Quotes about preparation
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“Don’t let your newfound title worry you. Having lived among goblins and their backstabbing, treacherous ways, you’re far better prepared for politics than most.”

Jim C. Hines (1974) American writer

Source: The Goblin Quest Series, Goblin War (2008), Chapter 17 (p. 331)

Way

“This positive case teaches us that the threat of COVID-19 is real. As a small island, we need to be prepared and remain vigilant.”

Alida Francis Dutch civil servant

Source: Alida Francis (2021) cited in: " Reporter tests positive for coronavirus in St. Eustatius https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/reporter-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-in-st-eustatius" in The Daily Herald, 6 August 2021.

“It has always been important for the Capuchins to encourage lay people to take an active part in the Church and in effect we have many local lay Catholics in the Franciscan Tertiary Order. This is very encouraging for us because the collaboration of well-prepared lay people is necessary for the apostolate.”

Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (1960) Congolese theologian and catholic cardinal

Source: AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - “I am grateful to the Pope for this act of confidence in me” the newly appointed Bishop of Bokungu-Ikela in Congo told Fides http://www.fides.org/en/news/3549-AFRICA_DEMOCRATIC_CONGO_I_am_grateful_to_the_Pope_for_this_act_of_confidence_in_me_the_newly_appointed_Bishop_of_Bokungu_Ikela_in_Congo_told_Fides (6 April 2020)

People, Parting

“Inevitably in this century we will have open borders. We are seeing it in Europe already. The movement of peoples across the globe will mean that borders are almost going to become irrelevant by the end of this century so we should be preparing for that and explaining why people move.”

John McDonnell (1951) British politician (born 1951)

Source: Borderless world inevitable, says Labour's John McDonnell https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35455023 BBC News (31 January 2016)

People

“As soon as you have begun to master the diaphragm muscle, you can consider the rhythm of the breath. This must be gentle, even and deep, and have four stages; (1) pause for preparation, (counting three); (2) breathe in slowly, (counting three; (3) hold breath whilst absorbing life forces, (counting three) and (4) breathe out whilst spreading the new life all over the body (counting three). Then repeat the exercise. As soon as you feel able, increase the counts to four times four and gradually increase until you arc able to breathe to four times seven without strain.”

Vera Stanley Alder (1898–1984) British artist

Source: Humanity Comes of Age, A study of Individual and World Fulfillment (1950), Chapter XV The Essential Science of Breathing, p. 104

Life, Feeling, Exercises, Time

“A time came when the Catholics, having long relied on force, were compelled to appeal to opinion. That which had been defiantly acknowledged and defended required to be ingeniously explained away. The same motive which had justified the murder now prompted the lie. Men shrank from the conviction that the rulers and restorers of their Church had been murderers and abetters of murder, and that so much infamy had been coupled with so much zeal. They feared to say that the most monstrous of crimes had been solemnly approved at Rome, lest they should devote the Papacy to the execration of mankind. A swarm of facts were invented to meet the difficulty: The victims were insignificant in number; they were slain for no reason connected with religion; the Pope believed in the existence of the plot; the plot was a reality; the medal is fictitious; the massacre was a feint concerted with the Protestants themselves; the Pope rejoiced only when he heard that it was over. These things were repeated so often that they have been sometimes believed; and men have fallen into this way of speaking whose sincerity was unimpeachable, and who were not shaken in their religion by the errors or the vices of Popes. Möhler was pre-eminently such a man. In his lectures on the history of the Church, which were published only last year, he said that the Catholics, as such, took no part in the massacre; that no cardinal, bishop, or priest shared in the councils that prepared it; that Charles informed the Pope that a conspiracy had been discovered; and that Gregory made his thanksgiving only because the King's life was saved. Such things will cease to be written when men perceive that truth is the only merit that gives dignity and worth to history.”

John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton (1834–1902) British politician and historian

Source: 1860s, The Massacre Of St. Bartholomew (1869)

Life, Men, Truth, Lie

“1. Strive to be a leader of character, competence, and courage.
2. Lead from the front. Say, "Follow me!" and then lead the way.
3. Stay in top physical shape- physical stamina is the root of mental toughness.
4. Develop your team. If you know your people, are fair in setting realistic goals and expectations, and lead by example, you will develop teamwork.
5. Delegate responsibility to your subordinates and let them do their jobs. You can't do a good job if you don't have a chance to use your imagination or your creativity.
6. Anticipate problems and prepare to overcome obstacles. Don't wait until you get to the top of the ridge and then make up your mind.
7. Remain humble. Don't worry about who receives the credit. Never let power or authority go to your head.
8. Take a moment of self-reflection. Look at yourself in the mirror every night and ask yourself if you did your best.
9. True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. The key to a successful leader is to earn respect- not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character.
10. Hang Tough!

Never, ever give up.”

Dick Winters (1918–2011) American military personnel

Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters (2006)
Source: Leadership at the Point of the Bayonet: Ten Principles for Success, p. 293

People, Way, Imagination, Courage

“[I]f we lay at all too much stress on the need of warlike preparations for quelling the peace-breaker, we find ourselves on a very slippery slope. ... It is all a perpetuation of war, not a planting of peace: a hardening in old error, not a change of heart. One of the most advanced French advocates of the League once said to me that the true guarantee of peace in Europe was a strong French Army and a strong British Navy. The sort of man who thinks that is the sort of man who ought never to be allowed to touch international affairs. Remove that implication. Accept freely, and put into practice, the principles of genuine and equal Disarmament, and then your preparation for Sanctions is perfectly right. To put crushing Sanctions in the hands of two particular Powers, or of an alliance of certain highly armed Powers, would be a crime against humanity.”

Gilbert Murray (1866–1957) Anglo-Australian scholar

1920s, The Ordeal of This Generation: The War, the League and the Future (1929)
Source: "The Felt Need. The Three Principles of the Covenant: Conference, Law, Sanctions", pp. 88-89

War, Peace, Error, Thinking

“You know death must overtake you but you make no preparation for it.”

Ibrahim ibn Adham (718–776) ascetic Sufi saint

Source: The Sayings and Teachings of the Great Mystics of Islam (2004), p. 28

Death

“You have to do many great actions yet. Prakriti is preparing you in a variety of ways. Feel this. Be grateful to the Lord.”

Swami Sivananda (1887–1963) Indian philosopher

You Cannot Get Away From Evil
Autobiography of Swami Sivananda (1958)

Way, Feeling

“Prepare your mind to live in the company of evil people, with your mind unsullied; to do this is to live like an angel.”

Guigo I (1083–1136) Cartusian monk

#22
The Meditations of Guigo I, Prior of the Charterhouse

People, Angels, Evil

“I really like both going out to do the services, and preparing the news. These are two equally fascinating aspects.”

Roberta Floris (1979) italian journalist, television presenter and former model (1979)

Source: From the interview with de Il Viaggio Magico, Il Viaggio Magico interview with Roberta Floris http://www.viaggiomagico.net/intervista.php?id=48, Viaggio Magico, viaggiomagico.net.

“We need to break the cycle where marginalized communities are hit the hardest by disasters and have the fewest resources to recover from crises and prepare for the next one.”

Joe Biden (1942) 47th Vice President of the United States (in office from 2009 to 2017)

2022, June 2022, Remarks by President Biden at the Inaugural Ceremony of the Ninth Summit of the Americas

Communication

“If your goal is to seek the truth, which education is supposed to do, then we cannot deny that a strict interpretation of Islam is preparation for bigotry, violence, and oppression.”

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (1969) Dutch feminist, author

Source: 2010s, Nomad: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations (2010), Chapter 10, “Islam in America” (p. 134)

Truth, Education

“I too was ill prepared for the West. The only difference between my relatives and me is that I opened my mind.”

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (1969) Dutch feminist, author

Source: 2010s, Nomad: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations (2010), Chapter 6, “My Cousins” (p. 81)

“You can't help poor people and be comfortable. You know, the two things are just not compatible. If you want to really give good health care to poor people you've got to be prepared to be a little uncomfortable and to put a little bit of sacrifice behind it.”

Dolores Huerta (1930) American labor leader

1974 speech, in Voices of Multicultural America: Notable Speeches Delivered by African, Asian, Hispanic and Native Americans, 1790-1995 by Deborah Gillan Straub

People, Health, Help

“We are well-prepared for this summer and autumn. And in view of the mood among our fighters, I can tell you that the situation will undergo a radical change. After the referendum, the activities of the resistance units sharply increased.”

Aslan Maskhadov (1951–2005) Chechen warlord

"Chechnya: Maskhadov speaks out on peace talks, resistance and recent explosions" in Relief Web https://reliefweb.int/report/russian-federation/chechnya-maskhadov-speaks-out-peace-talks-resistance-and-recent-explosions (2 June 2003)

Mood, Autumn, Change, Summer