Folded Thought of the Day:

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"Men do not care how nobly they live, but only how long, although 
it is within the reach of every man to live nobly, but within no 
man's power to live long."

"If thou live according to nature, thou wilt never be poor; if 
according to the opinions of the world, thou wilt never be rich". 

-- Seneca


It would be a mistake to treat quotes such as these as anything 
other than beacons of hope and calls to action.  

I know a lot of people who print out quotes to put up on their 
cubicle walls or on their refrigerators or anywhere else that 
other people are likely to look.  This is the kind of activity 
that makes a person seem wise and "aware" without actually 
requiring them to live their lives in any way that resembles 
the spirit of the quote.  

These are the type of people who think that going to the gym 
and reading the latest self-help book being touted on the 
talk show circuit constitute self improvement. 

And then there are those who accept their lives and the world 
as some sort of inevitable occurrence -- never getting 
outraged by the existence of forces that destroy the quality 
of their lives every day.  But these are the people that tend 
to complain the most when confronted with minor inconveniences 
that don't threaten their lives in any way -- like lines at the 
fast-food drive-through window.  

In each of us exists the greatest promise and the most 
precious gift possible.  We own the potential of our lives.  
No matter what your circumstance, your world belongs to 
you.  And nobody can ever take that away from you.  But 
this is a huge responsibility and so many people simply 
choose to hand over control.  

We opt for the practical.  We walk down the beaten paths.  
We root for the home team.  We eat what's on the menu.  
We wake from our dreams.  

But we don't have to.  

I've never liked the quote "live each day as if it were 
your last."  I'm not sure why, it just doesn't resonate 
with me personally.  I prefer to say "live each day as 
if your life depended on it."  Because it does.  


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