Subscribe To This Site
Wisdom Quotes: Stories, Poems, and Parables for Perspective in Tough TimesWelcome to my collection of favorite wisdom quotes.Each of these stories, poems, and parables is a gem I have stumbled across on my own journey, and they continue to provide perspective when my own path is difficult or unclear. I hope these great quotes will provide comfort and perspective in tough times for you as well. As you will see, the stories, parables, and poems below represent several ways of viewing difficult events. I hope they will speak to you and allow new possibilities to emerge. Wisdom Quotes: A Story About Choice  The Two WolvesA Cherokee elder was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me… it is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, hatefulness, and lies. The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, humbleness, kindness, friendship, generosity, faith, and truth. This same fight is going on inside of you, and inside every other person, too.” The children thought about it for a minute. Then one child asked his grandfather,“Which wolf will win?” The Cherokee elder replied… “The one you feed.” - Cherokee Story  According to an ancient Sufi story, there lived a king in some Middle Eastern land who was continuously torn between happiness and despondency. The slightest thing would cause him great upset and provoke an intense reaction, and his happiness would quickly turn into disappointment and despair.A time came when the king finally got tired of himself and of his life, and he began to seek a way out. He sent for a wise man who lived in his kingdom and who was reputed to be enlightened. When the wise man came, the king said to him, "I want to be like you. Can you give me something that will bring balance, serenity, and wisdom into my life? I will pay any price you ask." The wise man said, "I may be able to help you. But the price is so great that your entire kingdom would not be sufficient payment for it. Therefore, it will be a gift to you if you will honor it." The king gave his assurances, and the wise man left. A few weeks later, he returned and handed the king an ornate box carved in jade. The king opened the box and found a simple gold ring inside. Some letters were inscribed on the ring. The inscription read: This, too, will pass. "What is the meaning of this ?" asked the king. The wise man said, "Wear this ring always. Whatever happens, before you call it good or bad, touch this ring and read the inscription. That way, you will always be at peace." -As told by Eckhart Tolle One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse dropped dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing to happen." The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift. Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man." And the farmer said, "We'll see." A couple days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!" The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see." Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, "What a fortunate man." The farmer said, "We'll see." Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding on the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a shame for the poor boy." The farmer said, "We'll see." Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him. Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man." The farmer smiled again - and said "We'll see." - Chinese Parable, as told in Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth Wisdom Quotes: A Beautiful Poem for Perspective A joy, a depression, a meanness, Welcome and entertain them all! The dark thought, the shame, the malice, Be grateful for whoever comes, - Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks Wisdom Quotes: Another Beautiful Poem  "Then a woman said to the prophet, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.And he answered: Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, The more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potters oven? - Khalil Gibran, The Prophet I hope you've enjoyed some of my favorite wisdom quotes and life lesson quotes. And, I hope you'll visit the rest of the site as well. There are many resources that may be helpful for your personal growth. Return to Main Personal Growth Great Quotes Page Related Articles:
|
Rescue Yourself!
Time Management Strategies to Take Your Life Back
