“The greatest way to live with honor,” said Socrates, “is to be what we pretend to be.” When I am not, his words disturb me. When I am, they strengthen me. Lois McMaster Bujold put it another way: “Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.”
More thoughts on living with honor below the images.
Thought for the Week
“Mine honor is my life, both grow in one. Take honor from me, and my life is done.”
~William Shakespeare
“It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong.”
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.” ~Mark Twain
“We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other’s opposite and complement.”
~Hermann Hesse
“We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”
~C.S. Lewis
“Clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” ~Colossians 3:12
“For we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
~Winston Churchill
“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”
~James Keller
You always find great pictures. I remember reading about the shared water bottle but I don’t have any details. The one with the kid helping tie the shoe made me smile.
Great reminders to live our best most honorable lives— they pass surprisingly fast, but it’s a comfort to be able to look back with few regrets, whether or not anyone else is around to cheer us on for the last few yards.
Blessings!
Amen, Anne, and blessings to you.
Each of those pictures tells a story. Nice post, Mitch 😎
Thank you, Darryl, and how right you are.
The owner trying desperately to save her horse breaks my heart. I believe she did save the horse with help. Great quotes and pics, Mitch. 🙂
I know, Nancy. I choke-up every time I look at that picture.
Nice historic quotes from notable thinkers
Great thoughts, thank you for sharing.
My privilege, Pete.
Thank you for sharing these timely and timeless quotes and photographs.
My pleasure, Janet.
Gripping and timeless photos and profound quotes
A few years ago I found a ladies purse abandoned in a cart by the grocery store. I took the cart w/purse to the store customer service to leave it for the owner, never touched it.. Just then the woman whose purse it was came to report it lost, saw that I had brought the purse to the store and said ‘Did you steal my money?’ .. ‘NO’. and from her – no acknowledgment or ‘thank you for bringing my purse’ `
I was insulted for a minute but not sorry I made the effort to return the purse. Later I told a friend about this and he said that I should have contacted the purse owner for a reward to return it. I was shocked he would say that, because he was serious. . So I learned some unpleaasant things that day about certain people but I was not sorry that I did the right thing. I just find it sad that some people either don’t know or don’t care what is the right and honorable thing to do.
Oh, I wish I could say you’re wrong, Katie, but you’re not. Still, even among those we see the worst of, there is the possibility of clarity and change.
Nicely written. Thanks for sharing, Mitch.
My privilege, T.
Your post arrived just when I have more despair for humanity ‘s future than hope. Thank you for reminding me there are many sides to humans.
My privilege, Maria. I think it’s impossible to look honestly at the human race without a mixture of love and loathing.
honor cannot be overstated! Mike
I heartily agree, Mike.
Beautiful, start to finish. Forwarding your C.S. Lewis with thanks.
My pleasure, Ana.
The pleasure is mine, my good brother.
All quotes … I think the one by Hesse speaks to me the most
I always find it interesting when you read a bit of history or a quote from the past and find relevance to current day. For me, it’s C.S. Lewis’ quote. “We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.” Why are we shocked that we can’t find it when we first laughed at it. Hmmm.
Great!.
Thank you, Hod.
It’s posts like this that assure me, that there is nothing new under the sun and that stands as proof enough to comfort me. Thank you for this glowing list of life’s best recommendations.
My privilege, Violet.
Well said. Sadly, honor, like respect, empathy, and love seems to be lacking in today’s society.
Sadly so, Susanne.
Inspiring post! Love the pics and the quotes!
Glad it spoke to you, Peggy.
My goodness, this is wonderful. When our son was entering the Naval Academy, I’ll never forget what his Blue and Gold Officer told us about honor and how you live your life in order of importance: Ship, Shipmate, Self.
I can see why that stuck with you, Jennie.
Yup!