A mother has far greater influence on her children than anyone else, and she must realize that every word she speaks, every act, every response, her attitude, even her appearance and manner of dress affect the lives of her children and the whole family. It is while the child is in the home that he gains from his mother the attitudes, hopes, and beliefs that will determine the kind of life he will live and the contribution he will make to society.
Every human being is a world in miniature. It has its own centre of observation, its own way of forming concepts and of arriving at conclusions, its own degree of sensibility, its own life's work to do, and its own destiny to reach. All these features may be encompassed by general conditions, governed by general laws, and subject to unforeseen influences and incidents, but within the sphere of their own activity, they constitute that great principle which we call individuality.
“Will grinned. “Some of these books are dangerous,” he said. “It’s wise to be careful.”“One must always be careful of books,” said Tessa, “and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”“I’m not sure a book has ever changed me,” said Will. “Well, there is one volume that promises to teach one how to turn oneself into an entire flock of sheep—”“Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry,” said Tessa”
“It's flattering, but you start to wonder whether people that are becoming fans of all the bands that have taken on that look know where it's coming from. I'm not saying we invented it -- we drew influence from the Damned and the Misfits -- but it wasn't very popular when we started doing it. It's strange, but if you start worrying about stuff like that, it becomes less about being a songwriter and more about trying to control what's going on in some kind of scene.”
“East Investigative detectives have done a tremendous job in taking two dangerous teens off our streets and out of our neighborhoods. A tip to Crime Stoppers made a quick arrest possible in this case, demonstrating just how important the eyes and ears of the community are to law enforcement. The arrest of these two young suspects shows why it is imperative for the community and the families of children and teens to be actively involved in our kids' lives and in their daily activities before they are influenced by others to involve themselves in criminal activity.”
It is hard to see how a great man can be an atheist. Without the sustaining influence of faith in a divine power we could have little faith in ourselves. We need to feel that behind us is intelligence and love. Doubters do not achieve; skeptics do not contribute; cynics do not create. Faith is the great motive power, and no man realizes his full possibilities unless he has the deep conviction that life is eternally important, and that his work, well done, is a part of an unending plan.
One of my biggest influences as a writer is J. K. Rowling. I grew up with Harry Potter. One thing I absolutely loved was how every single person in Harry's world was so three-dimensional—it was as if each one was the main character in his or her own story and was just making a guest appearance in Harry's story. I strive to do that as a writer. I want every side character to be the main character of his or her own story.
But there also seems to be in our culture a curious cautiousness—“You’ll get these abundant gratifications only if you don’t feel too much, don’t let on you want too much.” The result is that, instead of conquering the world like Horatio Alger, we should wait passively until the genie of technology—which we don’t push or influence, only await—brings us our appointed gratifications. All of this is a part of the rewards which go with belief in the vast myth of the machine in the twentieth century.
“Notwithstanding, the several unusual items that influenced our results the last three months demonstrate that the underlying performance of The Hartford's property and casualty and life operations was strong. This performance is a reflection of our efforts to sustain profitable growth in a competitive environment. Our return on equity of over 15 percent over the last twelve months has exceeded our stated long-term goals. Actions we have taken to broaden distribution and improve our products are driving our sales momentum.”
“Obviously, Miami is a different way of life than New York. My grittier street songs are definitely influenced by New York. Just driving down the Bronx in my old neighborhood can inspire me every day. You never know what you are going to see or hear. I can't really say there is one thing that most inspires me from New York. But the city as a whole always gives me material to write about.”