But at the end of life he railed
At “cruel Fate,” and wept and wailed
Because he knew that he had failed
By “just a minute.”
There are people who do not know how to waste their time alone, and hence become the scourge of busy people.—De Bonald.
It is better to be alone than in bad company.—Washington.
Gold is good in its place; but living, brave, and patriotic men are better than gold.—Abraham Lincoln.
If we make a careful study of the lives of the world’s great men and women, we shall find that their distinction was achieved by making the most of their spare minutes. The ordinary, commonplace, and inevitable tasks of life and the effort required to make a living are remarkably similar in the daily experience of most men and women. It is what one does with the remaining leisure moments that determines his individual taste and trend, and eventually gives him such distinction as he may attain. It is in our leisure hours that we are permitted to follow our “hobbies,” and it is in them that our truer selves find expression. Many of the greatest men in the world’s history achieved their fame outside of their regular occupations in the spare moments of time which most people think are of no serious use. Marden wisely observes that “no one is anxious about a young man while he is busy in useful work. But where does he eat his lunch at noon? Where does he go when he leaves his boarding-house at night? What does he do after supper? Where does he spend his Sundays and holidays? The great majority of youth who go to the bad are ruined after supper. Most of them who climb upward to honor and fame devote their evenings to study or work or the society of the wise and good. For the right use of these leisure hours, what we have called the waste of life, the odd moments usually thrown away, the author would plead with every youth.”
Politeness and civility are the best capital ever invested in business.—P. T. Barnum.
Let none falter who thinks he is right.—Abraham Lincoln.