Do not make small goals because they do not have the magic to stir men's souls.
Spencer W. KimballRead
Your life is your own, to develop or to destroy. You can blame others little and yourself almost totally if that life is not a productive, worthy, full, and abundant one.
Interpretation
You have the power to shape your life positively or negatively, and ultimately, you are responsible for it.
This quote by Spencer W. Kimball emphasizes personal responsibility in shaping one's life. It suggests that individuals hold the primary authority over their lives, and while external factors may influence them, the choices they make determine whether their life is productive and fulfilling. Blaming others is trivial compared to the significant role self-accountability plays in personal development.
In practice
During a motivational speech about personal development.
Do not make small goals because they do not have the magic to stir men's souls.
What could you do better for your children and your children's children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved? Some of what you write may be humdrum dates and places, but there will also be rich passages that will be quoted by your posterity.
Failure to plan brings barrenness and sterility. Fate brushes man with its wings, but we make our own fate largely.
A dozen times a day we come to a fork in the road and must decide which way we will go. It is important to get our ultimate objectives clearly in mind so that we do not become distracted at each fork in the road by the irrelevant questions: Which is the easier or more pleasant way? Or, Which way are others going?
The day obedience becomes a quest and not an irritation is the day you gain power.
Only when you lift a burden, God will lift your burden. Divine paradox this! The man who staggers and falls because his burden is too great can lighten that burden by taking on the weight of another's burden. You get by giving, but your part of giving must be given first.
Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.
There's that bubble of childhood that makes you innocently do anything. Then, when you get older, that pops, and you're aware of limitations and judgment and social pressures and things like that.
Many times, I left the prison thinking, 'I'm smart. I can make it. I won't get caught up again.' But you get off downtown Skid Row, and you're a target for all of the environmental harms in that area. The pain and trauma in that area is so thick, you can almost reach your hand out and touch it.
My mom showed me how important it is to surround yourself with opportunities and make the most of them.
I've had a very full life, and I've enjoyed it very much. I've learned a great deal and feel indebted to all the people who have worked so hard.
The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed.
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