“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.”

Peter Marshall, Chaplain to US Senate 1947-49

Sometimes you just have to hang in and get through the current situation. Having a sense there’s The Other Side and you can get out of it may be the best you can do at the time.

“Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul.”

Not all adventures are physical. Some of the best are intellectual, trails of research and discovery, unearthing facts and piecing together stories.

“My mom lived to be 91, and her advice was, ‘Honey, just keep moving.’”

Eva Marie Saint passed away yesterday in LA at the age of 102.

Keeping on moving physically (walking, exercise, yoga) and keeping doing things that are purposeful and creative are good guidance for living a full life.

Does a library still hold the same status it did in Carnegie’s time (1835-1919)? If not, what is the modern equivalent? Is the World Wide Web a resource of equal or greater value?

Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie saw libraries as “ladders provided upon which the aspiring may climb.” They represented self-education, aspiration, equity and the democratisation of knowledge.

To what degree Project Gutenberg, Wikipedia, the Khan Academy and MOOCs cover the ground of libraries is a moot point but the bricks & mortar of a warm, safe place to go had a value these cannot replace.

“As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.”

Buddhism puts human unhappiness down to derp-seated dissatisfaction, which it calls dukkha. This term is often translated as suffering, but dukkha more accurately refers to a pervasive sense of unsatisfactoriness or unease.

GBS takes the contrary view. It’s quite persuasive – and ballsy of him to go up against Buddha.

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.

This comes from Miller’s 1957 book ‘Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch’

Physical travelling has its pleasures and benefits but it is perfectly possible to live a rich life in your place of origin. Progress of the mind and spirit is ultimately more significant. There’s a real danger of travelling to avoid moving forward mentally and spiritually – in effect, running away from yourself.

There’s something quite challenging about this quotation. Without context it has an incipient violence underlying. It highlights that quotes often need context to be fully comprehensible.

The transition from summer to autumn is a powerful, deep moment in the annual cycle. It’s a transition towards more reflection, perhaps tinged with anxiety, where notions like home, safety and warmth come to the fore.

It’s good, from time to time, to start your day by thinking: I am free – and truly appreciating it.

The importance of straightening up and walking tall cannot be overstated. This physical act has a profound mental impact. The conscious physical shift can boost confidence and raise spirits.