Me Thinks

 

Saints believe in a porous membrane joining heaven and earth, which allows us to affect the welfare of the dead, and they ours.  And we believe that from the beginning of the everlasting covenant, we are all in a shared endeavor, working for each other’s progress now and forever. Death does not impose impermeable walls that separate us, nor is it the end of our striving (pg. 47).

The love that envelopes us is not based on our worthiness.  It is not our merit that brings it forth.  This love, unsolicited, is the miracle that tells us we have a permanent and cherished place in the universe (pg. 161).

 

Children feel safest with adults who are kind but firm leaders.  If a parent is indecisive and lets the child run the show, that’s stressful to the youngster.  He gets the unspoken message that he is on his own and has to fend for himself (pg. 58).

The general principle is to use the mildest approach available and resolve the situation with minimal confrontation (pg. 110).

Create conditions where your child can succeed at meaningful tasks (pg. 147).

 

There’s a lot of talk these days about giving children self-esteem.  It’s not something you can give; it’s something they have to build.  There is only one way to teach kids how to develop it: You give them something they can’t do, they work hard until they find they can do it, and you just keep repeating the process (pg. 37). 

Too many people go through life complaining about their problems.  I’ve always believed that if you took one-tenth the energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you’d be surprised by how well things can work out. Complaining does not work as a strategy.  We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals.  And it won’t make us happier (pgs. 138, 139).

When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple.  Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do (pg. 146).