Quotes...and a story

There are two things over which you have complete domination, authority, and control - your mind and your mouth. Moldfi Asante, Educator

If you shut your door to all errors, truth will be shut out. Rabindranath Tagore, Poet

Be cautious. Opportunity does the knocking for temptation, too. Al Batt, Storyteller

There are no interest-free shortcuts. If you skip a stage in one way, you pay for it in another. Peter Abrahams

Always remember that striving and struggle precede success, even in the dictionary. Sara Ban Breathnach, Writer

Justifying a fault doubles it. French Proverb

The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether is it taken or not and never persist in trying to set people right. Hannah Whitall Smith

A tongue's slip is a truth's revelation. Greek Proverb

Filling What's Empty

A Zen Master took on a new student who had previously studied under several other masters. During their first encounter the student began to speak of his past studies and achievements.

The Master listened patiently until a servant appeared with a tray of tea. "Please pour the tea," the master instructed his apprentice. "I will tell you when to stop."

The student eagerly seized the teapot and began to pour the tea into the master's cup. As the cup began to fill, the student began to slow his pour.

"Keep pouring," the master instructed as the tea spilled over the sides of the cup and onto the floor.

"But the cup is full," the student objected as he drained the pot. "The tea has been wasted."

"You have a lot in common with this cup," said the master. "You are already so full of knowledge that there is no room for more. Would my wisdom be wasted on you?"

The student looked down at his feet.

"Don't despair. There is still hope," suggested the master as he poured out the tea from the cup onto the floor: "An empty cup con hold more than one that is already full."

Sometimes in order to learn what you need to know, you need to forget what you think you know.

By H. Evan Woodhead