,
Richest gems on earth,
Through they seem but trifles,
Priceless is their worth.
Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me!
Help me to set the higher self free,
So shall I serve and worship Thee.
Chorus
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, thy will to see;
Open my eyes; illumine me,
Spirit Divine.
Open my ears that I may hear
Voices of truth serene and clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Discord and strife will disappear.
Silently now etc.
Open my mouth, and let me bear
Witness unceasing to Thy care;
Open my heart, and teach me to share
Love, with Thy children everywhere.
Silently now etc.
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed;
Chorus
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees:
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;
Chorus: Then sings my soul, etc
My Father God, when in my meditation,
I close my eyes and turn my thoughts to Thee:
Then all the host of that vast world around us,
Will lift my soul with breathless energy:
Chorus: Then sings my soul, etc
When dawns the day the world will come to reason,
And harken to Thy messenger of love:
Then will mankind be ready for Thy promise,
Of life eternal in the realms above:
Chorus: Then sings my soul, etc
Courage, brother, do not stumble,
Though thy path be black as night;
There's a star to guide the humble;
Trust in God, and do the right.
Let the road be rough and dreary,
And its end far out of sight,
Foot it bravely, strong or weary -
Trust in God, and do the right.
Perish policy and cunning!
Perish all that fears the light!
Whether losing, whether winning,
Trust in God, and do the right.
Trust no party, sect, or faction;
Trust no leaders in the fight;
But in every word and action,
Trust in God, and do the right.
Simple rule, and safest guiding,
Inward peace and inward might,
Star upon our path abiding -
Trust in God, and do the right.
Some will hate thee, some will love thee,
Some will flatter, some will slight,
Cease from man, and look above thee -
Trust in God, and do the right.
The Vesper
Dear Angel guides may your sweet peace
Remain with us till this life cease
Then bear our souls to that bright shore
Where loved ones meet to part no more.
Amen.
The Five Precepts that the Buddha taught:
I undertake to abstain from harming living beings.
I undertake to abstain from taking the not given.
I undertake to abstain from sexual misconduct.
I undertake to abstain from false speech.
I undertake to abstain from intoxicants that cloud the mind.
"In this world, Hate never yet dispelled hate.
Only love dispels hate.
This is the Law, Ancient and Inexhaustible."