#king

When I get ready to talk to people, I spend two thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one third thinking about what I want to say. ↗

— Abraham Lincoln

#political-advice #politics #talking #thinking #empathy

My fingers combed through my dark hair, short and straight, landing in choppy, uneven ends nearly level with my chin. The color reminded me of every evil character in any fairytale. It seemed all were characteristically black; black hair, black eyes, black clothing, black demeanors, and black intent. I never thought I was truly a villainous character, not like I knew my father to be, but I was his offspring and devoid of any princess-like characteristics, so that left only the wicked side of the story to play. In my dreams, though, I imagined myself more like Snow White - wavy, raven hair, a perfectly fair complexion, bathed in rose scents, and exhibiting a natural feminine grace that would dance musical circles around both Ginger and Elizabeth. No, I never hoped for such a thing to be real, but I dared to pretend it with perfect clarity in my dreams. ↗

— Richelle E. Goodrich

#black #dandelions #richelle #richelle-goodrich #wishful-thinking

We operate under the notion that America actually belongs to us Christians, and that we belong to it. We believe that the church and the state can make beautiful music together if only they would cooperate. We believe that the preaching of the Kingdom of God and the rallying around the red, white, and blue are always compatible. We believe the lie of the Serpent that we can hold to the sacrificial, life-giving, peace-pursuing, cheek-turning way of Christ and hold to the poisonous, domineering, power-hungry, least-of-these-abusing systems of the Empire. But this is impossible. ↗

— Ronnie McBrayer

#beauty

Maybe it’s NOT Maybelline. Maybe you were just born with it. ↗

— Mandy Hale

#beautiful #beauty #being-yourself #confidence #inner-beauty

You’ve gotta love yourself enough to look INSIDE you & not BESIDE you for your joy, confidence, & self worth. ↗

— Mandy Hale

#confidence #happiness #inner-beauty #joy #love-yourself

There is no model, no actress, no Miss America contender that can outshine a happy, confident, secure woman. ↗

— Mandy Hale

#beautiful-confidence #beauty #being-yourself #confident #happiness

In the midst of our struggle to find out who we are, there are infinite possibilities for beauty, and hope, and wonder, and love. ↗

— Mandy Hale

#beauty #destiny #enjoying-the-journey #faith #finding-yourself

There are some places in life where you can only go alone. Embrace the beauty of your solo journey. ↗

— Mandy Hale

#aloneness #beauty #being-single #faith #flying-solo

Let them hear your voice so rarely that a simply-uttered word creates a hush of expectancy in the room. ↗

— Richelle E. Goodrich

#humility #opinions #richelle #richelle-goodrich #speaking

Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard." (Interview with NEH chairman Bruce Cole, Humanities, July/Aug. 2002, Vol. 23/No. 4) ↗

— David McCullough

#creative-process #precision #thinking #thought #writing