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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Inspiration

Inspiration

Presidential Quotes on President’s Day

By Steve Laubeon February 19, 2024
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Today is President’s Day in the U.S. Originally established in 1885 as a recognition of George Washington’s birthday (February 22), it was later expanded to include Abraham Lincoln and all other U.S. presidents.

Some of the words of these leaders have stood the test of time. For example, from Abraham Lincoln:

  • “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
  • “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
  • “My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth.”

and these from George Washington:

  • “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.”
  • “99% of failures come from people who make excuses.”
  • “In politics as in philosophy, my tenets are few and simple. The leading one of which, and indeed that which embraces most others, is to be honest and just ourselves and to exact it from others, meddling as little as possible in their affairs where our own are not involved. If this maxim was generally adopted, wars would cease and our swords would soon be converted into reap hooks and our harvests be more peaceful, abundant, and happy.”

And others:

  • “On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock.” ―Thomas Jefferson
  • “It’s easier to do a job right, than to explain why you didn’t.” ― Martin Van Buren
  • “There are men and women who make the world better just by being the kind of people they are. They have the gift of kindness or courage or loyalty or integrity. It really matters very little whether they are behind the wheel of a truck or running a business or bringing up a family. They teach the truth by living it.”―James Garfield
  • “Never waste a minute thinking about people you don’t like.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.” ― Ronald Reagan

There have been some incredible orators who held the office of president. Some of the above phrases have a brilliant cadence to them. Others are simple and yet still poignant. As you think about these words, think about your own writing. Is there a better turn of the phrase you can use? Is there a way to smooth your prose so it isn’t clunky? Can you wait a few moments before you spill your thoughts on the screen so they may be seasoned with grace? Who knows, maybe your words will touch someone’s heart today and bring light into our dark world.

Presidential trivia: Did you know that Ulysses S. Grant’s autobiography had a rather famous publisher? Published shortly after his death in 1885 (he finished the work days before he passed away), the two-volume work sold 350,000 copies. His publisher? Mark Twain. Many feel it is the greatest presidential memoir ever written.

[By the way, this is not a post about politics, nor is this blog a place to voice political opinions. Please keep to the topic of writing and not the politics of your country of residence or elsewhere. Thanks!]

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Category: Craft, Historical, Inspiration, TheologyTag: Inspiration, Writing Craft

Coming Full Circle

By Guest Bloggeron February 17, 2021
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by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Today's guest blog is from Kim Vogel Sawyer a best-selling author whose books have topped the sales charts and won awards since 2005, when she left her elementary school teaching job to write full time. Her books have won the Carol Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Her stories are designed to offer hope and …

Read moreComing Full Circle
Category: Career, Get Published, Guest Post, Inspiration, TamelaTag: Career, Get Published, Inspiration

A Writer’s Beatitudes

By Bob Hostetleron July 18, 2018
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In the famous “Sermon on the Mount” passage in the Bible’s Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presented a series of eight “beatitudes.” Each was a saying that turned conventional wisdom on its head, showing how in God’s eyes the oppressed are blessed and the despised are prized. No one can improve on those inspired beatitudes, of course. But what if we tried to capture their perspective and redirected them …

Read moreA Writer’s Beatitudes
Category: Creativity, Inspiration, The Writing Life, TheologyTag: Creativity, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Søren Kierkegaard on Writing

By Steve Laubeon June 18, 2018
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Søren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher and writer in the mid-1800s. His works have been highly influential for the past 170 years. He is not without his critics but a couple years ago Christianity Today ran an article titled, “Why We Still Need Kierkegaard.” My own journey has included wrestling with Fear and Trembling, Sickness Unto Death, and Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing. Recently I …

Read moreSøren Kierkegaard on Writing
Category: Encouragement, Inspiration, The Writing Life, TheologyTag: Encouragement, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Books Change Lives

By Steve Laubeon April 9, 2018
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I have to let you read this story. An author recently wrote this to me: I’d like to share something with you that I’m not sure a lot of authors get to share. Two months ago, I noticed my novels on my youngest daughter’s nightstand and found her reading them every night. I didn’t want to scare her off from reading them by asking questions, so I just let her read. A couple …

Read moreBooks Change Lives
Category: Inspiration, The Writing Life, TheologyTag: Career, Encouragement, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Twenty-five Fantastic Quotes About Words and Writers

By Bob Hostetleron April 4, 2018
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A few weeks ago in this space I posted twenty-five rules for writers. There are more, of course, but as W. Somerset Maugham said, “no one knows what they are.” Seriously, folks, I’m just getting started. I asked friends on Twitter and Facebook to send me their favorite quotes about writers and writing—not necessarily rules, but something memorable and, maybe, inspirational. I enjoyed the …

Read moreTwenty-five Fantastic Quotes About Words and Writers
Category: Inspiration, The Writing LifeTag: Inspiration, Quotes, The Writing Life

Creative Boundaries

By Dan Balowon April 3, 2018
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Creative people usually don’t like being told what to create or what not to create. Similarly, explorers and researchers don’t like being told, “Don’t look there,” or “Explore over here.” By nature, they follow their training and instincts from place to place and thought to thought. As a writer, while the worst thing you could do is plagiarize someone else’ work, the worst thing someone else could …

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Category: Career, Communication, Creativity, Inspiration, PlatformTag: Career, Creativity, Faith, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Fail Better

By Bob Hostetleron September 20, 2017
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Writing is hard. Writing for publication is even harder. And writing to be read and re-read is a Sisyphean task (go ahead, look it up; I’ll wait). So it is no wonder that Samuel Beckett’s line from his novel, Worstward Ho, has been adopted not only by athletes (they are tattooed on Stanislas Wawrinka’s arm) and billionaires (Richard Branson cited the quote in an article about his airline’s future) …

Read moreFail Better
Category: Inspiration, The Writing LifeTag: Failure, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Write Every Day

By Dan Balowon June 13, 2017
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A young writer penned these words: “I haven’t written for a few days, because I wanted first of all to think about my diary. It’s an odd idea for someone like me to keep a diary; not only because I have never done so before, but because it seems to me that neither I—nor for that matter anyone else—will be interested in the unbosomings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl. Still, what does that …

Read moreWrite Every Day
Category: Encouragement, Inspiration, The Writing LifeTag: Anne Frank, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Orville Rogers – A Memorial Day Tribute

By Steve Laubeon May 29, 2017
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Today in the U.S. we honor the veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice and died for our country in the military. It is an important day of remembrance. Earlier this month, at the Global Media Summit, I had the honor of shaking the hand of Orville Rogers who is 99 years young. He trained pilots in World War II, flew the B-36 airplane (aka “The Peacemaker”) on secret missions during the …

Read moreOrville Rogers – A Memorial Day Tribute
Category: InspirationTag: Inspiration
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