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

mentor #8: John Mackey

"whole foods market"
free market. ernst&young. college dropout. CEO

“Just as people cannot live without eating, so a business cannot live without profits. But most people don’t live to eat, and neither must businesses live just to make profits.”

“To learn and grow, one must take chances and be willing to make mistakes.”

"...Follow your heart wherever it takes you. Choose love instead of fear. If you do, a wonderful life adventure awaits you! Carpe diem."

John Mackey

mentor #7: Steve Ells

"chipotle mexican grill"
sustainable agriculture. culinary institute of america.


"today, we recognize that fresh isn't enough. It's important to understand how animals are raised and how vegetables are grown if you're going to source the best ingredients and serve the best-tasting food"

“What excites me most about this milestone is that our restaurants just keep getting better. In fact, I think it's safe to say that the restaurants we're opening today are, in many ways, better than the original. As we continue moving in this direction, I think we'll continue to change the way people think about, and eat, food.”

“There isn't a switch we can throw and move to all naturally raised meat and organic produce. The supply just isn't there today. But the more people show a willingness to buy these better ingredients, the more the supply will move to fill that demand.”

Steve Ells

mentor #6: Nando Parrado

"survivor of a plane crash"
two months trapped in the mountains. miracle in the andes.

“You are angry at the God you were taught to believe in as a child. The God who is supposed to watch over you and protect you, who answers your prayers and forgives your sins. This God is just a story. Religions try to capture God, but God is beyond religion. The true God lies beyond our comprehension. We can't understand His will; He can't be explained in a book. He didn't abandon us and He will not save us. He has nothing to do with our being here. God does not change. He simply is. I don't pray to God for forgiveness or favors, I only pray to be closer to Him, and when I pray, I fill my heart with love. When I pray this way, I know that God is love. When I feel that love, I remember that we don't need angels or a heaven, because we are a part of God already.” 

Nando Parrado

mentor #5: Mahatma Gandhi

"leader of indian nationalism in british ruled india"
independence.non-violence.

"Where there is love there is life."

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” 

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

“Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:
☆ I shall not fear anyone on Earth. 
☆ I shall fear only God. 
☆ I shall not bear ill will toward anyone. 
☆ I shall not submit to injustice from anyone. 
☆ I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.” 

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated."

Mahatma Gandhi

mentor #4: Toni Morrison

"beloved"
american novelist, editor, and professor. 

"When there is pain, there are no words. All pain is the same."

"You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down."

"We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives."

Toni Morrison

mentor #3: Elizabeth "Liz" Murray

"journey from homeless to harvard"
starving childhood.drugs.aids.

“Instead, what I was beginning to understand was that however things unfolded from here on, whatever the next chapter was, my life could never be the sum of one circumstance. It would be determined, as it had always been, by my willingness to put one foot in front of the other, moving forward, come what may.” 

“I said to myself: what if I woke up, and every single day I did everything within my ability during that day to change my life. What could happen in just a month? A year?” 

“Dream, but don't sleep.” 

Liz Murray

mentor #2: Ban Ki-moon

"growing up in war"
the eighth secretary general of united nations.

"Together we want to help the world see and believe in a better future." 

"Many say our world is at a tipping point. If we do not act together, if we do not act responsibly, if we do not act now, we risk slipping into a cycle of poverty, degradation, and despair." 

"We live in difficult financial times. These times demand smart investments. And there is no more valuable investment than education."

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

mentor #1: Nick Vujicic

"life without limbs"
a motivational speaker born without legs or arms.

“If I fail, I try again, and again, and again. If YOU fail, are you going to try again? The human spirit can handle much worse than we realize. It matters HOW you are going to FINISH. Are you going to finish strong?” 

“If you can't get a miracle, become one.”

“It's a lie to think you're not good enough. It's a lie to think you're not worth anything.”  

Nick Vujicic