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Words OWisdom

From

Jaclyn Holland-Strauss

© Jaclyn Holland-Strauss

December 31, 2019

Spirituality

Can an atheist be a good person? I think so. After all, a religious one can certainly be a bad one.

Having faith in God does not mean believing what someone says God believes. Faith in God would be existing in the next life, God telling you something, and you believing that since He is perfect, you will fall in with His wishes.

Be a soldier when fighting your own sins, and a pacifist when fighting others’.

The sins that aren’t visible to others are no less serious than the ones everyone see.

Luck is something we make, not something we have.

The truest religious building on earth is the one constructed by the maximization of our own spiritual potential.

The most dangerous religion is the one that’s misunderstood by those who claim to practise it.

Our strengths and weakness often are expressed through the same characteristic and the secret to happiness is maximizing the strength of that characteristic while at the same time minimizing the weakness of it.

Don’t think about your potential problems. Just think about your potential!

It doesn’t matter which religious building you step inside : It matters how you behave when you step outside.

If our legs are sore from walking too much that day, we should think about those in wheelchairs. If we can’t bear to hear any more criticism, think of what it would be like to be deaf. When we are tired of what the world is showing us, remember that some face permanent blindness.

Why undergo a trial when we can overcome it?

Sometimes we are proud of ourselves for not caring what others think. Which is fine if we are in the right . . . But what if we are in the wrong? Then we will be ignoring good advice. In order to be emotionally intelligent, we need to balance a sense of where we are in life, with the humility of knowing that sometimes others are smarter than we are.

The best thing to do when you’re depressed is to find someone else who’s depressed and make them feel better. You won’t have to waste a lot of time looking, probably.

The universe always tries to help us. So if we want to pity ourselves, it will give us new things to pity. But if we want to celebrate the joy that is life, we will notice more beautiful things occurring in our sphere.

If you are single, thank your higher power you don’t have marital problems. If you’re broke, thank it that people aren’t taking advantage of you financially. If you hate your job, thank it for having one. Figure out a way in every situation to be grateful, for we are all surely blessed.

If you’re not going to help me create, then don’t hold me back by attempting to destroy.

I think how we go into shock when something traumatic happens, or when we feel kind of outside ourselves, like the trauma is happening in a distant place, is proof that a higher power, which could actually be ourselves, loves us and has set up certain things to protect us.

If we think someone else is going to hell, we might be right about the destination and wrong about the occupant.

When we can’t hear, a higher power shows us. When we can’t see, it whispers.

The next time life beats you, suggest another race. And then win.

Be right as often as possible, but be kind, always.

Rather than put someone down, lift them up.

The ancestors of my successes are my failures, and the descendants of my nightmares are my dreams.

Learning is only half the battle, and the easiest part. Applying that learning wisely to concrete situations is the hard part and the stuff of which emotionally intelligent people are made.

Even if you don’t dream, don’t awaken others from their dreams.

Never put the key to happiness in someone else’s pocket!

The dumbest person in the world can still help others. The ugliest person, too. The least popular. The poorest. The weakest minority. And that’s how we are all united as human beings. No matter what else you do in life, help people.

Unless you’re wearing a black robe and people often refer to you as “Your Honour,” please don’t judge me.

Negativity doesn’t come after us in an elevator; it takes steps.

You see me from below, but my higher power, which is myself, sees me from above.

Why can’t the heart be the doctrine?

A higher power made us different, not to hurt us, but to see if others would hurt us.

A blind man of faith in themselves sees more than a sighted individual who does not believe in themselves.

“Meanies!” liberals bellow to conservatives. “Corrupt!” scream conservatives to liberals. “I love you all!” whispers humanity.

If you’re ever feeling negatively about yourself, remember that a higher power loves you…and that higher power has known you longer and better than anything else.

Witnessing examples of greatness on the earth we see helps us believe in examples of greatness in the paradise we do not see.

The nice thing about my saying a higher power loves you is that it doesn’t matter who reads the message; it still applies.

Don’t say, “It’s not my day!” Say, instead, “I’m going to turn this day around!”

If we lie to ourselves, then how can we believe in ourselves?

Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m standing still. I’m just pausing, getting ready to jump higher than I ever have before.

Assume you have absolutely no chance of going to your version of heaven and see how much good you do. Then you will see if you do good for the potential reward, or if you do it because you do good for the sake of doing good.

Stress of everyday life causes self absorption. Self absorption causes narrow vision. Narrow vision causes limited perspective. Limited perspective causes unhappiness. Unhappiness causes sin (assuming that sin even exists). So avoid stress by focusing on someone else’s problems. If you take a moment to walk in someone’s shoes, you save the tread on your own.

I’ve walked my whole life. Now I’m ready to run.

Even if we choose our freedom to do evil; it is still better than being forced to do good.

Humour

If being adorable is a crime, then I deserve the death penalty.

What did the indifferent seamstress ask?
Sew what?

I am mature enough that I don’t need to insist people view me a certain way. People are free to think that I’m a good person or a great one.

I was reading in a book about how sometimes when we have a lot of similarities with someone, we don’t like them. Perhaps they remind us of parts of ourselves we would rather forget, for whatever reason. It explains something I’ve always wondered about: Why am I always so tense around brilliant, sexy women?

He said I’m predictable. I said being fantastic on a regular basis isn’t necessarily predictable.

My new doctor is single, and her last name is Diagnosis. Should I be worried?

I know you can’t find happiness at the bottom of a glass. That’s why I make sure I keep refilling.

Dream big. And to make that easier to do, sleep in!

Happiness doesn’t come from living ina 5-million dollar home. It comes from owning a 5-million dollar home.

Why have eyes if not to see the good in people? Why have arms if not to hug? Why have hands if not to place money into mine?

Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes makes you less likely to judge, and hey, you might also score a nicer pair of shoes.

I just got a nasty private Facebook message from the sun because I’m hotter than it is.

When your ex says “You will never find anyone like me, reply with ‘that’s the point!’”

Someone said I was vain, and I smashed my bedroom ceiling mirror in a fury.

If you ever want to just be left alone, ask for help!

I love you…oh, sorry, caught talking to myself again.

Your wife just called me. She’s wondering if you can spend tomorrow night here too.

I’ve been poor and I’ve been rich…well, I haven’t been rich but it sounds better than just saying, “I’ve been poor.”

The United Nations just referred to my hair as being in a failed state.

I stood up against bullying this morning. I threw my bathroom scale out the window.

Strange new virus attacks completely honest people. No deaths have been reported.

I went to the doctor and got mixed results. They tested me for cholesterol, thyroid, and charm. The first two are okay but for the last one, I have dangerously high levels.

My heart is a romantic comedy. My mind is a thriller. My body is a tragedy. And how I became so darned adorable is a mystery.

We tend to like people who are similar to ourselves. I like fascinating, brilliant, very cool women who are awesome.

The closest thing to a genius is an idiot but I’m never going to find a picture of Agatha Christie and a racist to prove it.

The world belongs to those who look good naked.

Is it just me or do all palindromes look alike?

My horoscope said a new man is entering my life. Apparently there’s going to be a prison break.

Oh, no! The police are looking for someone funny, sexy and smart. You’re totally safe, but what’s going to happen to me?

It’s not that I’m overconfident; it’s that you’re underappreciative.

Some people are born late. Some achieve lateness. Others have lateness thrust upon them.

I don’t think it’s appropriate for women to chase after men. They might get them before I do.

Half the time I think I’m incredible. The other half of the time, I’m asleep.

When I discuss other people, I don’t like to call it gossip. I prefer to call it giving a free estimate.

Whenever something negative happens, and a door closes, remember that a window opens. Then a cat gets out, and you’re back where you started.

An optimist says the glass is half full. A pessimist says half empty. A drinker says, “Fill it up!”

Some people should do selfies. Others should do someoneelseies. It’s important for all of us to understand which category we fall into.

A gorgeous woman, an awesome intellectual and wickedly funny brunette walk into a bar. The bartender looks up and says, “What will you have, Jaclyn?”

Pillows are great to sleep with, but I wouldn’t want to marry one.

Life is what happens while one is eagerly looking down at one’s cell phone.

Today I helped someone today by showing sensitivity for their suffering. I’m kind of like Princess Diana. Except for the crown, the beauty, the money, the aristocratic heritage, and a wide range of other superficial stuff. But people are often confused.

Some people are so full of themselves that if they just sit on a toilet, they think they’re starting a movement.

People call me The Calculator because they know they can count on me.

Don’t worry if you’re a bit older and feel like you still haven’t fulfilled your purpose in life. It took me years before I realized my mission in life is to eat and read.

What other women do when drunk, I do sober.

Some women prefer to put down men. I prefer to pick them up.

I don’t often fall in love, but sometimes I am around lakes. And the water is clear. And, well, I’m only human.

People say I’m cocky. I prefer to say that I’m an acquired taste…and I’ve acquired it.

I have good news and bad news. The good news is there’s more than one kind of intelligence. The bad news is some people don’t seem to have any of them!

You should never try to be better than other people. But if it happens naturally like with me, then it’s ok.

I’m very proud of myself! This morning, I did my part to stop bullying. Unfortunately, now I have to clean up all this broken glass around the mirror.

If you don’t like my personality, keep checking in. I have a bunch of them.

For some, we should call it TwoFacebook.

We are very sorry. Username and password invalid. Were you trying to log in to Fakebook?

Social media-related humour

Facebook update: Jaclyn and money are no longer in a relationship.

The difference between an optimist and a pessimist is about a year on social media.

Facebook lets us pretend to be people we’re really not. Many Facebook posts this holiday season have been brought to us by the letters B and S.

On Facebook, comments mean more than likes. In real life, it’s the other way around.

There should be a prompt on Facebook that pops up just before you post that asks, “Would your therapist approve of this message?”

Friendly banter

I’ve noticed that whenever you disagree with me, you’re wrong. Weird.

If ignorance is bliss, you must walk around in a constant state of ecstasy!

We live in a money-obsessed culture but if they put your face on the bills, that should take care of that problem.

Are you homesick for the point because you seem to miss it a lot.

I’d read your mind, but I’ve never liked short stories.

I don’t blame you for being you. I mean, who else was going to volunteer?

Here’s a thought. No, no, you take it, you need it more than I do!

Insights

It is a truth, universally known, that there are no truths, universally known.

Emotions are good subjects, but bad monarchs.

Choosing to think negatively is like entering a house and heading straight for the basement with no windows rather than the attic with an ocean view.

Teach someone to read, and you feed that person’s mind for a day. Teach them to understand what they read, and you feed them for a lifetime.

Judging someone is like criticizing someone for failing a test that you never took.

We can’t judge a book by its cover, so how can we judge a person by their skin?

The reason lying is so grave is because it interferes with people’s understanding of the world around them, and the world is already so complicated as it is, why make it more difficult?

Two people can be in the same exact situation. But one might be descending from a summit, and the other one ascending to nobility.

The funeral of a person’s beauty will be held long before the funeral of their kindness.

Those who read books control those who do not read books.

Never trust anyone who says they have no regrets.

A win that takes years to achieve is still accounted a victory.

One of the most catastrophic transitions the world has ever known was the change from an agricultural to an industrial economy. We will never recover from it.

The ability to look pretty on a magazine cover moves magazine sales. The ability to communicate moves mountains.

If someone is more spiritual than you, then be a student. If someone is less spiritual than you, then be a teacher.

If you want to be right more, defend people who might be wrong more.

People are always talking about having the right to do this and that. We should be talking about having the right perspective.

On the stage of life, there are people who act and there are people who are happy being pieces of furniture.

Why do people say ‘I’m not perfect’? Rarely is anyone confused.

If rain is sin, if sin exists, then a higher power, the power within ourselves, is our umbrella.

Hurt a woman and she will forgive you. Hurt the man a woman loves and she will be through with you. Hurt a woman’s child and you’ll wish you’d never been born.

There is no word necessary before the words “Lives matter!”

Unfortunately, character whispers. Beauty screams.

We will build a better life if we’re not surrounded by tools.

The better a person you are, the better you realize other people are.

Inside every discouragement is courage if you go to the centre of the problem.

It’s nice to be great, but it’s even better to be grateful.

Don’t be afraid of the steep stairs of life . . . Strengthen your legs so u can climb them.

Don’t surrender to those who wish you to be less.

Dividing up into groups is great when you’re a child in kindergarten, but adults should focus on our humanity.

Sometimes we feel like life is shoving us around, but really it’s pushing us out of harm’s way.

If excuse making was a job, there would be no unemployment.

FailuREward

ProblEMpower

WeaknESstrength

It’s up to us which side we choose.

I’m a positive person, so this is the storm before the calm.

Kindness shouldn’t stop at kin.

An open mouth should always be preceded by an open book.

A white man with a gun is called a hunter. A brown man with a gun is called a terrorist. A white man with a nice car is called a success. A black man with a nice car is called a thief.

If violence in self-defence was really the answer, no one alive today would even understand the word violence because we would have enjoyed peace for centuries. War is not a new phenomenon.

If someone battles with depression, it doesn’t mean they are weaker than you. Maybe their circumstances are harder.

To my friends who struggle with depression, and there are quite a few of you: Remember, the smartest and kindest people become depressed when they see the difference between the status quo, and the ideal for which the human spirit reaches. Depression isn’t an example of a disorder. It’s a sign of sensitive humanity.

It’s great to be kind of a big deal, but it’s even greater just to be kind.

Don’t apologize for who you are. Apologize when you act like someone you are not.

The emotion is honest. The interpretation of the emotion can be faulty.

Emotions never lie. They are the most honest part of ourselves. And therefore, unlike opinions…they should always be respected.

It’s important to say what you mean, but it’s more important to see what others mean.

My opinions mean nothing when faced with evidence to the contrary.

Fighting violence with violence is like holding up a mirror to yourself and wondering why you never go away.

The next time in life you feel like you’re in the pit, look around and notice the orchestra playing around you.

Racism is a bridge between stupid people and fake self-esteem.

Sightless eyes are not as blind as partisan eyes.

Different people have different relationships with different people. Your enemy might be someone else’s only hope for a better future.

If we can’t be artists ourselves, we can still have the gift of appreciating others’ art.

A democracy is only as strong as its voters.

Your mind belongs to you which makes your thought process the most private thing you own.

If you can’t change someone’s mind, then change whether or not you mind.

Play cards, not people.

In the mathematics of life, better to be average than mean.

Concentrate on people’s rights, not their wrongs.

If we are not being kind, what’s the point of being anything?

Words whisper; actions scream.

The foolish think they are wise. The wise know they are foolish.

I’m not the person you think I am. I’m better…and worse.

Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

We’re all good at different things, and we’re all different at good things.

Shouldn’t it be moderation in some things rather than all things?

People try to look younger so that they can continue the illusion that they have more time to realize their unfulfilled ambitions.

You can spend life chasing your tail, or your dream.

Poor people fight rich people; rich people fight their consciences.

Maybe society would improve if poor people planned the wars, and rich people actually fought them.

The wages of sin are paid by the employers of excuses.

If you can’t be nice, be mute. If you can’t be gorgeous, be cute. And if you can’t be average, then be magnificent.

The only people worth crying over are the ones you have wronged yourself.

The sins we commit as adults can often be explained by the sins committed against us when we were children.

Don’t worry about wrinkles showing your age. Hopefully your wisdom will give it away.

Rather than insulting someone you don’t like, why not compliment someone you do? Rather than posting something negative on someone’s social media, write something positive on someone else’s.

Fanatics scare me, partly because I know they are fanatical, but they don’t.

Some people are leaders. Some people are followers. Smart people are both.

And the phones became smarter than the people, but the phones couldn’t vote, and so civilization ended.

It’s nice to be good looking, but it’s nicer to be good looking out for others.

Slavery will never be abolished as long as some people read a lot, and others don’t.

Poor lives matter.

It can be lovely to mingle with the world, but then retreat back to my imagination where people value the same things that I do.

When you read a book twice, years apart, the experience between means you are reading a very different book.

Truth we haven’t personally realized ourselves is still the truth.

Average people complain about their problems. Good people overcome their problems. Great people turn their problems into solutions. Happy people help others overcome their problems, rather than worrying about their own.

If we ever want to read great fiction, we should read the excuses we make when we make mistakes.

We can either sucker people or succor them.

If it was most important to walk, we would all walk. If it was most important to see, everyone would see. Everyone can feel. So it must be most important to feel.

Even if you’re miserable, remember that in just one second, it’s already part of your past.

‘We’ is one of the best words in the English language. ‘They’ is one of the worst and has led to some of the worst damage.

It’s ironic that the world is so cold when everyone is so concerned with being hot.

Experience is belief’s mother.

Don’t linger too long in life’s puddles: You won’t notice when the rain stops.

If you fail, you might not be as happy as the person who succeeds, but you’re far more satisfied than the one who never tried.

Be kind, but don’t be a doormat. Be happy, but don’t be obnoxious. Be sad, but don’t be depressing. Read my books, but not all in one night.

If you can’t stand somebody, understand them.

I’m not a jar, so don’t label me!

The best welfare system ever created is giving people the benefit of doubt.

It’s better to be rightfully insecure than falsely confident. At least, if you are rightfully insecure, you have the option to change. If you’re falsely confident, you don’t even see the need to change, and there’s no progression.

Numbers should be divided, not people. And adjectives should be reserved for inanimate objects, not living, breathing human beings because we are lazy. We concentrate on the adjective and forget the person.

Be suspicious of those who say they have life all figured out.

If we haven’t travelled down the same road someone else has, we shouldn’t pretend to know their destination.

If you can’t handle the brightness of my sun, then please feel free to sit in my shade.

SANitorium=(noun) Building where the sane are kept, to avoid making the insane uncomfortable.

Just because we have a strong opinion does NOT mean we are necessarily right.

That awkward moment when someone’s bad behaviour drives you crazy and then you realize you do it yourself all the time.

The person you are is not expressed on your public social media account. It is expressed in your private messages.

There are two sides to every coin. We accept it without dispute. Pretend people are coins.

Never apologise for who you are … only for what you do.

If we’re honest, we all lie.

A moment means nothing, except that it represents the history of a minute.

If we realize only one thing in our lives, it should be our potential.

Don’t let fear arrest you and handcuff you to limiting your potential.

A little less worrying about who is on welfare, and a little more worrying ABOUT people’s welfare might be a good idea.

If today is treating you like a caterpillar, just hold on. Tomorrow might honour you as the butterfly your potential recognizes.

Focus on the few who are good, rather than the many who are bad.

Why can’t the heart be the doctrine?

I am searching for happiness in this increasingly dark world, but kind people are my flashlight.

Why are the great people in the world so humble, and the fools so self-satisfied?

Hold onto your temper. You will hold onto your friends.

Trying to make a point by arguing is like turning on the radio to watch TV.

You won’t change anyone’s mind by arguing with them. But if you argue for them, you might just change their heart.

The smartest people aren’t the ones who read the most books correctly, but the ones who read the most people correctly.

Self-pity is just as addictive any other drug, but it’s harder to throw away something that doesn’t come in a bottle. I’ve learned the hard way that it can be pleasant to be a martyr, but if you can capture the vision of gratitude, that’s a far more life-affirming obsession.

In the natural aristocracy of humankind, people who are unkind to others merit the title of peasants, while those who are genuinely kind reign as royalty.

If someone treats you badly, don’t bother getting revenge. They’ll treat others badly, you can be sure, and someone meaner than you will pay them back without you getting your hands dirty!

If postmodernists assert that we should distrust the master narrative, then why shouldn’t we distrust the postmodern narrative? Hmmm…

Will we read books in heaven or will we read people’s hearts instead?

We’re all in the same boat, oppressed by those in yachts.

We will never find the key to happiness if we are locked in the prison of our own minds.

Don’t use adjectives to describe people. Because unless you use hundreds of adjectives, you will shortchange that person.

The meanest thing we can do to ourselves is to create a false persona. When we do it, and we all do sometimes probably, we’re sending a clear and direct message to people that our real self is not good enough. The more people see our real selves, the more they will love us, because our humanity connects all of our real selves, since that is where we are all so similar. We’re all kind of the same person in a way, because our lessons can be generalized. Be your real self, and let others love you.

A woman marrying a man for his money is no worse than a man marrying a woman for her looks.

Don’t hang around with Negativity. It talks about you behind your back.

Reveal your whole self to people, not just the part you are proud of. Admit it when you are evil, because we all are sometimes. Don’t hide your ugliness. Be matter of fact about it. To pretend we don’t have our shame is to separate us. The more we humble ourselves, and acknowledge our horrible weaknesses, the more we unite with the rest of the human race. There’s not a single person on this earth who doesn’t do things on a daily basis we shouldn’t be wholly ashamed of. We were made that way. Be comfortable with your ugliness, and the world will notice your beauty.

Don’t fear changing your life. Fear shortchanging your life.

If you want to keep up in this world, you need to understand how most of it wants to keep you down.

Provoke thoughts. Not others.

Strike a balance between being sensitive enough to have compassion for others, but not so sensitive that you allow others to control your feelings.

If someone criticizes you, ask yourself if they could be right, rather than having a knee-jerk reaction of anger.

It’s not the house we dwell in that’s important in life, but the thoughts we dwell on.

There’s nothing wrong with being negative TEMPORARILY. If you want to express something negative, go for it! It’s called venting, and also being real and authentic. This idea that people should never say anything negative is silly It’s absolutely fine unless you are always negative. Then people get tired of it. It’s much healthier to express it, put it in context, remember your blessings and what you should be grateful for, and then move on. But acknowledging the negative is an important step in celebrating the positive.

Don’t say you are broken. Say you’re fixable.

Use someone’s psychology to understand them, their history to excuse them. But don’t use their biology to stereotype them.

Is what just happened what you think just happened? If not, life will not be worth living until they match.

If it was most important to see, no one would be blind. If it was absolutely necessary to hear, no one would be deaf. It must be most important to feel, as we all have emotions. So if we can’t see the other person’s point of view, or can’t hear their voice, we should at least try to feel the empathy we all hope to receive ourselves.

Just because you disagree with me doesn’t mean I’m wrong. And if you agree with me, it doesn’t mean we’re both right.

In psychology, scientists have discovered that when it comes to traits we possess, we are on a spectrum, depending on our environment and genes. Nurture and nature tell us which spectrum we will fall into, but our personal desire to maximize our potential can mean the difference between operating at our low or high end. I think the same can be said for morality. If someone’s spectrum is 75-99, their hard ethical work may have taken them from a 75 to a 90. Someone on a spectrum from 130 to 160 may be operating at 132. The person at 90 is actually realizing more of their potential than someone at 132. We don’t know any of this, so our opinion on someone else’s morality or fidelity to their religion is pointless and offensive.

Just because we have learned lessons in life doesn’t mean they are necessarily the right ones. After all, weeds grow, too.

No one is fully right 
No one is fully wrong
So why can’t we all
Just get along?

I defend people not because I see perfection, but because I see beauty.

If you particularly like one or more of these, copy and paste any you like and put them here on this final page.