Courtesies cannot be borrowed like snow shovels; you must have some of your own.
Interpretation
True kindness and courtesy come from within and cannot be faked or borrowed.
This quote emphasizes the idea that genuine acts of courtesy and kindness cannot simply be replicated or borrowed from others; instead, they must stem from an individual's own character and values. Just as one cannot borrow a snow shovel to clear their driveway without owning one, true courtesy requires an authentic commitment to treating others well, reflecting a person's own integrity and thoughtfulness.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of kindness in leadership.
If we could only make our hands move as actively as our tongues, what wonders we could accomplish! Almost everyone loves to hear his own voice. It is so easy, too! Yet if we could say less and do more for each other's good, not alone would every home be happier, but communities would be enriched thereby. Instead of criticism by speech, to show someone a better way to do a thing would be of much greater value.
To trust people is a luxury in which only the wealthy can indulge; the poor cannot afford it.
I've always loved independent women, outspoken women, eccentric women, funny women, flawed women. When someone says about a woman, 'I'm sorry, that's just wrong,' I tend to think she must be doing something right.
It's probably foolish to expect relationships to go on forever and to say that because something only lasts 10 years, it's a failure.
Whether we appreciate it or not, we live out our lives surrounded by an intricate pattern of social connections... We're all embedded in this network; it affects us profoundly and we may be unaware of its existence, of its effect on us.
...hear rumors and go digging for the painful truth beneath the lovely lies. You believe you have a right to these things, but you don't. When someone tells you a piece of their life, they're giving you a gift, not granting you your due.
A million faces at my feet but all I see are dark eyes.
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