Believe What You Want

Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt : Men willingly believe what they wish

-Julius Caesar

Wisdom

"Cunning is but the low mimic of wisdom"

-Plato

To be cunning is defined as skill employed in a shrewd or sly manner, as in deceiving, or craftiness.

To be wise, is to have the quality or state of being wise and having the knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action.

Obama the Peace Keeper

2009 Nobel Peace Prize

"I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations - that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice"

"I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage"

It seems that Obama is tackling everything. Now he has the Health Care Reform Bill taken care of as well. What will he do next!

“One flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo’s nest"

"He knew you can’t really be strong until you can see a funny side to things”

It's been said that laughter is only cure. Well this quote from Ken Kesey's, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, shows that you can't be strong without a sense of humor. Why go through life being serious all the time. People may just regard you as a pessimist, and who needs that. Look at the glass as half full, and get a sense of humor. 

Strong Willed

“She does not know how to bend before her troubles”.

-I really liked this quote, because even after all that Antigone had done and gone through she remained strong willed and unafraid. But the fact that they could only portray women this way through plays and not in reality was unfair.

Bonds Between Women

“Tell him nothing of my intentions, if you are loyal to your mistress and a woman.”

-This quote is a bond Medea creates with her nurse to secure her safety.

Justice Through Capital Punishment

It is Justice, not Laws that cures the society. And Capital Punishment is the only Justice that suits a murderer.
Saqib Ali

-Doing a debate in Politics, and this quote was in my conclusion, it is true, the only puishment to give a murderer is murder itself, if that's what you consider Capital Punishment.

Courage

"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."
-Maya Angelou

Walk Away

Are you considered tough when you can say "Ya I beat that guy up", or "Ya I totally kicked his ..."?
No, its having the courage to walk away. Being able to move on with your life, and being able to forgive and forget is what makes you the bigger person. It defines you not only to your peers, but also to yourself.
Courage is defined as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, without fear. When you can do that, it shows that you not only have the courage to face your fears head on, but you can also walk away with your dignity and respect as well.

"We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world."
-Hellen Keller

A Proud Day

It was a proud day for Grandfather, Father, and Son.

"Now you'll see, if you care tio watch father now i'm fired up. Disgrace, you say?
I won't disgrace your line!"

Laertes called out in deep delight,
"What a day for me, dear gods! what joy-my son and my grandson vying over courage!"
Book 24, line564

Tommy Douglas

The father of medicare

While working on my politics presentation, I came across a truly determined, and courageous man, Tommy Douglas. Although he might not have been the most popular of all NDP leaders we've had, he certainly got things started.

“I felt that no boy should have to depend either for his leg or his life upon the ability of his parents to raise enough money to bring a first-class surgeon to his bedside. And I think it was out of this experience, not at the moment consciously, but through the years, I came to believe that health services ought not to have a price tag on them, and that people should be able to get whatever health services they require irrespective of their individual capacity to pay.”


-"Courage, my friends; 'tis not too late to build a better world."

Home at Last

"Odysseus..."
"You-you're truly my son, Odyssues home at last?"

- the first real proof that Odyssues has finally returned home, and has almost completed his Nostos.

Pg 478
book 24, line365

Excellence

We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent
-Barack Obama

HSC Tradition
-Pride, Excellence, Tradition.

Definition:
The quality of being excellent; state of possessing good qualities in an eminent degree; exalted merit; superiority in virtue.

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction"

-Blaise Pascal

I completely agree with this quote, because it's true. People, not just men though, seem to believe what they're doing is right as long as it goes with their religious views and beliefs.

Reassurance

Being faithful

In book 11, while Odysseus is talking to Agamemnon, there comes a point when he mentions how his wife was unfaithful, but Odysseus has no need to worry about this because his wife is clever, and always honourable to her husband, but why does that rule only apply to the wife? Why is it reassuring that Penelope is faithful and clever, all the while Odysseus has slept with every women who has tempted him. The balance confuses me, becuase Odyssues has no guilty concious.

Carpe diem

The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything. -Theodore Roosevelt

I think that this quote says that by making mistakes you eventually learn from then. But from these mistakes you gain knowledge and experience as well. Therefore by never making mistakes and going through life being safe and perfect you never learn of consequences. Sometimes you even gain a life lesson out of it as well. 

A child miseducated is a child lost. -John F. Kennedy

I completely believe in this statement because later on in life once your through school and out from under your parents wing it will be their education and training that will get them far. If a child has grown up within a schooling system and been taught wrong, there is the possibility of failing in life. Fake marks only get you so far before you come to realize that you've really learnt nothing. 

Knowledge: The last suriving weapon

Knowledge is power. -Francis Bacon

I found this quote to be true, because when all material objects have vanished and all you have left is your mind, it is your previous knowledge that will gain you power. Such as knowing in advance what your enemy is about to do, you can use your knowledge to overcome them. 

"Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds"

-The Odyssey

I think that this line is significant because it shows how to overcome different aspects of a city in a way. Because to overcome your enemy you must defeat them, and to defeat them is to beat them at their own game. It shows that he is observant and cunning. 

Heroes: Not Satisfied with "Average"

"If everybody was satisfied with himself, there would be no heroes."
~Mark Twain

Being satisfied means that you are content with an average outcome. Heroes are said to go beyond settling and strive for more. It is that fact alone that shows you are overcoming your fears, and out of your comfort zone to strive for greatness. Mark Twain said, "If everybody was satisfied with himself there would be no heroes"; this is true because if everyone just did what was asked, and didn't go the extra mile, we wouldn't have doctors, or politicians, etc. These people go the extra mile, and do something good for mankind. It is because of these people that we have great things, and great books, etc... all because they didn't settle for average.