The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." ~ Aristotle

"For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." ~ Aristotle

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If he, Tom Sawyer, had been a great and wise philosopher, like the writer of this book, he would now have comprehended that work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do and play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do." ~ Mark Twain

"I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity an obligation; every possession a duty." ~ John D. Rockefeller

"Rank imposes obligation." ~ Motto

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right. " ~ Henry Ford

"If pleasures are greatest in anticipation, just remember that this is also true of trouble." ~ Elbert Hubbard

"There are two ways to face the future. One way is with apprehension; the other is with anticipation." ~ Jim Rohn

"Our primordial purpose is to respond to the impulsion from within to solve the mystery of our individual existence, to find and be the authentic Self that is, has been and ever shall be." ~ Dr. Michael Beckwith

"There has probably never been an artist that only painted for his or her eyes alone." ~ Moncy Barbour

"Art is the perpetual motion of illusion. The highest purpose of art is to inspire. What else can you do? What else can you do for any one but inspire them?" ~ Bob Dylan

"Art is the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos." ~ Saul Bellow

"We live in a rainbow of chaos." ~ Paul Cezanne

"We adore chaos because we love to produce order." ~ M. C. Escher

"One should not pursue goals that are easily achieved. One must develop an instinct for what one can just barely achieve through one's greatest efforts." ~ Albert Einstein

"It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach." ~ Dr. Benjamin Mays

"Focus on your goals, not on the obstacles." ~ B. R. Pulsifer

Whenever I see a butterfly these days, I think of this story. There are many versions on line but I like this one the best. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Struggles of a Butterfly

When he was a small boy, he had loved butterflies. Oh, not to net and
mount them, but to wonder at their designs and habits.

Now a grown man with his first son to be born in a few weeks, he found
himself once again fascinated with a cocoon. He had found it at the side
of the park path. Somehow the twig had been knocked from the tree and
the cocoon had survived undamaged and still woven to the branch.

As he had seen his mother do, he gently protected it by wrapping it in
his handkerchief and carried it home. The cocoon found a temporary home
in a wide-top mason jar with holes in the lid. The jar was placed on the
mantle for easy viewing and protection from their curious cat who would
delight in volleying the sticky silk between her paws.

The man watched. His wife's interest lasted only a moment, but he studied
the silky envelope. Almost imperceptibly at first, the cocoon moved. He
watched more closely and soon the cocoon was trembling with activity.
Nothing else happened. The cocoon remained tightly glued to the twig and
there was no sign of wings.

Finally the shaking became so intense, the man thought the butterfly would
die from the struggle. He removed the lid on the jar, took a sharp pen
knife from his desk drawer, and carefully made a tiny slit in the side
of the cocoon. Almost immediately, one wing appeared and then outstretched
the other. The butterfly was free!

It seemed to enjoy its freedom and walked along the edge of the mason jar
and along the edge of the mantle. But it didn't fly. At first the man
thought the wings needed time to dry, but time passed and still the
butterfly did not take off.

The man was worried and called up his neighbor who taught high school
science. He told the neighbor how he had found the cocoon, placed it in
the mason jar, and the terrible trembling as the butterfly struggled to
get out. When he described how he had carefully made a small slit in the
cocoon, the teacher stopped him. "Oh, that is the reason. You see, the
struggle is what gives the butterfly the strength to fly."

And so it is with us. Sometimes it's the struggles in life that strengthen
us the most.

Author Unknown