Once-time ambulance driver Ernest Hemingway was honored with the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature with these stated remarks, "...for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style."

il faut d'abord durer

French in origin the phrase translates to "first, one must last." I invite you to give me your perspective. It reminds me that we must act with the thought that our actions will be remembered for eternity.

1978 Nobel Laureate of Literature, Gabriel García Márquez wrote various novels, screenplays and most known for his journalistic writings traveling through Mexico and Europe.

A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father.

I don't know why, but i am shocked when told of the 'spitting-image' resemblance, mannerism and habits of his.

In his will, Alfred Bernhard Nobel established an Award to recognize and inspire those of genius, creativity and perserverance.

If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied.

I wonder sometimes the unlimited potential I could have, if only I focused my energies.

More about the life of Mr. Noble.

2000 Nobel Prize Winner of Literature, Gao Xingjian is revered for his writings and story=telling. In time, he was banned by the Chinese government for his expressions of life, politics and society.

When you use words, you're able to keep your mind alive. Writing is my way of reaffirming my own existence.

I find the expression of thoughts in writing or in speech to cleanse my mind and clarity of spirit.

Read more about Gao.

Britian's Margaret Thatcher is the only woman to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Her reign lasted 11 years and 2 US Presidents.

Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.

As a dear friend often tells, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." Whether right or wrong, we must make a decision, stand by it, learn and live.

Bo Jackson was the first athlete named to play in the All-Star Game of two major sports, baseball and football. Nike catch phrase
'Bo Knows' soon made him a household name and an athlete icon. Jackson suffered a career-ending injury in 1991, by which he never fully recovered physically and making this comment,

God has his way of opening up our eyes to see reality.

No matter of social status, it seems to me that we too often get caught up in our lives failing to see reality. If we were only to sit back, open our eyes and see what is around us, perhaps we would all be more grateful.

Business mogul and Richest Man in the World Andrew Carnegie said,

As I grow older, I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch what they do.

Carnegie publicly stated his wealth was given to benefit the community, he called philanthropy a moral obligation. During his life, he donated over $350 Million and was directly responsible for establishing over 2500 public libraries believing every person had the right to self-educate themself.

It is sad commentary that we too commonly say one thing
and do another.

The famous War-Time Prime Minister and British Leader Sir Winston Churchill said,

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

When I feel compelled to speak, it is sometimes tougher to stay silent than is to speak my mind, and other times, it is more righteous to speak than let be overshadowed in silence. For this reason, it is not in speaking or listening that courage is found, but in the decisive action of doing one lest the other.

A quick side note of trivia: Churchill proposed marriage to the Academy Award-Winning Actress Ethel Barrymore, she declined.
I say she had courage.

Author and Pulitzer-Prize Columnist Anna Quindlen tell us,

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.

Hamburger king Ray Kroc said,

"When you're green, you're
growing. When you're ripe,
you rot."

Note: Kroc is not the original founder of McDonald's (see wikipedia), he created the corporation franchising McDonald's across the US and internationally.

The literary and spiritual writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson have been loved by generatioins. He is known as a poet, essayist and a gifted writer of prose. Today, he tell us,

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

The great Negro League Pitcher and Baseball Hall of Famer
Satchel Paige said this,

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was?"

The man's got a point.

On this day of birth, we remember the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Aruthur Conan Doyle, Sr. Though most notable as a writer with over 50 books to his name, Conan was also a respected Physician and merritime surgeon.

Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.

Former US Secretary of State and revered Nobel Peace Prize honoree Henry Kissinger said,

Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem.

Thanks to Puneet for today's quote. 'Go for it. Just go for it.'

Belovedly known to many as Mr. October, Reggie Jackson is a Hall-of-Famer who has inspired many on and off the field.

I didn't come to New York to be a star, I brought my star with me.

Painting by Gabe Perillo

Olympic gold medalist and World Champion Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard jabs...

You have to know you can win. You have to think you can win. You have to feel you can win.

Portrait by Edgar S. Nocom

The 40th American President Ronald Reagan stated...

There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gives us the words of Legendary Detective, Sherlock Holmes...

The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession.

Do we not all form judgements with incomplete and limited knowledge?

My dear friend Charlie Brown and his creator Charles M. Schulz had this to say...

In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back.

How often we attempt to use shortcuts to find success. Start at page 1 and read it through.

American Dance Legend Martha Graham shaped the Art of Dance for more than a century.

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body."