Character is the moral strength to do the right thing even when it costs more than you want to pay.” [Winston Churchill]

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:

April 30

'I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.'

- Abraham Lincoln

'Gradually and incrementally you are called on to progress from “They can do it, but I can't” to “If they can do it, so can I'' and finally to “If I did that then, surely I can do this now.”’

- Arnold Kunst

Serenity is not freedom from the storm but peace amid the storm.

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:
April 29
At a spontaneous, celebratory White House serenade on the day Lee surrendered - and the Civil War was all but over - Lincoln said, 'I have always thought “Dixie” one of the best tunes I have ever heard. Our adversaries over the way attempted to appropriate it but I insisted that we fairly captured it. I presented it to the Attorney General and he gave it as his legal opinion that it is our lawful prize. I now request the band to favor me with its performance.'

'Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are all in harmony.' 
- Anonymous

Those who gossip with you will gossip about you.

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

On the best of days the loser believes all men speak ill of him.

The winner’s sense of inner peace is undisturbed when people talk about him behind his back.

"Everyone can be great because everyone can serve." [Martin Luther King, Jr.]

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:
April 28
'I freely acknowledge myself the servant of the people according to the bond of service - the United States Constitution - and that as such I am responsible to them.' 
- Abraham Lincoln

'I could not at any age be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never for whatever reason turn one’s back on life.' 
- Eleanor Roosevelt

“Living in the light of eternity changes your priorities.” [Rick Warren]

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:
April 27
'As our case is new so we must think anew and act anew.' 
- Abraham Lincoln

'You're never too old to grow younger.' 
- Mae West

A ship in a harbor is safe, but that's not what shops were built for.

From “The Human Condition: A User’s Manual” by Arnold Kunst
‘One of the healthiest ways to gamble is with a spade and a package of garden seeds.’
- Dan Bennett

"Call me a cab." "Ok, you're a cab."

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:

April 26

'I hope to stand firm enough to not go backward, and yet not go forward fast enough to wreck the country's cause.'

- Abraham Lincoln

'Make yourself comfortable with ambiguity.'

- Anonymous

Friendship isn't a big thing, it's a million little things.

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

You’ll know the kind of person the loser is when you meet the people he surrounds himself with.

You’ll know the kind of person the winner is when you meet the people he surrounds himself with.

"Every time you find some humor in a difficult situation you win!" [Charles Schultz]

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:

April 25

Draining the President’s attention and energy was a virtually endless stream of office seekers. ‘Too many pegs and not enough holes to put them in,’ he observed wryly. When Lincoln got back to Washington from the Gettysburg cemetery dedication he contracted a mild form of smallpox. Where were the office seekers, he quipped? Now he had something he could give everybody!

‘Humor is the instinct for taking pain playfully.’

- Max Eastman

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” [Martin Luther King, Jr.]

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

One of the sad consequences of having a poor education is having a brain that sputters along on one or two cylinders. That means that even if a guy arrives at a course of action that’s a good 99% correct, he’ll still blow it.

"Do not wait for an opportunity to be all that you want to be." [Wallace D. Wattles]

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:

April 24

'I don't believe in a law to prevent a man from getting rich; it would do more harm than good. So while we do not propose any war upon capital we do wish to allow the humblest man an equal chance to get rich with everybody else.'

- Abraham Lincoln

‘The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.’

- Maureen Dowd

Don't block out the sunlight.

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

The sun grows darker the closer the loser gets.

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

Smile; you don't own all the problems of the world.

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:
April 23
'How many legs does a dog have if you count the tail a leg? Four. Caunting a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.' 
- Abraham Lincoln

‘Squeeze an orange and what comes out is orange juice – no matter what does the squeezing the thing that comes out is what was inside already. If you get angry because someone says or does something, what comes out is, like the orange juice, what was inside already. Give your attention to the content; it is far more important than the source of the squeeze.’
- Arnold Kunst

If you want to be taken seriously, be consistent.

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

No matter how much we fret and fuss and fume, we are held in the palm of God’s hand. He’s constant.

"Laughter is the beautiful, universal evergreen of life." [Abraham Lincoln]

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:

April 22

'I can make more generals but horses cost money.'

- Abraham Lincoln

‘Insist absolutely on enjoying life. Don't take no for an answer.'

- Anonymous

"If I got rid of my demons I'd lose my angels." [Anonynmous]

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

The loser’s personal demons [and we all have personal demons] are as distinctive to him as his DNA.

The winner’s personal demons [and we all have personal demons] are as distinctive to him as his DNA.

Sometimes we get MORE than we deserve!

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:

April 21

When Lincoln received the Republican nomination for president in 1860 he ‘seemed to have come from nowhere – a backwoods lawyer who had served one undistinguished term in the House of Representatives and had lost two consecutive contests for the U. S. Senate. Contemporaries and historians alike have attributed his surprising nomination to chance – the fact that he came from the battleground state of Illinois and stood in the center of his party. The comparative perspective suggests a different interpretation. When viewed against the failed efforts of his rivals, it is clear that Lincoln won the nomination because he was shrewdest and canniest of them all. More accustomed to relying upon himself to shape events, he took the greatest control of the process leading up to the nomination, displaying a fierce ambition, an exceptional political acumen, and a wide range of emotional strengths, forged in the crucible of personal hardship, that took his unsuspecting rivals by surprise.’

- Doris Kearns Goodwin

‘Be ye wise as serpents and guileless as doves.’

- Jesus Christ

"Think big, talk little." [Anonymous

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:

April 20

'Much is being said about peace, and no man desires peace more ardently than I. Still I am yet unprepared to give up the Union for a peace which so achieved could not be of much duration.'

- Abraham Lincoln

‘Focus on the big picture. In 20 years you’re bound to forget all about whatever it is that seems so upsetting right now, so don't allow the thing to be blown out of proportion in the meantime.'

- Arnold Kunst

"Our lives begin to end when we become silent about things that matter." [Martin Luther King, Jr.]

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:

April 19

Whatever the negative effects domestically, the Emancipation Proclamation was an unparalleled success abroad. Henry Adams from the office of the US Ambassador in London couldn’t have put it more strongly: ‘The Emancipation Proclamation has done more for us here than all our former victories and all our diplomacy. It is creating an almost convulsive reaction in our favor all over this country.'

'God's part is to move the mountain - my part is to bring the shovel.'

- Anonymous

Don't limit your challenges, challenge your limits.

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

Opportunity always lies buried in the midst of difficulty. Always

Human dignity + compassion = Peace

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:

April 18

‘Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.’

- Abraham Lincoln

'Like a determined ship's captain in a typhoon, a leader may trim his sails, alter his route, adjust his arrival time - but he doesn’t let a little commotion in the elements get in his way.'

- Arnold Kunst

"I am a glutton for tranquility." [Anonymous]

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

The loser’s sleep is troubled by a thousand nameless fears nipping at his heels like a relentless pack of ravenous wolves.

The winner sleeps like a baby.

"Honesty is better than sugar-coated BS." [Anonymous]

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:
April 17
'If a man is honest in his mind you are pretty safe in trusting him.' 
- Abraham Lincoln

'Life is a stickler for form. If you don't take all the courses and pass all the exams you're just not going to graduate.' 
- Arnold Kunst

"Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace within the storm." [Anonymous]

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:

April 16

'Die when I may I want it said by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.'

- Abraham Lincoln

'Dwell as near as possible to the channel in which your life flows.'

- Henry David Thoreau

"Surprise is the enemy of prudence." [Anonymous]

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

Plan your life, especially the big things. Otherwise, for example, your children will arrive as a result of mindless propagation, God help them.

Be careful what you say about yourself because you are listening.

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst:
April 15
'I cannot bring myself to believe that any human being lives who would do me harm.' 
- Abraham Lincoln

‘Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.’
- Socrates

“Big results require big ambitions.” [Heraclitus]

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

The loser belittles the ambitions of those around him.

The winner fosters the ambitions of those around him.