Of all possessions a friend is the most precious
Of all possessions a friend is the most precious
Sometimes me think, 'What is friend?' And then me think, 'Friend is what last chocolate chip cookie is for.'
"You may find many stones in life, but only one can be your diamond"
If I had a rose for every time I think of you, I would walk in my garden forever.
A friend is one with whom you are comfortable, to whom you are loyal, through whom you are blessed, and for whom you are grateful.
Instead of surrounding yourself with two hundred smarmy people, surround yourself with two friends who appreciate you for who you are, independently of what you own. Two hundred smarmy people will abandon you when you most need them, but two friends will be your legitimate army.
Because I had goodwill for all, I thought all were my friends, and then I learned of treachery, that some preferred my end. A glorious day, the one I learned the meaning of the word. It's good to know my enemies, though their reasons are absurd.
Keep yourself simple, good, pure, serious, and unassuming; the friend of justice and godliness; kindly, affectionate, and resolute in your devotion to duty.
One of the startling prospects that Rumi and Shams bring to the world of mystical awareness, which turns out to be ordinary consciousness as well, is the suggestion that we "fall in love in such a way that it frees us from any connecting." what that means is that we become friendship. "When living itself becomes the Friend, lovers disappear." That is, a human being can become a field of love (compassion, generosity, playfulness), rather than being identified with any particular synapse of lover and beloved. The love-ache widens to a plain of longing at the core of everything: the absence-presence center of awareness. Rumi went in search of the missing Shams. The story is that he was on a street in Damascus when the realization came that he *was* their Friendship. No separation, no union, just he was that at the silent core. I'd have to say that's the *baraka* (a blessing, the particular grace of taking in presence), the mystery of the ecstatic life.
Every one must bear his own universe, and most persons are moderately interested in learning how their neighbors have managed to carry theirs.
Your son is at five your master, at ten your servant, at fifteen your double, and after that, your friend or foe, depending on his bringing up.
A friend is one that knows who you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently, allows you to grow.
A friend is one that knows who you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently, allows you to grow.
What service can you be to humanity? How much love can you give? How good a friend can you be? The rewards you will gain by becoming a GIVER will reap for you true peace and a feeling of beautiful wholeness.
The key question for a leader is "What can I do in this organization that nobody else can do?" And several questions emerge from that: What did the good Lord ordain me for? What are my strengths? Where have I seen results? Very few of us ask these questions because very few of us even know how we perform. What am I good at? We don't usually ask that question. We've been trained to notice our weaknesses, not our strengths. Schools, of necessity, are remedial institutions. When teachers meet with parents, rarely do they say, "Your Johnny should do more writing. He's so talented in writing." No, more likely you'll hear, "Johnny needs more work on his math. He's a bit weak in that area." As a result, few of us really know our strengths. The great teachers, and great leaders, recognize strengths and focus on them. - Peter Drucker
With a loving mind, cherish more than a child
The hostile gods and demons of apparent existence,
And tenderly surround yourself with them.
Nourish them always with warm flesh and blood.
With the hook of love and compassion,
Befriend them and never dismiss them.
If, with pure noble thought and enlightened resolve,
You connect them to the sacred Dharma
And they are freed and established in happiness,
Then you, child, whoever you are,
Will be my inseparable friend.
I know that when I stumble across someone who has not only read but loved one of these books as much as I have, I've probably made a friend for life.