Favorite Scriptures and quotations

Today I'm thinking that I'll post a few of my favorite quotations. Some, yes, will be from scripture while others will be inspiring quotes from various authors.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
-Nelson Mandela-

"We choose to do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."
-John F. Kennedy-

"Try a little harder to be a little better."
-Gordon B. Hinckley-

"Just do it."
-Spencer W. Kimball-

"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud: Under the bludgeoning of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll; I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."
-William Ernest Henley-

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely...”
"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your father in heaven is perfect."
-Matthew 5:48-

"...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."
-2 Nephi 25:23

"Yea, come unto Christ and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness..."
-Moroni 10:32-

"Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand."
-Jacob 4:10-

"...let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God."
-Moroni 9:6-

"But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven."
-Moroni 6:8-

"Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!"
-D&C 128:22-

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
-Matthew 5:8-

"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!"
-D&C 76:22-

"A man stands no taller than when he is on his knees."
-Unknown-

"...true love must include the idea of permanence. True love endures...Cultivate and be where the Spirit of the Lord is. Make sure that includes your own home or apartment, dictating the kind of art, music, and literature you keep there. If you are endowed, go to the temple as often as your circumstances allow. Remember that the temple arms you “with [God’s] power, . . . [puts His] glory . . . round about [you], and [gives His] angels . . . charge over [you].”7 And when you leave the temple, remember the symbols you take with you, never to be set aside or forgotten..."
-Jeffery R. Holland-

"I believe, I must believe, that in our darkest hour the same qualities which have made us great will make us strong; that love and mercy can overcome hate and destruction."
-Battle for Terra-

Newness

Last week I had the blessed opportunity to sit in the celestial room of the Mt. Timpanogos Temple in American Fork and ponder and pray. I love going to the temple and really should have went more while I've been laid off. The answers and the counsel I receive there continually bless my life.
This week I have found a newness about me, a stronger resolve, a higher commitment. I find new meaning in doing things, especially the little ones. For instance, yesterday I looked around my part of the home (which is almost a studio apartment by now LOL) and began to wonder what really needed to be organized and put away. Even my laundry basket seemed slightly empty. I continued to examine and ponder on what could be done and as I did so I began to notice a few small things. The living room rug needed to be vacuumed. Some clothes on my floor needed to be put away. Some simple things such as these only took me half an hour to forty-five minutes to actually do. All the while I had clothes in the washer.
I also took the time to enjoy a few good books recently. The first was The Giver by Louis Lowery. Definitely a favorite among the books I've read. Second was an interesting mystery called The 39 Clues. Finally, I read another Lowery called Gathering Blue. The latter I enjoyed while sitting on my deck and enjoying the shade.
The newness within is quite welcome at this point. I'm feeling useful and even needed lately. I feel like what I'm doing is going to make a difference somehow. Part of my reacquired newness is due to the fact that I love the renewal of spring. The weather is finally perking up and I've enjoyed being outside. Even better is that I haven't spent countless hours and days confined to my living room, growing like a fungus on the couch while sitting on Facebook and watching TV. Getting out and being busy have reignited a spark in me, and it's about time :). The weather and the sky have been gorgeous and I've enjoyed watching the Lord's beauty around me.
Another contributing factor to my new found energy is that I finally have a job. It's not road construction, but it's a job. I won't complain. I'll be caring for the city parks of Saratoga Springs. It's a full-time job and I hope to thoroughly enjoy it. Once again I will need to arise at an early hour (which will allow me to appreciate the sunrise) and I will work longer days (10-hour shifts), but with this job I won't be working many, if any, weekends. Actually, working Friday will become voluntary, for the most part.
My outlook has changed and my heart is filled with newness as I face a bright new morning in my life and I start a new chapter.
I will stick in an small observation of the recent events. I recall what Victor Frankl said about the concentration camps. His experience taught him that if a man can find a reason to live he'll live through anything. Finding reason and meaning has pushed me into an about-face. I've found purpose in the things that I do. I have a reason to continue onward. Being busy ofttimes means that we'll be happy. Seek out the Lord's direction and follow His words of counsel and you'll find meaning and joy in your life. I've put this into practice throughout the better part of the last year, but especially this last week. My days have been filled and I'm essentially happy and at peace with myself.