It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success.
George Washington CarverRead
To those who have as yet not learned the secret of true happiness, which is the joy of coming into the closest relationship with the Maker and Preserver of all things: begin now to study the little things in your own door yard.
Interpretation
True happiness comes from a close relationship with the Creator and appreciating the little things around us.
George Washington Carver suggests that happiness is rooted in a deep connection with the divine and an appreciation for the small, often overlooked aspects of life. By encouraging individuals to study and find joy in their immediate environment, he emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and gratitude in achieving true contentment.
In practice
In a motivational speech about finding joy in life, one might reference Carver's perspective on happiness.
It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success.
We have become 99 percent money mad. The method of living at home modestly and within our income, laying a little by systematically for the proverbial rainy day which is due to come, can almost be listed among the lost arts.
I would never allow anyone to give me money, no difference how badly I needed it. I wanted literally to earn my living.
Fear of something is at the root of hate for others, and hate within will eventually destroy the hater.
God is going to reveal to us things He never revealed before if we put our hands in His. No books ever go into my laboratory. The thing I am to do and the way of doing it are revealed to me. I never have to grope for methods. The method is revealed to me the moment I am inspired to create something new. Without God to draw aside the curtain I would be helpless.
Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.
Every cell in your body is seeking fulfillment through joy, beauty, love and appreciation.
I am the happiest man alive. I have that in me that can convert poverty to riches, adversity to prosperity, and I am more invulnerable than Archilles; Fortune hath not one place to hit me.
The happy people are those who are producing something; the bored people are those who are consuming much and producing nothing.
My day begins with gratitude and joy. I look forward with enthusiasm to the adventures of the day, knowing that in my life, All is good.
I feel an earnest and humble desire, and shall do till I die, to increase the stock of harmless cheerfulness.
We have thousands of opportunities every day to be grateful: for having good weather, to have slept well last night, to be able to get up, to be healthy, to have enough to eat. ... There's opportunity upon opportunity to be grateful; that's what life is.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.