Upon the occasion of turning 70 this week, I am turning to some of my literary friends whose words continue to serve as companion and counsel.
Augustus McCrae (Gus) in Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
It ain’t dying I’m talking about, it’s living. I doubt it matters where you die, but it matters where you live.
Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
First of all, if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.
Theo in Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Sadness can make us bitter or wise.
We get to choose.
Horton the elephant by Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
A person’s a person, no matter how small.
Captain Woodrow F. Call in Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
I hate rude behavior in a man. I won’t tolerate it.
George Orwell in Fahrenheit 451
You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.
the prophet Micah in the Old Testament
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Erma Bombeck
Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.