mentor #15: Anne Frank

"the diary of a young girl"

concentration camp, jewish, the diary

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

“I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.”

Anne Frank

mentor #14: Juan Ramón Jiménez

"The Nobel Prize in Literature 1956"
modernistas, poetry

"If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.”

“Literature is a state of culture, poetry is a state of grace, before and after culture.”

“I have a feeling that my boat has struck, down there in the depths, against a great thing. And nothing happens! Nothing ... Silence ... Waves. Nothing happens? Or Has everything Happened and we are standing now, quietly, in the new life?”

 Juan Ramón Jiménez

mentor #13: Maxim Gorky

"at the age of twelve, he ran away from home after a suicide attempt in december 1887"
founder of the Socialist Realism

“Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is.”

“When one loves somebody everything is clear - where to go, what to do - it all takes care of itself and one doesn't have to ask anybody about anything”

“When everything is easy one quickly gets stupid”

“Be good, be kind, be humane, and charitable; love your fellows; console the afflicted; pardon those who have done you wrong.”

Maxim Gorky

fortune cookie #2: hardship

fortune cookie: "be preapred for big and small things that fall in your path"

"There is no success without hardship."

Sophocles

"Even cowards can endure hardship; only the brave can endure suspense."
Mignon McLaughlin 
 

"The hardship of living in a refugee camp made me psychologically strong."

Philip Emeagwali
 

“What a weary time those years were - to have the desire and the need to live but not the ability.”

 Charles Bukowski

fortune cookie #1: nothing is impossible

fortune cookie: "Anything is possible with a willing heart"

“Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others.” 

Amelia Earhart

“It always seems impossible until its done.” 

Nelson Mandela

“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.” 

 Robert A. Heinlein

“The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own thinking.” 

Robert Schuller

fortune cookie

i recently had vietnamese food and ate a fortune cookie.
i realized that the fortunes contained great words or wisdom. thus, i added a new fortune cookie category !

Fortune Cookie

" A fortune cookie is a crisp cookie usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame seed oil with a "fortune" wrapped inside. A "fortune" is a piece of paper with words of wisdom or a vague prophecy. "

mentor #12: Hyeonseo Lee

"my escape from north korea"
refugee. defectors. north korea.

"We defectors have to start from scratch. Prejudice against North Koreans and icy stares were other obstacles that were hard to cope with."

“The kindness of strangers and the support of the international community are truly the rays of hope we North Korean people need.” 

"I thought my country was the best on the planet..."

Hyeonseo Lee

click here for her speech

mentor #11: Elizabeth Gilbert

"the family lived in the country with no neighbors, and they didn’t own a TV or even a record player"
eat, pray, love

“This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something.” 

“To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life.” 

“Tis' better to live your own life imperfectly than to imitate someone else's perfectly.” 

“To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow - this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.” 

Elizabeth Gilbert

mentor #10: Arnold Schwarzenegger

"mr. universe at age 20"
mr. olympia. action. bodybuilder. actor.

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."

"For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer."

"The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else. I hate that."

Arnold Schwarzenegger

mentor #9: Unknown

"unknown, unknown, unknown"

. . .

“Just know, when you truly want success, you’ll never give up on it. No matter how bad the situation may get.”

“I don’t regret the things I’ve done, I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.”

“Go where you are celebrated – not tolerated. If they can’t see the real value of you, it’s time for a new start.”

Dont be afraid to stand for what you believe in, even if that means standing alone..

“Life is like photography. You need the negatives to develop.”

“We learn something from everyone who passes through our lives.. Some lessons are painful, some are painless.. but, all are priceless.”

“When the past calls, let it go to voicemail, believe me, it has nothing new to say.”

“The biggest failure you can have in life is making the mistake of never trying at all.”

Unknown