Words to Live By: Cicero's Six Mistakes of Man-
1 The illusion that personal gain is made up of crushing others.
2. The tendency to worry about what we cannot change.
3. Insisting things are impossible because we cannot achieve them.
4. Neglecting development and refinement of our mind and not acquiring the
habit of reading and study.
5. Refusing the acceptance of trivial preferences.
6. Attempting to compel others to believe in life as we do.

Favorite Quotes: (In no particular order)
1. "If you have a long enough lever and a firm point you can move the Earth." -Archimedes
2. "Tell the truth but tell it slant"- Emily Dickenson
3. "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" - Buddhist Proverb
4. "To understand everything is to forgive everything" - Prince Gautama Siddhartha
5. “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart”- Confucius
6. “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” - Confucius
7. "by three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation,which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the most bitter.” - Confucius
8. “Be thine own palace, or the world's thy jail” - John Donne
9. "Love built on beauty, soon as beauty, dies.” - John Donne
10. "Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” - John Donne
11. "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.” - John Donne
12. “There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.”- Leonardo da Vinci
13. “You can have no dominion greater or less than that over yourself.” - Leonardo da Vinci
14. "While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.” - Leonardo da Vinci
15. " No one asks you to throw Mozart out of the window. Keep Mozart. Cherish him. Keep Moses too, and Buddha and Lao Tzu and Christ. Keep them in your heart. But make room for the others, the coming ones, the ones who are already scratching on the window-panes." - Henry Miller
16. “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be”- Lao Tzu
17. “Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.” -Lao Tzu
18. “I do not concern myself with gods and spirits either good or evil nor do I serve any” - Lao Tzu
19. "Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.” - Lao Tzu
20. “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” - Jesus Christ
21. “For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack”- Rudyard Kipling
22. “I always prefer to believe the best of everybody; it saves so much trouble” - Rudyard Kipling
23. “I keep six honest serving men: They taught me all I knew: Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who” -Rudyard Kipling
24. “Love is my religion - I could die for it.” - John Keats
25. “Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know” - John Keats
26. “Fear not for the future, weep not for the past” - Percy Shelley
28. "Government is an evil; it is only the thoughtlessness and vices of men that make it a necessary evil. When all men are good and wise, government will of itself decay.” - Percy Shelley
29. “Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love” -Mother Teresa
30. "It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.” - Mother Teresa
31. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.” - Mother Teresa
32. “Nobody can hurt me without my permission.” - Mahatma Gandhi
33. “There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever" - Mahatma Gandhi
34. "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” - Mahatma Gandhi
35. “We must become the change we want to see.” - Mahatma Gandhi
36. “What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea.” -Mahatma Gandhi
37. “God has no religion” - Mahatma Gandhi
38. “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed” - Mahatma Gandhi
39. “Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning.” - Mahatma Gandhi
40. “An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.” -Gandhi
41. “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain with themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." –Bertrand Russell
42. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” - Jesus Christ
43. "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” - Jesus Christ
44. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” - Jesus Christ
45. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine." - Jesus Christ
46. “Gardens are not made by singing "Oh, how beautiful," and sitting in the shade.” - Kipling
47. “Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” - Langston Hughes
48. "Get away from the crowd when you can. Keep yourself to yourself, if only for a few hours daily.” - Author Brisbane
49. “Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it." -Albert Einstein
50. “The highest form of wisdom is kindness" -The Talmud

Sex: Male. More accurately, I'm a man amongst men. I have hair on my chest, vaporized knuckles, chipped teeth, unsightly scars, burns, and a predisposition propelling me towards violence. In fact, I have an unexplainable talent that causes children to cry when I merely pass too closely. I do nothing to them, I swear! I love children. However, since realizing The Truth, or patching together slivers of universal truths, that we're all one and my happiness is your happiness, we're all made of the same stuff, I've struggled with developing a nonviolent disposition. Loving all of creation has come easily; yet, restraining myself when confronted w/ ignorance and not pounding the vessels of ignorance (also known as most people) into oblivion has proved most difficult.

Note: After the above description I think this is an appropriate place to write- HI LADIES! I'm single. (Just Kidding)

Or am I??

Age:28- That seems to make me the grandpa in these here parts. Geeez! (Ladies, you must be at least 25 yrs old)

Favorite movie:I don't have one. I just wanted a chance to tell you to watch WE ARE MARSHALL! Marshall University is my Alma mater. It's the best school ever! Well, it's the best school I've ever attended.

Favorite music:I don't care to tell you this either. I'd guess I would say southern rock to play, classical to listen to. Actually, I just wanted everyone to know that I play the guitar (not very well though).

Favorite Authors: Finally, something I do want to share. I've just recently found Christopher Moore. He's hilarious. I'd suggest- THE LAMB, DIRTY JOBS, AND FLUKE. Each is worth your time. I also love classics. Particularly HUCK FINN, TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD, MOBY DICK, 1984, A BRAVE NEW WORLD, WHEN HEAVEN AND EARTH CHANGED PLACES, and ALL QUITE ON THE WESTERN FRONT. I recently read IRONFIRE by David Ball and immediately installed IRONFIRE as #1 on my MUST READ list. (If you saw me you'd say, "You don't/can't read! Why lie?")

Favorite Poets: Mahatma Gandhi, Rudyard Kipling, John Keats, Emily , da Vinci, Walt Whitman, Alexander Pope, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, John Donne and several modern poets I've found on the Internet. Not Poe. He's great, I know! However, he's too pessimistic for me. Everytime I read a Poe-like author I finish with a nearly uncontrollable urge to punch the next person I see in the face. Thankfully, I wish not to cause harm; therefore, I try to avoid Poe's distorted minions whenever possible.

Occupation: Currently I'm seeking my way to enlightenment, all the way combating my immense ignorance. No longer will titles or means of pursuing wealth hold weight with me. Yet, I wander forward attempting to make amends for my former occupation, high school social studies teacher. While teaching I attempted to guide our most invaluable resource, our youth, by leading our innocence with my ignorance.

(I've changed my mind. 23 will do just fine.) Smile. It is infectious. IRONFIRE in case you've already forgotten