Some thoughts for the day
some words of wisdom from a great man. If you've not read any Grey Owl books try them. I think you'll like them. - The films rubbish though
I think some of these are Grey Owls words and some told to him
My favourite is - "No individual rain drop ever considers itself responsible for the flood."
The Wisdom of Grey Owl
As darkness approached, the embers of the fire glowed orange and red and faint traces of blue shot forward lifting sparks toward the star-filled sky. The wind fell asleep amidst the giant spruce and pine forest that surrounded our camp. The sound of the raven swiftly flying into the tree tops was echoed by the distant cry of timber wolves meeting for the night of the long hunt.
I didn't want to go. The bear skin surrounding me was warm. I felt the tingle of the berry juice and mushroom elixir that was passed from hand to hand during our healing chant. As the rhythm grew, my journey began as it usually does. I closed my eyes. The mantle of 46 years of tribal leadership disappeared. A whale swallowed the village whole. We swam toward the moon. Our ancestors smiled and asked what we had learned in our journey.
I looked at my fellow travellers. They asked me to speak on their behalf, calling me Grey Owl. This name was not familiar to me, but it was bestowed by my people. I use the name Rey Carr in my waking life and here are some of the words spoken during my journeys. Permission to use my words is freely given.
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll find yourself among the stars."
"Timing has a lot to do with the success of a rain dance."
"No individual rain drop ever considers itself responsible for the flood."
"Nothing about us, without us."
"Why settle for a picture of paradise, when you can gain paradise."
"While scholars are comparing and contrasting theories, debating intellectual questions, and dividing humankind into categories, the world is changed by persons with faith, spirit, emotion, compassion, intuition, and irrational thinking."
"Anyone can count the seeds in an apple. No one can count the apples in a seed."
"Before you critisize someone, walk a mile in her mocassins. Then when you do critisize that person, you'll be a mile a way and have her mocassins."
"Good listeners are not only popular everywhere, but after a while, they know something."
"A friend is a gift you give yourself."
"I can forgive my enemies, but I will never forget them."
"What I like best about experience is that it allows you to recognize a mistake when you make it again."
"No matter how far you have gone on a wrong road, turn back."
"As we grow older our bodies get shorter and our anedotes get longer."
"We cannot control the tragedies that befall us, but we can control how we respond to them."
"Through adversity we reach the stars." Ad astra per aspera.
"Change affirms our life spirit. For what other reason does sleeping end with waking up?"
"Character is the border between too much and not enough."
"A step backwards can be a step in the right direction."
"The sun always rises, even if the clouds may hide its rays."
"Most people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't so busy denying they made them."
"Retirement is that calling which allows you to return your wisdom to the society that allowed you to retire."
"Enthusiasm is a word my people use to mean the God within you."
"Next time you wonder about how little time there is in a day, remember that your day has the same number of hours as the day of Michelangelo, Jesus, Frederick Douglass, Marian Anderson, Chief Quanah Parker, Margaret Laurence, Lester B. Pearson, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, Crazy Horse, or Oprah."
"Whenever you are having a difficult day, remember that Reggie Jackson struck out more than any other player in history (2,597 times)."
"If there is bitterness in the heart, sugar in the mouth won't make life sweeter."
"All our lives have wreckage. Wisdom allows us to put the pieces together in a better way."
"At any moment all that we are can be completely changed forever. Knowing this is true helps us cling to what we value. Even my death won't change me."
"The land within covers more territory than can be seized by force."
"If you want to determine if you are rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy."
"If you want to know if you are successful, just count the hearts you have touched with joy."
"Making a living is not the same thing as making a life."
"When you turn forty, you are not even half-way towards the end of your life. After all, anyone who spent the first twenty years of life asking your mother for the car keys and the next twenty years driving who knows where, has an incredible life ahead that is three times longer than the rest."
"What we did while visiting earth will be forgotten by most, but the spirit and heart of our lives will remain with those who shared it and be part of them forever."
"Greatness no matter how brief stays with you all your life."
"Visiting my brothers in Australia taught me that what we send out in our thoughts and deeds will most often come back to us with the accuracy of a boomerang."
"Our leaders seem to have forgotten that the power of the world lies within the human heart. Bombs and violence do not bring the heart to a higher level for the user or the victim."
"As a leader, my people expect me to be able to predict the future. This is not something I can do; but together we can shape it."
"The peoples of the earth will not unite through ideology. It is only by sharing our dreams and anguish that we can find common ground."
"A consultant is a person who uses your watch to tell you what time it is. A coach is a person who asks you what time do you want it to be. And a mentor is timeless."
"When you turn fifty, you discover the noise barrier. Prior to fifty, you often say "Turn that up." After fifty, you typically say, "Turn that down."
"Nodding the head does not paddle the canoe."
When Grey Owl was questioned by the members of his tribe as to why they must show respect to outsiders, he replied: "Dig the well before you are thirsty."
"Friendship between two persons depends upon the patience of one."
"Good listeners are not only popular everywhere, but after awhile, they know something."
"Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or stand as tall as you can, show it your teeth and say, 'Dish it up, baby, and don't be stingy with the jalapeņos.'"
"Some people come into our lives and quickly go, others leave footprints in our hearts and we are changed forever."
Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. - Frank Lloyd Wright
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Gary
