Those who can stand alone possess true courage and are genuine leaders

Gandhi asserted that even if there was one pure person in a gathering, the rest would be affected by that person's purity.  The presence of one person is important.  If one person stands up, two, three, and more are certain to follow his or her example.  Those who can stand alone possess true courage and are genuine leaders.
[GT6-Dec-29]

甘地(Gandhi)说：“尽管集会中只有一个心纯洁的人，但他的纯真精神能影响所有其他的人。”  重要的是一个人。只要有一个人站起来，之后必定陆续会有人跟着站起来的。一人立起的人才是真正的勇士，真正的领导人。
[GT6-12月-29日]

Joy lies in the struggle...

   Where is joy found?
   Gandhi declared, "Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself."
   It is exhilarating to win, but the challenges we encounter and surmount along the way bring an even greater sense of fulfillment.  True joy is found in the struggle.

-- Dr Daisaku Ikeda

A person's true worth is measured by the extent to which they live in the present...

A person's true worth is measured by the extent to which they live in the present while giving thought to the distant future, a hundred years, a thousand years hence.  Please be assured that all of your commendable daily efforts will give rise to eternal good fortune and benefit, protecting your families, bringing prosperity to your communities and becoming the source for peace around the world.
[GT6-Dec-10]

Life is a battle... One must have an unbreakable steel-like spirit to win

Life is a battle. Unless one has an unbreakable steel-like spirit, one cannot accomplish momentous undertakings. When we look at historical figures, and in modern society as well, it is only those who have forged a spirit as strong as steel that are victorious or successful. There is on one who has achieved success by taking it easy. There is no ultimate victory to be found in such an approach.

[GT6 Dec 5]

Quotes from Leo Tolstoy

Judgement and punishment

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life”—this is not human law but a law made by animals.

When others do something wrong, we should blame their actions, not their soul.

Pay good for evil, and the total amount of good in this world will grow.

Thoughts

When it is in the soil, a seed is invisible, yet a huge tree eventually grows from it over time. In the same way, human thoughts can go unnoticed. Yet the greatest events in human history often grow from such thoughts.

Happiness

--
Unhappiness is not caused by adverse circumstances; it is caused by our own negativity. ~ Daisaku Ikeda

"The American thinker Thomas Paine (1737~1809) wrote: 'I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection."

A great inner revolution can change humankind

A great inner revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of an entire society and, further, will cause a change in the destiny of humankind.
[BDBD-214]

Effort and happiness are indivisible

In one of his writings, renowned microbiologist Rene Dubos, stated: "History teaches that man without effort is sure to deteriorate, man cannot progress without effort, and man cannot be happy without effort." This is indisputable. You may be experiencing various hardships now, but because you continue to make efforts in the midst of those challenges, no matter how painful they are, you will definitely become happy. Effort and happiness are indivisible.
[BDBD-208]

There's a Mongolian proverb, "A hundred friends are more precious than a hundred Tugrig.' People who have friends are rich. Quite often, the encouragement and stimulation of friends spur us towards self-improvement. We are inspired to lead fulfilling lives and create a better world, and to work together with our friends towards that goal.
[GT4-203]

Only those who give their best sparkle with true individuality

Only those who are determined to give their all, to try their very best and make effort upon effort, sparkle with true individuality. Such people can also respect and appreciate others' individuality. They never try to sabotage others' success or pick on people because they're different.'
[GT4-202]

Success is a measure of quality of life

Success, is not a matter of accumulating more of this or that; it is not measured in quantity. It means changing the quality of your life. Wealth, power, fame and knowledge alone cannot make you happy, no matter how much you acquire them. Nor can you take them with you when you die. But by improving the quality of your life you will at last approach true happiness.
[GT4-199]

What is the purpose of life? What is the purpose of learning? Without a profound philosophy that addresses these questions, our lives will be superficial and shallow. How can we deepen ourselves as individuals? How can we attain a rich, fulfilling view of what it means to be a human being? And how can we lead lives that make the most of our potential? These are the basic questions we face in life.
[GT5-197]

人生的目的是什么？ 学问的目的又是什么？ 如果没有高深的哲学作为根据，人生便会变得肤浅。怎样提高自己的人格？ 怎样充实自己的人物观？ 怎样才能渡过有价值的人生？ 这就是人生的根本课题。
[GT5-197]

Forge a solid self... for happiness of self and others

Forge a solid self and develop within you the power to attract happiness to your life. Then you yourself will be happy and fulfilled, and you will be able to lead your family, your relatives and your friends to happiness, too.
[GT5-196]

要刻下自己本身的历史，在内心持幸福的种子。自己变得幸福， 便能够拯救一家、一族和朋友。
[GT5-196]

No one becomes great without a struggle

No one becomes great without a struggle. All of life is a struggle. Only those who have faced and triumphed over adversity possess genuine greatness; without this struggle, no matter how famous or celebrated one may be, any claim to greatness is merely an empty facade.
[GT5-195]

没有不经奋斗而成为伟人者。人生一切皆是战斗，若非抵 抗、战胜苦难的人，即使是名人也不过是浪得虚名。
[GT5-195]

Let's convert a weakness into a strength!

A saying goes that trying to straighten the horns of a cow could kill the cow. Instead of nit-picking over another's weaknesses, it is far more valuable to encourage them, giving them hope and enabling them to find goals. Through doing so, we can help someone who is impatient, for example, become someone who can't wait to take positive action.
[GT4-197]

Let's offer others something

If a person is hungry, we should give them bread. When there is no bread, we can at least give words that nourish. To a person who looks ill or is physically frail, we can turn the conversation to some subject that will lift their spirits and fill them with the hope and determination to get better. Let us give something to each person we meet: joy, courage, hope, assurance, philosophy, wisdom, a vision for the future. Let us always give something.

[BDBD-201]

Education is a process of discovery and invention

Education is not the sale of parcels of knowledge, or pouring knowledge from one vessel to another. It is helping others to acquire the ability to obtain knowledge on their own; it is presenting them with the key to the storehouse of knowledge. It is not simply appropriating the intellectual properties that others have discovered, without effort on one's own part; it is a process of discovery and invention."
--By Mr Tsunesaburo Makiguchi

Strength is Happiness

Strength is happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being.