You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is. You cannot light a fire in another soul unless it is burning in your own soul.
Interpretation
One must first cultivate their own strengths and passions to effectively inspire and support others.
This quote speaks to the importance of personal development and self-awareness as prerequisites for helping others. It emphasizes that to truly uplift and inspire those around us, we must first ensure that we are in a position of strength and enlightenment ourselves; otherwise, our efforts may be ineffective or fall flat.
In practice
In a motivational speech to young leaders about the importance of personal development.
The one who confidently looks forward to an eternal reward for his efforts in mortality is constantly sustained through his deepest trials. When he is disappointed in love, he does not commit suicide. When loved ones die, he doesn’t despair; when he loses a coveted contest, he doesn’t falter; when war and destruction dissipate his future, he doesn’t sink into a depression. He lives above his world and never loses sight of the goal of his salvation.
You are equipped with strong bodies and educated minds. Add to these an unshakable faith in a divine providence and you have the tools by which you may build a successful life. Make each day your masterpiece and live so nobly that you may witness honestly each day: Whatever came to your hands this day, you did it to the best of your ability
To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. Anger is only one letter short of danger. If someone betrays you once, it is his fault; if he betrays you twice, it is your fault. Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. He who loses money, loses much; he who loses a friend, loses much more; he who loses faith, loses all.
If you give the future all your attention, the present will pass you by.
Is it better to be extremely ambitious, or rather modest? Probably the latter is safer; but I hate safety, and would rather fail gloriously than dingily succeed.
But better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie.
Bitterness: anger that forgot where it came from.
Strength instead of being the lusty child of passion, grows by grappling with and subduing them.
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