Cardinal rules of life and living

[vaneramos]

Gleaned from daisydumont, I have this new meme. Just write a short list of rules you try to live by. Here are mine. I don't claim to follow them well, but aspire to do so.

1. Live in the present.


2. Be yourself.


3. Love yourself right and it will overflow to others.


4. Respect differences.


5. Nurture community.
   
6. Give back to the earth as much as you take.


7. Cultivate a sense of wonder.

monkeyparts, who invented this meme, also included some important quotes. Here are some that have influenced my life.

"These are our few live seasons. Let us live them purely as we can, in the present."
~Annie Dillard

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."
~Rachel Carson

"The more comfortable you are with yourself, the less you need other people and the more easily you can embrace them."
~Stephanie Dowrick

"Whoever degrades another degrades me."
~Walt Whitman

"To be ill-adjusted to a deranged world is not breakdown."
~Jeanette Winterson

"There is no failure—just a big field to wander in."
~Natalie Goldberg

"Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people."
~Eleanor Roosevelt

"Wisdom and deep intelligence require an honest appreciation of mystery."
~Thomas Moore