“So long as a man is angry he cannot be in the right.” - Chinese proverb

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

31 May 

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.” – Maya Angelou

“Practice the art of patience for nature never acts in haste.” Og Mandino

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

31 May 

Life has a way of coming at you at its own pace: you look as silly pushing the water uphill as you do pushing it downhill.

“It's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.” - Barack Obama

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 31 

“Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.” - Abraham Lincoln 

“All the men on my staff can type.” – Bella Abzug

From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

30 May 

“I begin to think that a calm is not desirable in any situation in life. Man was made for action and for bustle too, I believe.” - Abigail Adams

“Take it easy. But take it.” – Woodie Guthrie

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

30 May 

The deepest values you believe in are, surely, too precious to disrespect with your own small-mindedness.

x“When all is said and done, more gets said than done.” - Anonymous

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst

May 30

“When I do good I feel good. When I do bad I feel bad. That is my religion.” - Abraham Lincoln

“My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept love in return.” - Maya Angelou

From “Me Too, 365” by Arnold Kunst 

29 May 

Whenever I am ratty with you - maybe I had a hard day at work, or maybe I didn't get enough sleep last night, or maybe I'm feeling guilty about something and I'm reverting to some reptilian version of "the best defense is an offense" - whatever the reason, I end up needling you in some way. The point is, it needn't have anything to do with you at all because whenever I pass judgment on you it is ALWAYS about me and NEVER about you. Or, to put it a little differently, whenever I give in to the seductive allure of self pity - and nothing is more seductive than self-pity, is there? - I surrender the right to touch you where you really are, to say anything about/to you with any genuine integrity/authority. 

But the damage doesn't stop there. I automatically activate in you very powerful memories of the time you wet your pants in kindergarten. It goes something like this: "See, I knew I couldn't make you happy; I screw up everything I touch. I'm always a nickel short and an hour late." And on and on you go, into the wee hours of the night, sucked into an irresistible vortex, spinning further and further away from me - and spinning further and further from the real you. 

The good news is, I have the power to move you every bit as profoundly when I reach through all the everlasting ordinariness of life and touch you where you really live, when I affirm you, when I praise you, when I thank you. I think I'm getting the idea Jesus had when he talked about millstones being wrapped around a person's neck and having him thrown into the sea. Sometimes Scripture can be dense and difficult to understand, but not when it talks about, well, being ratty to someone we're put here to love!

“You’d think after practicing 20 times every night I would have gotten better at putting a toddler to bed.” - Anonymous

From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

29 May 

"It’s a good thing we’re not on a one-mistake-per-day authorization. Otherwise I’d be into next week’s credit before breakfast!" – Arnold Kunst

“Force is as pitiless to the man who possesses it, or thinks he does, as it is to its victims; the second it crushes, the first it intoxicates. The truth is, nobody really possesses it.” - Simone Weil

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 29 

“The presidential campaign of 1860 that elected Lincoln for the first time completely failed to do what a political campaign is supposed to do – bring the nation to a full awareness and earnest discussion of its most crucial issues and lead to a verdict that would put those issues on the way toward settlement. There had been nothing even resembling an attempt by reasonable men to analyze a baffling problem and see what could be done about it… The election would be a shock which could benefit no one but the extremists on both sides.” - Bruce Catton 

“The clash of ideas is the sound of freedom.” - Lady Bird Johnson

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

28 May 

“Those who are easily shocked need to be shocked more often.” – Mae West 

“You always had the power, my dear; you just had to discover it for yourself.” – The Wizard of Oz

From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual” by Arnold Kunst 

28 May 

You and I are meant to get the balance right, to be eager to pay in the proper coinage the price victory requires. For life holds immense riches in store for you and me. Those riches are coming as inevitably as the tiniest stream on the highest mountain is destined, sooner or later, to reach the ocean for that ocean draws it inexorably.

“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” - William James

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 28 

“In 1854 Lincoln represented James Dunlap who had assaulted a newspaper editor by the name of Peter Selby. Selby wanted $10,000 in damages. There wasn’t much Lincoln could do about getting his client entirely off the hook; Dunlap had in fact assaulted Selby. When the time came for his turn to address the jury, Lincoln slowly stood, picked up a copy of Selby’s motion, and then suddenly burst into a long, loud laugh accompanied by his most wonderfully grotesque facial expression. The very sight of this caused several members of the jury to snicker, at which point Lincoln apologized. He said he had looked at the motion and noticed that the original amount of the suit had been only $1,000, but that this had been crossed out and replaced with the $10,000 figure. Lincoln snickered that, somehow, Selby had had second thoughts and ‘concluded that the wounds to his honor were worth an additional nine thousand dollars.’ His little joke was calculated to rob the assault case [and the plaintiff] of dignity. Apparently it worked; the jury returned a decision for damages of only $300.” - Brian Dirck 

“Big results require big ambitions.” – Heraclitus

 From “Me Too 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

27 May 

“Whatever the theories may be of woman's dependence on man, in the supreme moments of her life he can not bear her burdens.” - Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“A baby fills a place in your heart you never knew was empty.” - Anonymous

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

27 May 

An infallible, universal characteristic of babies and losers is that they want what they want NOW, not a week from Tuesday, not in five minutes.  The good news is, babies will grow up!

“I could drown in a frown and swim in a smile.” - Anonymous

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 27

       “I rode with Robert E Lee / For three years thereabout.

  Got wounded in three places / And I starved at Point Lookout.

  I caught the rheumatism / A'campin in the snow.

  But I killed a hundred Yankees / And I'd like to kill some more.

       Three hundred thousand Yankees / Is stiff in Southern dust,

  We got three hundred thousand / Before they conquered us.

  They died of Southern fever, / Of Southern steel and shot.

  But I wish it was three million / Instead of what we got.” 

– “I'm a good Old Rebel,” a post Civil War ballad

“Too fat, too thin, too loud, too quiet – I was never going to fit the standards others created for me. Instead of complying, I protested.” – Ashley Graham

 From “Me Too 365,” by Arnold Kunst

26 May 

“Well behaved women seldom make history.” – Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” - Ebenezer Scrooge

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

26 May 

Don't go goofy on Keeping Track Of The Bottom Line. There's the story of Pooh Bear counting his pots of honey. "Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, six-" and all of a sudden Rabbit bursts in and distracts him. Pooh, of course, says, "Oh bother, now I'll have to start counting all over again!" And Rabbit replies, with more wisdom than he probably realizes, "If it's that important, call it twenty; what difference does it make?"  What difference, indeed?! That's the real bottom line. After all, as is true for Pooh so it is true for you and me: life is meant to be lived, not calibrated.

“’I must do something’ always solves more problems than ‘Something must be done.’”- Anonymous

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 26 

“The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation. We say we are for the Union. The world will not forget that we say this. We know how to have the Union. The world knows we do know how to save it. We - even we here - hold the power, and bear the responsibility.” - Abraham Lincoln 

“The riddles of God are far more interesting than the solutions of man.” – G. K. Chesterton

 From “Me Too 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

25 May 

“Every now and then go away and have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment…Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.” - Leonardo da Vinci 

“A closed mouth gathers no feet.” - Anonymous

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 25 

“I am rather inclined to silence, and whether that be wise or not it is at least more unusual nowadays to find a man who can hold his tongue than to find one who cannot.” - Abraham Lincoln 

“A sense of responsibility is the clearest indication of mature leadership.” - John C. Maxwell

 From “Me Too 365,” by Arnold Kunst

24 May 

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Exuberance is better than taste.” Gustave Flaubert

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

24 May 

Let’s get high on life!

“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” - Abraham Lincoln

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 24 

“Not to forgive is to be imprisoned by the past, by old grievances that do not permit life to proceed with new business. Not to forgive is to be locked into a sequence of act and response, of outrage and revenge, tit for tat, escalating always. The present is endlessly overwhelmed and devoured by the past.” - Lance Morrow 

“I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore, and I know too much to go back and pretend.” – Helen Reddy

From “Me Too 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

23 May 

“Extremism thrives amid ignorance and anger, intimidation and cowardice.” – Hilary Clinton

“Truth is the only safe ground to stand upon.” - Elizabeth Cady Stanton

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

22 May 

“Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace of the world.” - Mother Teresa

“Forgive them, even if they’re not sorry – you can’t LIVE without the resultant freedom.” - Anonymous

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

23 May 

The ability to forgive divides the vibrant from all the look-alikes.

“Be still - the quieter you become the more you can hear.” – Ram Dass

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

22 May 

It takes no particular skill to recognize and react to beauty, truth, goodness where they are blatantly apparent. The real challenge, and fun, in life is to recognize them and prise them loose where they are hidden. Because they're everywhere. Literally everywhere. Isn't that what the poet meant by saying that earth is crammed with heaven? 

“Every absurdity has a champion to defend it, for error is always talkative.” - Oliver Goldsmith

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 23 

The following editorial appeared in The Atlanta Confederacy just before the election of 1860, just before what looked like the formation of a thing called the Confederate States of America: “let the consequences be what they may - whether the Potomac is crimsoned in human gore, and Pennsylvania Avenue is paved ten fathoms deep with mangled bodies, or whether the last vestige of liberty is swept from the face of the American continent, the South will never submit to such humiliation and degradation as the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln.” 

“A horse of good breeding is not dishonored by his saddle.” - Anonymous

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 22 

Lincoln advised a young man about becoming a lawyer that he “resolve to be honest at all events; and if in your own judgment you cannot be an honest lawyer resolve to be honest without being a lawyer.”

“You have to grow from the inside out. There is no other teacher but your own soul.” – Swami Vivekananda

From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

21 May 

“Loving your kids equally sounds great on paper, but it never pans out that way in fact. If it did, you’d have to wait for all of them to need a new pair of shoes before you provide shoes for the one who needs a new pair now.” – Arnold Kunst

“Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.” - Amelia Earhart

From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

20 May 

“The emotional, sexual and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor say, ‘It’s a girl.’” – Shirley Chisholm

"As long as you’re learning you’re not old.” - Anonymous

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual” by Arnold Kunst 

21 May 

You and I are meant to adjust to new demands/choices/opportunities with the pliability of a goalie in a soccer match, tingling with all the excitement of life itself, darting at a nano-second’s notice to avert a goal/score a goal. 

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – e. e. cummings

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

20 May 

Any heaven that comes easily, that isn't taken by storm, is a pretend heaven, the realm of some Wizard-of-Oz god who isn't worth crossing the street for. You want the real thing? Then you'd better gird your loins and prepare to do battle.

“The fishermen know the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.” - Vincent van Gough

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 21 

“...and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth.” - Abraham Lincoln 

“Beware the fury of the patient man.” - Publius Syrus

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 20 

“I am a patient man - always willing to forgive on the Christian terms of repentance; and also to give ample time for repentance. Still I must save this government if possible.” - Abraham Lincoln 

“Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music.” – George Carlin

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

19 May 

“All I want is an education, and I am afraid of no one.” – Malala Yousafzai

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” –John C. Maxwell

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual” by Arnold Kunst 

19 May 

Don’t ever underestimate the power and breadth of your leading. Whether you like it or not, whether you realize it or not, you’re being watched – pretty much from all sides, pretty much at all times. Maybe with the unparalleled unobtrusiveness and uncanny accuracy of an oh, so quiet child who drinks in what his idol of a father/sister/uncle/mother is, filtering out the froth of what he/she says [just like you did when you were a kid]. If you believe in the primacy of Scripture trust me: they may well read the Bible in no other place but in the person you are.

“Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.” - Buddha

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 19 

During the 40 years from 1880 to 1920 roughly 4,000 former slaves or children of former slaves were lynched in the United States, most of them in the South.  

“At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.” – Toni Morrison

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

18 May 

“Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life – a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are.” – Princess Diana

“I praise loudly. I blame softly.” – Catherine the Great

From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

18 May 

“Praise is to humans what the sun is to flowers.” – Arnold Kunst

“Can you withstand the frontal assault of a casually raised eyebrow?” - Anonymous

 From "The Hunan Condition: A User's Manual," by Arnold Kunst 

16 May 

“Take care that you don’t go to enormous lengths to please people who do not have your best interests at heart.” – Arnold Kunst

“It’s time for us to turn to each other, not on each other.” – Jesse Jackson

 From “Me, Too 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

17 May 

“You can learn a lot from a porch light. “Email to my children: ‘The other night we are getting ready for bed; I notice, at 10:30, that the porch light is on. So I tell your mother, “I know why you’re guaranteed to go to heaven.” She’s on her way to check the patio door to see if Zephyr our cat is in the back, but my statement stopped her in her tracks, and I explain it to her. “You had the porch light on for Zephyr; you were showing love and compassion for the only one of the creatures in your immediate orbit who, at this particular time, might need the love you have to offer. You do that like water goes downhill. And when you come to die God must recognize that you are doing what He does all the time, and so you’re guaranteed to make it - He’ll take you home because, clearly, it’s where you belong.” When I was finished she wanted a cuddle, the same cuddle I wanted to give her. ‘I’m telling you this to remind you, yet again, that your mother is an unparalleled treasure.’” – A husband smart enough to come in from the cold

“Sink into your silence, all the way to tranquility.” – Arnold Kunst

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

17 May 

“Let us be silent that we might hear the whispers of the gods.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Your progress is guaranteed insofar as you start out with, and continue to maintain, a clear view of the obstacles.” - Arnold Kunst

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 17 

Blacks in colonial America were far more influential than is commonly supposed. According to Lincoln, in five of the original thirteen states – Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey and North Carolina - free Negroes had the right to vote. They undoubtedly played a part in the ratification of the Constitution and certainly were included in the preamble “we the people.” 

“If you were meant to be controlled you would have come with a remote.” - Anonymous

 From “Me, Too 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

16 May 

“The parent who says he loves his child but then lays down a ton of conditions the child has to fulfill to earn that love doesn’t love his child. What he’s just done is to confuse and anger the child with what’s called emotional blackmail that will one day relentlessly corrode the child. Oh, in addition it’ll also blow up in the parent’s face. But trust me on this: it’s not love.” – Arnold Kunst

“There's no substitute for the person with a properly formed sense of values.” - Anonymous

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 16 

“I have borne a laborious and in some respects to myself, painful part in the contest. Through all I have neither assailed nor wrestled with any part of the Constitution.” - Abraham Lincoln 

"When you become impatient you break the bond." - Jonathan Hanaghan

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

15 May 

“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.” - Maya Angelou

“When you get impatient you break the bond.” – Jonathan Hanaghan

From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst

15 May 

“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.” - Maya Angelou

“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

15 May 

“It is better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington

“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain

From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

15 May 

“It is better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington

“Grow comfortable with the phrase, “I could be wrong, but...’ Your elbow won’t fall off.” - Arnold Kunst

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 15 

“When southern people tell us they are no more responsible for the origin of slavery than we, I acknowledge the fact. When it is said that the institution exists and that it is very difficult to get rid of it in any satisfactory way, I can understand and appreciate the saying. I surely will not blame them for not doing what I should not know how to do myself.” - Abraham Lincoln 

“When I was born some of our relatives came to our house and told my mother, ‘Don’t worry, next time you will have a son.’” – Malala Yousafzai

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

14 May 

“Men their rights and nothing more; women their rights and nothing less.” - Susan B. Anthony

“… you can grab them by the p#@@ies!” – Donald Trump

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

13 May 

Mary is a 38-year-old unmarried teacher friend who signed up recently with one of those internet dating programs where she met another teacher named Tom who came across, initially at least, as really interesting. His emails sparkled with insight and bubbled with wit. But with time she noticed two things: those emails were almost exclusively about him, and there seemed to be no end to them. Eventually she pointed that out to him, and he wrote back: "Maybe we should exchange phone numbers. Or maybe you just want mine." She never replied - which ended the relationship abruptly.  

Now, why did Mary do that? If you’re a woman chances are you know instinctively. If you’re a man and don't know why, let me suggest you ask a woman and she can explain the mystery. And if you don’t understand and DON’T take my suggestion, you probably identify with Tom more than you should…

“Abdication isn’t empowerment.” – Miles Anthony Smith

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual” by Arnold Kunst 

14 May 

You and I are living far below our possibilities insofar as we continually hand over control to others.

“Obstacles are the raw materials of great accomplishment.” – Tommy Newberry

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

13 May 

“Achievement never happens in a comfort zone.” - Anonymous

“All human wisdom is summed up in two words – ‘wait’ and hope.’” - Alexandre Dumas

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 14 

“I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” - Abraham Lincoln 

“An honest man is always a child.” - Socrates

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 13 

“I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down.” - Abraham Lincoln 

“Common sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most never use it.” Anonymous

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

12 May 

“Wimps sit on the sidelines afraid they might get their uniforms dirty out there; be sure you’re out there! True, you can’t get hurt on the sidelines, but you can’t get hurt in the grave either. While we’re here we’re meant to live a real life since, as the expression has it, we’ll be a long time dead!” – Arnold Kunst

“What you call ‘delusional thinking’ I call ‘fictionalbliss.’” - Anonymous

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

12 May 

Don’t be delusional: thinking about taking some business class at the local community college doesn’t make you ready to be the CEO of something. [By the way, neither does actually TAKING the class!]

"We need what you have." - Anonymous

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 12 

Horace Greeley, the editor of the New York Tribune, had on many occasions attacked the Lincoln administration for any number of reasons. But on Lincoln's death he wrote arguably the most prescient obituary of Abraham Lincoln ever penned, one that any of us might justifiably long for: “He was not a born king of men but a child of the common people who made himself a great persuader, therefore a leader, by dint of firm resolve, patient effort, and dogged perseverance. He slowly won his way to eminence and fame by doing the work that lay next to him - doing it with all his growing might - doing it as well as he could, and learning by his failure, when failure was encountered, how to do it better. He was open to all impressions and influences and gladly profited by the teaching of events and circumstances, no matter how adverse or unwelcome. There was probably no year of his life when he was not a wiser, cooler, and better man than he had been the year proceeding.” 

“You have been called to greatness. Honoring the dictates of that greatness will require years of dedication, long hard work, probably jealousy and misunderstanding, maybe even active hostility. But that's what you were built for. You can, of course, turn your back on that same destiny, but be warned: you do so at your own peril.” - Arnold Kunst

“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” - George Bernard Shaw

  From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

11 May 

“The first resistance to social change is to say it’s not necessary.” – Gloria Steinem

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” - Anonymous

From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

 11 May 

Power, right now, is gathering; power, right there, on the far side of your cherished fear[s]; power, as distinctive to you as your retina scan; power, teetering on the brink of magnificent crescendos; power to do more for us than you or I could possibly imagine.

“One acid, infallible test of your maturity is your ability to hold necessary tension until the circumstances are ripe for the release of that tension.” - Arnold Kunst

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 11 

In January 1835 Lincoln’s business partner died “on short notice,” leaving him responsible for their joint obligations to a total of $1,100, an enormous sum for those days. Lincoln called it the National Debt, and rather than declare bankruptcy he took 10 years to clear that debt.

“The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed.” – Gandhi

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

10 May 

“Women are beginning to feel that they are not fairly represented. As we say, 2% may be fine for fat in milk, but not for the United States Senate.” - Diane Feinstein

“Embrace the glorious mess that you are.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

10 May 

Keep a low profile on the freeway – if you drive like you're on the Indy 500 you're bound to come to the attention of people who wear uniforms with lots of things on their belts. Chances are, that encounter will not end well.

“We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.” - Abraham Lincoln

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 10 

“Anger is rage gone wrong. Rage gone right is the building block of all individual and social accomplishment. It is the dynamo at the very core of civilization.” - Arnold Kunst

“The most enlightened idea becomes a tyranny when imposed. Always win, never coerce.” – Jonathan Hanaghan

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

9 May 

“I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen.” – Winnie the Pooh

“Don't block out anyone’s sunlight.” – Anonymous

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

9 May 

The sun grows darker the closer the loser gets. 

We can all see by the light of the winner’s smile.

“Life is a festival only to the wise. Seen from the nook and chimney side of prudence it wears a ragged and dangerous front.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 9 

When Lincoln ran for congress in 1846 his Democratic opponent was a fire-and-brimstone preacher named Peter Cartwright. The story goes that during the course of the campaign Lincoln went to one of Cartwright's services. At one point during the service Preacher Cartwright asked that all who desired to give their lives to God and go to heaven should stand. Of course everyone stood up. Except Lincoln. He then asked those who did not wish to go to hell to stand. At this point everyone stood up. Except Lincoln. Cartwright of course was sensitive to the fact that Lincoln was in the congregation. He then pointedly asked, “Mr. Lincoln, if you didn't stand in answer to either question where exactly do you intend to go?” Lincoln replied: “I came here as a respectful listener. I did not know that I was to be singled out by Brother Cartwright. I believe in treating religious matters with due solemnity. I admit that the questions propounded by Brother Cartwright are of great importance. I did not feel called upon to answer as the rest did. Brother Cartwright asks me directly where I am going. I desire to reply with equal directness. I am going to Congress.” 

“Love yourself as tenderly as anyone; love the child in you.” – Jonathan Hanaghan

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

8 May 

“Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future. Act now, without delay.” - Simone de Bouvoir

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” - Anonymous

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

8 May 

In the end, when the bloom of youth has faded, when your cheeks and ear-lobes and belly are sagging, when your thighs have turned to cottage cheese and you’re having trouble remembering what day of the week it is, stay cool like you always have, and trust the process. Your work is coming to an end here - you will have left behind a host of people capable of meeting their distinctive challenges because they paid close attention as you met yours. And when it’s time to die, just leave your body where it happens to be at that moment - and move on to The Next Thing.

“Every natural function can be dignified by deliberation and privacy. Let us leave hurry to slaves.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 8 

At the end of June, 1864 Salmon Chase offered Lincoln his resignation as Secretary of the Treasury for the fourth time. Lincoln had refused the first three times because the country needed Chase's dazzling financial wizardry, but - unknown to Chase - Lincoln had already settled on an adequate replacement and so accepted his resignation this time. Now Chase, who wanted very much to be president himself and who had worked to undermine Lincoln at virtually every opportunity, was free from the constraints of being in Lincoln's official family and could campaign for the Republican nomination openly - but he did not have enough time to work up the necessary head of steam to win the nomination for himself. Lincoln had, in effect, utilized to the maximum the man's boundless skills, then cut him loose too close to the Republican convention for his run for the presidency to pose a serious threat to Lincoln's own bid for re-nomination. 

“The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromosomes.” – Bella Abzug

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

7 May 

“In our society, the women who break down barriers are those who ignore limits.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” – Anonymous

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual” by Arnold Kunst 

7 May 

You and I are called to be relaxed, like a veteran quarterback tranquil yet invigorated in the pocket as he threads the needle yet again for another 26 yards.

“See to it that your inner sense of peace is so deep and secure that troubles which would dislocate lesser men leave you annoyed, perhaps, but ever serene.” - Arnold Kunst

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 7 

“Honest old Abe, when the war first began,  

Denied abolition was part of his plan;  

Honest old Abe has since made a decree,  

The war must go on till the slaves are all free.  

As both can't be honest, will some one tell how  

If honest Abe then, he is honest Abe now?” - Civil War doggerel 

“I know how you feel. And I’m bigger than that.” - God

From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

6 May 

“Others have been made fools of by the girls, but this can never with truth be said of me. I most emphatically, in this instance, make a fool of myself.” - Abraham Lincoln 

“We’re not raising children. We’re raising adults.” – Anonymous

From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst  

6 May 

A person’s self-concept directly impacts his performance. If your child knows you believe and accept him no matter what, that self-concept is secure. He’ll have his share of challenges, of course, but he’ll win because you’ve helped him see himself as a winner. 

“Life is a wheel. He who is on top today will be on the bottom tomorrow.” – Talmud

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 6 

In the early-early days of the Civil War the bumbling, fumbling giant known as the North hardly seemed capable of mounting anything like a victory against the dazzling military talent of the South. This was particularly true in 1863 – Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia seemed able to walk on water. In May of that year Lee, although outnumbered two to one, had divided his army and struck General Joseph Hooker with frontal and flank assaults and a titanic battle roared around Chancellorsville, Virginia. On May 6, 1863 came the awful news that Hooker had quit fighting. Another defeat. Fighting Joe Hooker, as he was known, had let the Rebel force run rings around him suffering 17,000 casualties in the process. How was this war ever to be won? 

“You never know how it feels until it happens to you.” - Anonymous

 “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

5 May 

“It was we the people; not we the white male citizens; nor yet we the male citizens but we the whole people who formed the Union.” - Susan B. Anthony

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 5 May “Discuss, as calmly as possible, ‘What’s the worst possible thing that could happen here?’ See the big picture – either things aren’t as bad as you thought and you should go ahead, OR things really could go from bad to worse and maybe you need to cut your loses right now and get out.  Conclusion: some bridges in life need to be crossed, others to be burnt.” – Arnold Kunst

“I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.” - Abraham Lincoln

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 5 

“For God's sake, learn to listen. Say, ‘How are you?’ and mean it. Say/ask clarifying things only. Move the conversation forward only when the other person clearly is listening. Don't ever accuse, or threaten, or judge. Ever.” - Arnold Kunst

“How should you, yourself, honor the insights that are native to you that would, literally, stop us in our tracks?” - Arnold Kunst

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

4 May 

“I am not patient.” – Gloria Steinem

“… for He makes the rain to fall on the unjust as on the just.” – The Bible

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

4 May 

Reality seems replete with injustice. On the same tree two apples are subject to the same climatic conditions, the same soil conditions, and the like. Yet the wind that appears to blow equally on both will blow one off the tree onto the ground where it will rot and die, while the other will remain to ripen fully. Life on a fairly regular basis presents me with a steady diet of roughly similar ‘injustice,’ and if I’m not careful I’ll end up clinging overmuch to what is passing.  The clinging, of course, is understandable. Augustine of Hippo says in his Confessions: "You have made us for Yourself, Oh Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You." In short, as for water in a parched land I seek out the security that only heaven will provide, but like a child, I've got problems with delayed gratification. So naturally I cling overmuch to a mother, a spouse, an offspring, a bank balance. And with all the apparent fickleness, all the apparent iniquity of life itself, these can be snatched away from me in the twinkling of an eye.  

So how do I reconcile all this with the belief in a prodigiously loving, solicitous God? A God not with a will that He demands I obey but rather a longing He craves I comply with? What seems to be evil from my [puny] perspective must not be nearly as evil as at first appears, but only apparently so. For now I see as through a mirror darkly, but then, as Paul says, I shall see face to face; now I know in part, then I shall know even as I am known. If the evil apparent in this or that calamity were what you might call heremetically-sealed evil, He wouldn't allow it to happen – I think it's that simple. But evil, all manner of evil, does happen, and on a regular basis. For the seed must first fall into the ground and die before it springs forth to give life a hundred fold. He's got it all figured out; it is my place, as it was Job's, to say, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

“We must trust infinitely to the beneficent necessity which shines through all laws.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 4 

A friend once reported finding Lincoln sitting in his chair so collapsed and weary that he did not look up or speak when he addressed him. Lincoln put out his hand mechanically as if to shake hands when the friend told him he had come at Lincoln’s bidding. It was several minutes before he was roused enough to say that he “had had a hard day.” 

“If it’s dead, let it go.” – Anonymous

 From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

3 May 

“We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it as not as dreadful as it appears, discovering that we have the strength to stare it down.” - Eleanor Roosevelt 

“Every good listener is well worth listening to.” - Anonymous

 
From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

2 May 

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.” - Mother Teresa

“We’ve all got something excellent to tell each other.” – Jonathan Hanaghan

From “Me Too, 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

1 May 

“Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest.” - Lady Bird Johnson

“… and into the forest I go,to lose my mind and find my soul.” – John Muir

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

3 May 

Learn to let nature get in the way. Let’s suppose you’re wrapped up in some variant of that oh, so delicious sense of “Poor Little Ole’ Me!” wounded pride/self-pity. Then you step outside and find yourself in the presence of a breathtaking sunrise, or a sunset – get the message. Nature, or God, or the Universe is trying to get something through to you. It’s subtle, and it requires a certain degree of tranquility, and it goes something like this: “put the thing [whatever it is that you’re wrapped up in] in some perspective by focusing on this!” My guess is, whatever it is that Nature is calling you to revel in is probably more valid than that Poor-Little-Old-Me thing. When you think of it, self-pity is everyone’s natural prerogative. Or, to put it crudely, it’s as common as dirt.But that sunrise/sunset can be, if you and I but permit it, uplifting, transformative. So is the crystalline ring of your child’s laughter, or the subtle aromas of flowers, or the plumage of the simplest of birds, or the taste of pure water on a really hot day, or the feel of your kitten’s fur, or fresh air pumping into your lungs as you go jogging in a torrential downpour. Will this trick work every time? Of course not – some problems are REAL problems. But if this is a vehicle for self-pity you need to know the following: succumbing to the seductive power of self-pity will of necessity set you on the lookout for the next pebble on the road of life to trip over. And since self-pity, especially validated self-pity, is so powerfully seductive, when you do succumb to it, unfortunately you reallyARE as common as dirt.

“If I am not, may God put me there; and if I am, may God keep me there.” – Joan of Arc

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

2 May 

“Leaders are people who clearly delineate what they want and then go ahead with persistence, dedication, imagination and maybe even a sense of fun to do whatever it takes to get there. And when the price is paid, life yields its abundant rewards. That’s the kind of leader you and I are meant to be.” – Arnold Kunst

“Eagles don’t take flight lessons from chickens.” - Anonymous

 From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual,” by Arnold Kunst 

1 May 

Tremendous achievement only happens insofar as I’ve grown comfortable with my own company, particularly when gripped by my distinctive, home-made nameless 3 AM fears. I’m meant to emulate eagles comfortable with their own company as they ride thermals at 1,800 feet.

“The truth will set you free.” - Jesus Christ

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 3 

“If we could first know where we are and whither we are tending we could then better judge what to do and how to do it.” - Abraham Lincoln 

“I would give up all my technology for an afternoon with Socrates.” - Steve Jobs

 From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst 

May 2 

“I entered the room with a moderate estimate of my own consequence and yet there I was to talk with - and even to advise - the head man of a great nation. I was never more quickly or more completely put at ease in the presence of a great man than in that of Abraham Lincoln.” - Frederick Douglass, ex slave 

!“There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude - a quiet joy.” - Ralph H. Blum

 From“Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst May1

CharlesDana, Assistant Secretary of War, once told the president that his young daughter wanted to be introduced to the President. Lincoln walked over, took up the girl, kissed her and talked to her. The scene seemed remarkable to Dana because important men of high office usually lack natural and easy grace in handling a child. With Lincoln Dana noticed the child felt easy. Without knowing it Lincoln had passed an acid test.