Today's Words of Wisdom - August 20, 2015

Today is the birthday of the following people:

Paul Tillich (1886 – 1965):

“Language ... has created the word 'loneliness' to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to express the glory of being alone.”

and

“The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable.”

Edgar Guest (1881 – 1959):

A Book

“Now” - said a good book unto me -

“Open my pages and you shall see

Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine,

Gold and silver in every line,

And you may claim them if you but will

Open my pages and take your fill.

“Open my pages and run them o’er,

Take what you choose of my golden store.

Be you greedy, I shall not care -

All that you seize I shall gladly spare;

There is never a lock on my treasure doors,

Come - here are my jewels, make them yours!

“I am just a book on your mantel shelf,

But I can be part of your living self;

If only you’ll travel my pages through,

Then I will travel the world with you.

As two wines blended make better wine,

Blend your mind with these truths of mine.

“I’ll make you fitter to talk with men,

I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen,

I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek,

I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak -

This place on your shelf is a prison cell,

Let me come into your mind to dwell!”

H.P. Lovecraft (1890 -1937):

“Pleasure to me is wonder—the unexplored, the unexpected, the thing that is hidden and the changeless thing that lurks behind superficial mutability.”

and

“From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.”

and

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown”

Robert Plant (1948 - ):

“How can you consider flower power outdated? The essence of my lyrics is the desire for peace and harmony. That's all anyone has ever wanted. How could it become outdated?”

and

“Music is for every single person that walks the planet.”

John Hiatt (1952 - ):

“When the road gets dark

And you can no longer see

Just let my love throw a spark

And have a little faith in me”