“Unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so. If you assume that there is no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, that there are opportunities to change things, then there is a possibility that you can contribute to making a better world. The choice is yours.”

Noam Chomsky, born on this day in 1928

“What you contemplate, you touch. What you enter into in imagination, you make yourself one with.”

Dion Fortune, born on this day in 1890

“As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself… Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, and humility.”

Nelson Mandela, who died on this day in 2013

Winter’s Cloak by Joyce Rupp

“This year I do not want
the dark to leave me.
I need its wrap
of silent stillness,
its cloak
of long-lasting embrace.
Too much light
has pulled me away
from the chamber
of gestation.

Let the dawns
come late,
let the sunsets
arrive early,
let the evenings
extend themselves
while I lean into
the abyss of my being.

Let me lie in the cave
of my soul,
for too much light
blinds me,
steals the source
of revelation.

Let me seek solace
in the empty places
of winter’s passage,
those vast dark nights
that never fail to shelter me.”

“They say angels fly because they take themselves lightly. It would do as well to aspire to mimic the behaviour of the angels and take ourselves lightly. Lightly does not mean less seriously, rather it means always feeling open and ready to learn and be more.”

Rav DovBer Pinson

“The chemistry of the mind is different from the chemistry of love. The mind is careful, suspicious, he advances little by little. He advises, “Be careful, protect yourself,” whereas love says, “Let yourself go!” The mind is strong, never falls down, while love hurts itself, falls into ruins. But isn’t it in ruins that we mostly find the treasures? A broken heart hides many treasures.”

Shams Tabrizi

“We must have courage — determination — to go on with the task of becoming free — not only for ourselves, but for the nation and the world — cooperate with each other. Have faith in God and ourselves… I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free … so other people would be also free… I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people… To this day I believe we are here on earth to live, grow, and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.”

Rosa Parks, civil rights activist, arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, on this day in 1955, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger

“The best doctors in the world are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor Merryman.”

Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, born on this day in 1667

“Love is a flower that grows in any soil, works its sweet miracles undaunted by autumn frost or winter snow, blooming fair and fragrant all the year, and blessing those who give and those who receive.”

Louisa May Alcott, born on this day in 1832

“Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine,
Under every grief and pine,
Runs a joy with silken twine.
It is right it should be so,
We were made for joy and woe,
And when this we rightly know,
Through the world we safely go.”

William Blake, born on this day in 1757