It is the sign of a great mind to dislike greatness, and to prefer things in measure to things in excess.
quote by Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Related quotes
Sonnet: On Greatness
Greatness is not a thing, much like an art;
Some man turns great if on it he stumbles;
His greatness ceases, if he thinks, he's great;
Great is he truly who tho' great, humbles.
Greatness is not true greatness, self-proclaimed;
Greatness is not what world showers on us;
Greatness is neither got by being claimed.
Greatness is not achieved by making fuss.
Greatness could come if world decides to give;
Greatness will stay if God blesses our work;
Such greatness, God-destined comes while men live;
Greatness can grow even without much luck.
Greatness doesn't come to everyone on earth;
Some men are made great; some are great by birth.
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Possibilities
I prefer movies.
I prefer cats.
I prefer the oaks along the Warta.
I prefer Dickens to Dostoyevsky.
I prefer myself liking people
to myself loving mankind.
I prefer keeping a needle and thread on hand, just in case.
I prefer the color green.
I prefer not to maintain
that reason is to blame for everything.
I prefer exceptions.
I prefer to leave early.
I prefer talking to doctors about something else.
I prefer the old fine-lined illustrations.
I prefer the absurdity of writing poems
to the absurdity of not writing poems.
I prefer, where love's concerned, nonspecific anniversaries
that can be celebrated every day.
I prefer moralists
who promise me nothing.
I prefer cunning kindness to the over-trustful kind.
I prefer the earth in civvies.
I prefer conquered to conquering countries.
I prefer having some reservations.
I prefer the hell of chaos to the hell of order.
I prefer Grimms' fairy tales to the newspapers' front pages.
I prefer leaves without flowers to flowers without leaves.
I prefer dogs with uncropped tails.
I prefer light eyes, since mine are dark.
I prefer desk drawers.
I prefer many things that I haven't mentioned here
to many things I've also left unsaid.
I prefer zeroes on the loose
to those lined up behind a cipher.
I prefer the time of insects to the time of stars.
I prefer to knock on wood.
I prefer not to ask how much longer and when.
I prefer keeping in mind even the possibility
that existence has its own reason for being.
poem by Wislawa Szymborska
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Sonnet- Doing things
One ought to find the land to build a house,
And get the plan approved and buy the bricks;
But most of all, it must be liked by spouse!
The project must not give you much pin-pricks.
To do a thing, you ought to start somehow;
From scrap and work it up with immense toil;
Let hurdles come; just meet them if you can, wow,
All things will happen; mood never must spoil.
Great things are wrought by labour and struggle;
A mind determined will pull off all things;
'Tis nice sometimes to blow our own bugle;
'Tis worth the joy that finally it brings.
A half finished work, cannot bring success,
Try to do things ahead and in excess.
poem by John Celes
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How Do You Measure Up?
If you measure yourself by ambition,
There will always be someone more ambitious than you.
If you measure yourself by money,
There is always someone wealthier than you.
If you measure yourself by power,
There is always someone more powerful than you.
If you measure yourself with material things,
There is always someone with more stuff than you.
If you measure yourself by where you are in life,
There is always someone farther down the path than you.
If you measure yourself by appearance,
There is always someone that appears than you.
If you measure yourself by God,
Then we are all the same.
We are all wonderfully and beautifully made.
God is love.
And love has no end.
So in God's heart,
You will always measure up!
poem by Ryan Lee Morris
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Things Are Getting Better
Well I worked for a week and I got no pay.
(things getting better.)
Well my babys coming back home to stay
(things getting better.)
Well shes coming back home, but I havent got a dime
(things getting better.)
But Ive got my love to keep me fine[? ].
(things getting better.)
Oh-oh
Things getting better.
Things getting better.
Well since my babys been away,
(things getting better.)
Well things got worse from day to day.
(things getting better.)
Well now my babys come back to me.
(things getting better.)
Yeah, itll get better, wait and see.
(things getting better.)
Oh-oh
Things getting better.
Things getting better.
Oh-oh
Things getting better.
Things getting better.
Well I pawned my watch and I sold my car.
(things getting better.)
The money Ive got wouldnt get me far.
(things getting better.)
But I dont mind now that youve packed.
(things getting better.)
Its a fact, that
Things getting better.
Things getting better.
Oh-oh
Things getting better.
Things getting better.
song performed by by Kinks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Those Days Are Over
I would rather work with you,
Than not.
I prefer it that way,
Without delay.
I'd like to keep the purpose fresh.
To minimize our togetherness...
Is an invitation for regret!
To be open to communicate,
I believe our efforts would achieve their best.
It eliminates the guess work.
And removes those steps created by pests.
To get things done...
Is the agenda I will keep!
And not a part of this activity,
Will I for anyone delete!
Do not mistake my patience,
For a sign of someone weak.
These are not the times...
To introduce mind games,
You might wish to find.
I would rather work with you,
Than not.
But I am not going to stop to discuss,
The 'ifs' of what should happen...
Or who 'is' or 'is not' pleased.
Those days are over!
To do,
And get things done!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Sign Of The Times
When the word is out from the other side
She turns around
Cause day and night shes waited patiently
Now a diferent kind of world out there
Is to be found
Its over now for everyone to see
This is the way its meant to be
Its the way that we make things right
Its the way that we hold on tight
I know, its the sign of the times
Its the way that we make things turn
Its the way that we live and learn
I know, its the sign of the times
It wakes him up, he turns around
And now hes gone
Hes been waitin for this moment desperately
Now the time is right, hes turnin back
Hes going home
Yeah its over now for everyone to see
This is the way its meant to be
Its the way that we make things right
Its the way that we hold on tight
I know, its the sign of the times
Its the way that we make things turn
Its the way that we live and learn
I know, its the sign of the times
And every time its on my mind
I feel so insecure it worries me
To end up here alone
But everytime I realize I need her more and more
Id never make it on my own
song performed by by Europe
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Dreams, What Greatness Is Made Of!
A thought
A dream
A glimmer of light that takes Flight
In the midde of the Night
These are the things of Greatness
For time is of of the essence
There can be no lateness
To reach the pinnacle
The time for action
is now
Do Not Bow
Take your dream into action
For it is with a thought
A Dream
that great things are built on! !
Freedom: Built on A Dream
We have America
Electricity: Built on A Dream
We have Heat
Dreams What Greatness is made of
Thoughts into action what Greatness is made of!
Peter LeBuhn
poem by Peter LeBuhn
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Good Things!
It's never too late to do good things...
When those good things come,
To be done!
It should never be a decision made,
Whether to show gratitute...
Whenever an attitude,
Is moody when it comes.
Do it...
No one loses!
It's never too late to show someone there,
You think of them just because you care.
Thinking they will know what it is you feel...
Does little for the one,
Who believes no one is aware...
With feelings that are real.
'How could they,
When they aren't there shown or spoken? '
And it's always a good sign...
To release and let things go!
When doubt is removed,
And your mind has approved
The doing is true and it can be proposed.
Hesitation for you will seldom come to show!
Knowing for you that good is in the doing,
And pursuing it from head to toe...
Has you moving.,
Reaping as you sow.
It's never too late to do good things...
When those good things come,
To be done!
Always contemplate good things,
And good things you did...
Makes those good things done grow!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Halfway through the decade, we realized that we had a great team and that we could do great things, and that we could probably have something here that we believed we had a chance to reach greatness.
quote by Franco Harris
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Duck, Bob and Weave
I am glad I had been an angered man.
Embittered and pretension free.
I'm glad I didn't waste my life chasing,
To have 'things' replaced by more things...
Needing to replace to show a false face.
And it bothers me.
People who do not trust their own instincts.
And then have claims to love God with faith.
Then take every opportunity they can to fake living.
As if on a constant exhibit.
I am glad I was visited by reality very early in my life.
Glad I am too...
To have gone through lots of nonsense.
Headaches, heartbreaks and emotional devastations.
I'm glad my daddy taught me how to box.
I had to defend my consciousness,
From many things thrown at me at once.
I know how to duck, bob and weave! '
That's for sure.
Give and take.
Forget and forgive and let live.
It isn't easy.
Well...
Let me say,
It has become 'easier'.
I dislike seeing people losing their lives.
And those 'things' they valued...
That brought them happiness.
Or whatever that is people think things do for them.
I dislike it.
It shows a detachment of sorts.
I've always been inquisitive!
And wanting my passions touched!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Choices
i prefer smooth peanut butter
to crunchy
mind you
crunchy is all right
but i prefer smooth.
i prefer strawberry jam
to raspberry
mind you
raspberry is tasty
but it's got all those seeds
and i prefer strawberry.
i prefer mustard
to mayonaisse
mind you mayonaisse has it's place
amongst condiments
but is likely to go bad
if left out to long
and poison everyone
so on the whole i prefer mustard.
i prefer cooked meat
to raw meat
for much the same reason
as i prefer mustard to mayonaisse
although it also has to do
with the fact that i don't
like my meat to bleat
or moo or make chicken noises (BAGOCK!)
when i eat
so i tend to avoid the raw
though mind you
the meat that i prefer
may at some time have been raw.
i prefer not to say
why i think so
but i do
and i suppose it's all
just a matter of taste
so if you'd prefer to think so
then crunchy is better
than smooth
even if it does interfere
with the texture of the
peanut butter
and jelly (strawberry) sandwich
which ought to be somewhat
devoid of substance
merely a sticky sweet something
to fill your stomach
put mayonaisse on it
if you like
i'd prefer not to think about it.
poem by Laura Sewell
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Money frees you from doing things you dislike. Since I dislike doing nearly everything, money is handy.
quote by Groucho Marx
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Discover the Difference
I don't know anything about discourgement
I know about encourgement
I don't know anything about disgrace
I know about grace
I don't know anything about dislike
I know about like
I don't know anything about things being distorted
I know about things being transformed
I don't know anything about being dishearten
I know about being hearty
I don't know about disesteem
I know about esteem
I don't know about disfavor
I know about favor
I don't know about disarrange
I know about things being arrange
I know that the base of anything and everything
Can be changed simply
By what is put in front of it
What you add to it
Is it positive or negative
Discover the difference
poem by Tameeka Smith
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True greatness consists in being great in little things.
quote by Charles Simmons
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The mind is formed by the knowledge and the direction of ideas it receives and the guidance it is given. Great things alone can make a great mind, and petty things will make a petty mind unless a man rejects them as completely alien.
quote by Carl von Clausewitz
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Clear My Mind
I'm pushing too much pressure on me
I'm so tired because I'm doing so much
I just want it to go away
Clear my mind
Of all things that are negative
Try not to do so much
Focus on important things
Other things can wait
I need to have fun
Enjoy life out there
I can work hard and have great time
Clear my mind
That has bad impact on me and makes me shatter
I need to run and listen to music
Clear my mind
I hate feeling stress out and exhaustion
I'm eating right and try to get exercise
I'm going dropp off things I don't really need to do
I want to feel happy and alive
I want to have energy and have good time
Like I used to in my life
I need a break from everything I do
Once in a while to let it all
This is too much to handle
My head is hurting so much
I just want to scream
I want to
Clear my mind
poem by Christina Phan
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Hate And Dislike
Hate and dislike are not the same thing between them the difference is great
We well may not like everybody but our dislike should not give way to hate
For hatred leads people to bad crimes since hatred as a feeling is very intense
The feeling of hatred is noxious and is poison to common sense.
Some commit murder due to hatred and than murder there is no worse a crime
Their hatred has landed them in prison for to serve a lengthy span of jail time
Their life it is ruined forever and darkness envelopes their soul
Suppose that is what's bound to happen when hatred is out of control.
Hate and dislike are two different creatures and though dislike to hatred can grow
Hate in it has got far more venom those who hate mercy will not show
Whilst those who dislike you may not harm you at least not in a physical way
And if you asked me to choose between them I would choose dislike any day.
poem by Francis Duggan
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Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
quote by William Shakespeare
Submitted by Dan Costinaş
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The greatness comes not when things go always good for you. But the greatness comes when you're really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes. Because only if you've been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.
quote by Richard Milhous Nixon
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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