Motivational thoughts-Small beginnings

From small beginnings come great things.

Sexual quotes-Nothing

"A terrible thing happened to me last night again - Nothing."
- Phyllis Diller

Philosophical quotes-Repeat

We often repent the good we have done as well as the ill.
- William Hazlitt, Characteristics, 1823

Famous people quotes-Commencement exercise

"There is a good reason they call these ceremonies "commencement exercises." Graduation is not the end; it's the beginning."
- Orrin Hatch

Love quotes-Rooted to the ground

Gravity. It keeps you rooted to the ground. In space, there’s not any gravity. You just kind of leave your feet and go floating around. Is that what being in love is like?
Josh Brand and John Falsey, Northern Exposure, The Pilot, 1990

Thought for the day-Fool's paradise

Travelling is a fool`s paradise. I pack my trunk, embrace my friends, embark on the sea and at last wake up in Naples, and there besides me is the stern fact, the sad self, unrelenting, identical, that I fled from.

Thoughts-What has the army given you?

WHAT HAS THE ARMY GIVEN YOU ?

I was all of 48 yrs when I was superseded in my present rank. At a social-do, I was asked by this pretty girl, ‘Just 48, and the end of the road for you! What has Army really given you? You’ve never been paid well in the Army. And see what they have done to you now!’

I appraised her from top to bottom. I must confess she was a pretty sight. What I told her was this.

Army, my dear, is a way of life. It is not about making a living. As far as supersession is concerned, lady, that is way of army life. You can’t complain just because your personal interest, as you perceive it, has not been looked after. Army has wonderful, time-tested evolved systems. You don’t fight personal battles for the heck of it. And it is about selfishness, dear – Service Before Self is our motto.

Remember it is a Service (Khidmat). There are no expectations of rewards in Khidmat, for Khidmat is considered its own reward. ‘What has Army given me?’, you asked. It has given me a glimpse and understanding of dimensions you, in the civil sector, can only wonder and feel over-awed about. Have you any idea of camaraderie?

When you see a soldier brave the shower of artillery shrapnels to rush to rescue his bleeding colleague just wounded in the shelling you KNOW the meaning of the word ‘camaraderie’. When you are lying in a hospital on a DI List, and there are 20 blood donors of your blood-group spending the cold night in the verandah of the hospital, just so that any emergency call for blood to save your life may be attended to, that is camaraderie. Camaraderie implies selfless help and support to someone who is not necessarily a friend.

You have to cross Burzal, my dear, to understand all this.

Do you know the holy significance of the word ‘command’? It is a sacred word. And who can know the meaning of it other than a person in uniform? Even the CEO of a Fortune 500 company can’t comprehend the significance of this sacred word. When you are in ‘command’ you are God. Can you comprehend what being God can be like? It is not about the authority, it is about responsibility. The authority comes into play after you have rendered your part of the deal of unflinching loyalty displayed towards your subordinates.

Now when you signal him - not ask him or tell him or order him - to dash-down-crawl- observe- fire, and in the process subject himself to imminent death, he does so without a second thought. This is when you REALIZE what is so sacred about command. Even before you can move your hand to the door of the car / jeep, the driver jumps from his seat and beats you to the door, your door, is what command gets you. Such are the rewards of command.

Do you know the meaning of ‘being a gentleman’? In the last thirty years in uniform one has witnessed a proliferation of designations in the civil environment. There have been Executive Officers, and there have been Managers - General Mangers, Assistant Managers, and a whole spectrum of them. There are CEOs and Vice Presidents. In the Army we have only ‘Officers’. Some are General Officers and some just Company Officers. Even at the induction level we have Young Officers. What it means to be an ‘Officer’ is something you can’t comprehend. Hollywood tried to bring about a differentiation, calling the phenomenon, ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’, little knowing that being a gentleman is inherent when you are an OFFICER.

Being a gentleman is his primary nature, not second-nature. Army imbibes this peculiar quality in us when we are as young as 17 to 20 years only. I’ll explain with an example. An officer once held the door open for a particular lady. She, trying to be smartly polite said, ‘You don’t have to hold the door open for me just because I’m a lady.’ He replied, ‘Ma’am, I’m not holding it for you because you are a lady, but because I’m a gentleman.’ We may appear to be ruthless egoists, but we are Enlightened Egoists.

In the corporate world have you ever come across the word ‘honour’? In uniform we serve only for honour, not the ‘package’. Naam, Namak, Nishan – are alien words in the corporate world. You know what it means to serve for honour? When a subordinate, who already has a bad ankle, is told of a mission which entails 12 hours of walk in the most rugged terrain; and when he expresses reservation on account of his current physical condition, is told that if we can’t do it, it will be a smudge on the regiment; AND THERE IS NO ONE TO REPLACE HIM. He says he’ll do his bit. He climbs 10 ropes ahead of everyone else only to find that there is no one behind him and the mission is thus called off. He reports from the top, only 5840m (nearly 20000 ft!), that he with two others of his team are on top and no one is in sight, either behind him or ahead (enemy). He comes back to the base two days later – and what an ankle he has! A swollen ankle with 10-inch girth!!! That is working for the honour.

Army has commanders at every level – langar commander, section commander/ detachment commander, platoon commander/troop commander, and up the chain to Brigade Commanders, and General Officers Commanding. The General Officers in command of field forces are the best in their league.

What is implied by the term ‘commander’? Maybe something you in the corporate world will never get to know. To be a commander implies responsibility, complete responsibility. As a commander you are responsible for every dimension of your command – right from his morning cup of tea, his toilet facilities, his professional training, his mental makeup, his family’ well being and his spiritual requirements. In the Army we first train young boys, and now even young girls like you, to be an Officer and then to be a Commander, in that order. Can you get an idea, even an iota of it, Lady? Can you get a feel of why we feel distinctly proud, and display it, when we say, ‘We in the Army ….’.

Post Script

‘I am already 25 year old. I suppose I can’t get enrolled to be an officer. What can I do now?, she asked me at a later get-together.

‘The best option for you now is to become an Army Wife!’, I suggested.

Two years later this girl married a young Major. Now I only hope and pray that the Army Officers of the future do not belittle this young Army Wife’ perception of our Army as I experienced during ‘my times’.

Philosophical quotes-Be content

“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
– Lao Tzu

Hilarious quotes-Funerals

"Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours."

Deep thoughts-Search for happiness

“People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place they ever needed to search was within.”
– Romana L. Anderson

Thought for the day-Not for me

When I see you smile and know that it is not for me, that is when I will miss you the most.

Famous people quotes-Eloquent prayer

"The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless. The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless."
- Billy Graham

Success quotes-Sacrifice

Your success is determined by what you are willing to sacrifice for it.

Love quotes-One human to another

For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.
- Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)

Sexual quotes-Good lover

"I'm such a good lover because I practice a lot on my own."
- Woody Allen

Famous people quotes-The opposite

The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.
- Elie Wiesel

Friendship quotes-Hard to find

Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.

Philosophical quotes-Simple answers

Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
- Dr Seuss

Marriage quotes-Aristocrat and peasant

"Every marriage tends to consist of an aristocrat and a peasant."
- John Updike

Thoughts-The Unclassified Laws Of Etiquette

It’s a list of different rules of etiquette written over 100 years ago and some of the suggestions are a bit archaic and random, the advice is still strikingly resonant. It manages to cover many, many of the gaps in etiquette which have transformed society into a veritable Swiss cheese of incivility. If a man puts these suggestions into practice, he will definitely set himself apart for the other knuckleheads out there trying to land a job or catch the eye of a good looking gal.

Here’s to becoming more refined ladies and gentlemen.

Never exaggerate.
Never point at another.
Never betray a confidence.
Never leave home with unkind words.
Never neglect to call upon your friends.
Never laugh at the misfortunes of others.
Never give a promise that you do not fulfill.
Never send a present, hoping for one in return.
Never speak much of your own performances.
Never fail to be punctual at the time appointed.
Never make yourself the hero of your own story.
Never pick the teeth or clean the nails in company.
Never fail to give a polite answer to a civil question.
Never question a child about family matters.
Never present a gift saying that it is of no use to yourself.
Never read letters which you may find addressed to others.
Never fail, if a gentleman, of being civil and polite to ladies.
Never call attention to the features or form of anyone present.
Never refer to a gift you have made, or favor you have rendered.
Never associate with bad company. Have good company, or none.
Never look over the shoulder of another who is reading or writing.
Never appear to notice a scar, deformity, or defect of anyone present.
Never arrest the attention of an acquaintance by touch. Speak to him.
Never punish your child for a fault to which you are addicted yourself.
Never answer questions in general company that have been put to others.
Never, when traveling abroad, be over boastful in praise of your own country.
Never call a new acquaintance by their first name unless requested.
Never lend an article you have borrowed, unless you have permission to do so.
Never attempt to draw the attention of the company constantly upon yourself.
Never exhibit anger, impatience or excitement, when an accident happens.
Never pass between two persons who are talking together, without an apology.
Never enter a room noisily; never fail to close the door after you, and never slam it.
Never forget that, if you are faithful in a few things, you may be ruler over many.
Never exhibit too great familiarity with the new acquaintance, you may give offense.
Never will a gentleman allude to conquests which he may have made with ladies.
Never be guilty of the contemptible meanness of opening a private letter addressed to another.
Never fail to offer the easiest and best seat in the room to an invalid, an elderly person, or a lady.
Never neglect to perform the commission which the friend entrusted to you. You must not forget.
Never send your guest, who is accustomed to a warm room, off into a cold, damp, spare bed, to sleep.
Never enter a room filled with people, without a slight bow to the general company when first entering.
Never fail to answer an invitation, either personally or by letter, within a week after the invitation is received.
Never accept of favors and hospitality without rendering an exchange of civilities when opportunity offers.
Never cross the leg and put one foot in the street-car, or places where it will trouble others when passing by.
Never fail to tell the truth. If truthful, you get your reward. You will get your punishment if you deceive.
Never borrow money and neglect to pay. If you do, you will soon be known as a person of no business integrity.
Never write to another asking for information, or a favor of any kind, without enclosing a postage stamp for the reply.
Never fail to say kind and encouraging words to those whom you meet in distress. Your kindness may lift them out of their despair.
Never refuse to receive an apology. You may not receive friendship, but courtesy will require, when a apology is offered, that you accept it.
Never examine the cards in the card-basket. While they may be exposed in the drawing room, you are not expected to turn them over unless invited to do so.
Never, when walking arm in arm with a lady, be continually changing and going to the other side, because of change of corners. It shows too much attention to form.
Never insult another with harsh words when applied to for a favor. Kind words do not cost much, and yet they may carry untold happiness to the one to whom they are spoken.
Never fail to speak kindly. If a merchant, and you address your clerk; if an overseer, and you address your workman; if in any position where you exercise authority, you show yourself to be a gentleman by your pleasant mode of address.
Never attempt to convey the impression that you are a genius, by imitating the faults of distinguished men. Because certain great men were poor penmen, wore long hair, or had other peculiarities, it does not follow that you will be great by imitating their eccentricities.
Never give all your pleasant words and smile to strangers. The kindest words and the sweetest smiles should be reserved for home. Home should be our heaven.

Famous people quotes-Science we are after

The science we are after is not about mathematicals either.
- Aristotle

Thought for the day-Be close

Do not only be close with someone who makes you happy. Be close with someone who can not be happy without you. It may make a lot difference to him at least.

Love quotes-Snowmobile

Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come.
Matt Groening, “Life in Hell”

Friendship quotes-Permanent job

"You can always tell a real friend: when you've made a fool of yourself he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job".
-Laurence J. Peter

Famous quotes-Well begun

"What's well begun, is half done."
- Horace

Sexual quotes-Draw the line

I think people should be free to engage in any sexual practices they choose; they should draw the line at goats though."
- Elton John.

Philosophical quotes-Reason

You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.

Famous people quotes-Reform

"Do not marry a man to reform him. That is what reform schools are for."
- Mae West

Short quotes-Discovery

"Discovery is poetry to genius"
- William Mocca

Thought for the day-Self destruct

"There will be a time when loud-mouthed, incompetent people seem to be getting the best of you. When that happens, you only have to be patient and wait for them to self destruct. It never fails."
- Richard Rybolt

Deep thoughts-Carpet the earth

Do not complain about others. Change yourself if you want peace. It is easier to protect our feet with shoes than to carpet the earth.

Inspirational quotes-Eliciting talents

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant."

- Horace

Famous people quotes-Severe struggle

We must not conceal from ourselves that no improvement in the present depressing situation is possible without a severe struggle; for the handful of those who are really determined to do something is minute in comparison with the mass of the lukewarm and the misguided. And those who have an interest in keeping the machinery of war going are a very powerful body; they will stop at nothing to make public opinion subservient to their murderous ends.

- Albert Einstein, 1954

Short quotes-Strength

“We acquire the strength we have overcome.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Philosophical quotes-Slept with faith

I slept with faith and found a corpse in my arms on awakening; I drank and danced all night with doubt and found her a virgin in the morning.
- Aleister Crowley, Book of Lies

Famous people quotes-Convinced

Life’s greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved.
Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), Les Miserables, 1862

Thought for the day-Teach

It is not what you do for your children that is important. It is what you teach them to do for themselves.

Philosophical quotes-Standing still

We waste a lot of time running after people we could have caught by just standing still.
- Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Friendship quotes-Estate

"My friends are my estate. Forgive me then the avarice to hoard them. They tell me those who were poor early have different views of gold. I don't know how that is. God is not so wary as we, else He would give us no friends, lest we forget Him."

Thought for the day-Questions

You can tell whether a man is intelligent by his answers. But you can tell a man is wise by his questions.

Sexual quotes-So long

"It's so long since I've had sex, I've forgotten who ties up whom."
- Joan Rivers

Philosophical quotes-The same place

It takes all the running you can do just to keep in the same place.
- Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, 1872

Inspirational quotes-Extraordinary people

Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.
- Robertson Davies

Sarcastic quotes-Political jokes

The problem with political jokes is they get elected.
- Henry Cate, VII

Famous people quotes-Civilization

Civilization had too many rules for me, so I did my best to rewrite them.
- Bill Cosby

Thoughts-President Abraham Lincoln

On his first day in office, as President Abraham Lincoln entered to give his inaugural address, one man stood up. He was a rich aristocrat. He said, “Mr. Lincoln, you should not forget that your father used to make shoes for my family.”

And the whole Senate laughed; they thought they had made a fool of Lincoln.But certain people are made of a totally different mettle. Lincoln looked at the man directly in the eye and said, “Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes for your family, and there will be many others here, because he made shoes the way nobody else can. He was a creator. His shoes were not just shoes; he poured his whole soul into them.

I want to ask you, have you any complaint? Because I know how to make shoes myself. If you have any complaint I can make you another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a great creator and I am proud of my father”.

The whole Senate was struck dumb. They could not understand what kind of man Abraham Lincoln was. He was proud because his father did his job so well that not even a single complaint had ever been heard.

Remember: “No one can hurt us without our consent.”

Inspirational quotes-Seek him

"The lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him."
- Lamentations 3:25
The Bible

Motivational thoughts-Melt away

Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them.

Famous people quotes-Contempt for authority

To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself.
- Albert Einstein

Inspirational quotes-Most important part

"The beginning is the most important part of the work."
- Plato

Philosophical quotes-Born into chaos

Among creatures born into chaos, a majority will imagine an order, a minority will question the order, and the rest will be pronounced insane.
- Robert Brault

Love quotes-Rejoicing

What else is love but understanding and rejoicing in the fact that another person lives, acts, and experiences otherwise than we do.
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

Thought for the day-A wonderful mother

Grandmother - a wonderful mother with lots of practice.

Friendship quotes-More loyal than brothers

"Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers."
- Proverbs 18:24

Sarcastic quotes-Commencement speeches

"Commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated."
- Garry Trudeau

Quotes from the movies-Picking a husband

"Most women use more brains picking a horse in the third at Belmont than they do picking a husband."
- Lauren Bacall (Schatze) in How to Marry a Millionaire(1953)