The Sayings of Samuel Godfrey George - Advice to the Young

There is no need to be rude to make a point. All that you need to do is to say it quietly yet forcefully, dispassionately yet memorably, and gently yet uncompromisingly.

Don't be hard on yourself for the mistake you made today. Let this not ruin your hope in God, who has forgiven all your mistakes. So let not your latest error pull you away from the love of your Lord who understands your vulnerability. Rest in His undying love. But continue to hope and strive towards betterment, for the Lord is your strength, and the closer you draw to Him, the greater will be your strength.

It is good to be friendly to others. Still examine your heart as to why you are friendly. Are you showing affection without any desire for a return gesture, or are you seeking something from the person to whom you are being friendly? Are you willing to face rejection and still continue to show affection, or will you cease to be friendly when you realize that your attentions are spurned? The only kind of friendliness that passes the test is the one that is given without any expectation and is willing to suffer rejection.

Don't submit to the weak desires. Submit only to the strong desires, those that strengthen you and make you the person that you want to be.

I will not scratch your back today. You may scratch mine if you like. Maybe then your scratching will be unselfish.

There are many beautiful forms in the world. You may look at all of them. But there is a danger in looking at even some of them. You may lose yourself in your desire for them. You may wander in desert places with an undying thirst. Beauty is not all. Beyond beauty there is something else.

Just do two or three things. Don't be obsessed with one thing.

Speak. But never speak completely. Always withhold the very essence. You shall not be known.

Be grateful for everything, even for the beggarly gift. You are not entitled to anything, and yet you have been given.

Some things are slow. Some things take a long time. If you are prepared to wait they are surely worth the wait. But if you are not prepared to wait, either you are not worthy of them or they are not worthy of you.

If you want to teach something practise it yourself. No one teaches as powerfully as he who displays the qualities that he intends to instil in others.

You see the truth. But will you remember the truth in the time of the test? Will you hang on to it? Will you wield it to destroy the falsehood that has a temporary appeal that is greater than the truth? This is the question that you must affirmatively answer.

If someone is truly your friend he will search for you. Allow him to search for you. Separate yourself from him. Deprive him of your company. And you shall see how much you mean to him.

Delay everything you long to do by a few hours. You may discover that your longing may diminish with time.

Forgive not because forgiveness is good for you. Such forgiveness is worthless. Forgive because everyone whom you will ever forgive is as weak and flawed as you are. People need your forgiveness as much as you need theirs.

It is good not to ridicule anyone or anything. We are all quite ridiculous anyway.

Sometimes when you do something people notice. Sometimes when you do something people do not notice. Regardless of how people react, do something. Do something as long as you want to do something. Do something only for that reason.

Speak the truth even if everybody speaks it. Speak it especially when nobody speaks it.

Spell out even painfully your expectations. Declare them as truth even if they should look utterly improbable. As light came to dispel a huge darkness your hope will eventually dismantle the barriers that seem impregnable.

To conquer the thing you fear you must do the thing you fear. Then you must wait and learn.

A step-by-step approach is best. It is good not to achieve the goal immediately. Let achievement and addition be gradual and spaced out. In this way every event can be studied and judged. Thus one can maintain a greater control over something.

To let something grow one must be willing to ignore it.

Everything that crushes hope redefines your soul and renews hope that will better endure the realities of life.

You say that you have tried hard. But have you put in your best effort? You say that you have, but have you really done that? Have you deliberately concluded that you have put in your best effort when you know that you haven't?

Do not create strange places of discomfort but familiar places of comfort. Where there is comfort there is hope. Where there is hope there is strength.

Dig deep into yourself. There is no telling what you will find in there. There is no limit to self-discovery.

When you launch your thought into action, there is every opportunity for learning and realization no matter what the outcome of the venture. Lose or gain, happy or disappointed, you will return with knowledge as long as you are receptive to it.

Whatever the cost, when you know that something is wrong and that you can do something about it, step in and do something about it.

God bless you my dear. You are more important than any mistake that you might have made. I was upset about something that you did not remember to do. But the unhappy feeling lasted only a while. The joy of having you in my life, and the joy of knowing you outlast any unpleasantness that you may have occasioned.

You must not be ashamed to love. If there is a tender muscle in your body exercise it now.

Give it time, only give it time, and the thing that you do not think is possible will happen.

Do you know why you are depressed? You do not take joy in the little things. There are many beautiful things happening in your life. But you do not notice them, for you are waiting for the big thing to happen. Nothing that is useful no matter how small should be ignored. Rejoice in the little things, and you will be happy.

If you want something badly you must be prepared to wait for it.

When something does not happen, just will it to happen. Don't lose hope, but be absolutely certain that it will happen.

It's a good thing to feel pain. Don't be alarmed. It's good to be dissatisfied and hungry. It's good to keep on longing. By far this state is better than that of the one who is content with the present situation. Keep striving for the extra, keep longing for the elusive, keep dreaming of achieving and keep hoping in God, who shall make everything possible.

The requirement for an approach that allows for mistakes is the ability to live with mistakes. A man who is willing to make mistakes should not cringe from living with his mistakes.

Are you as incapable as you think you are? See what reduces you to powerlessness. See it well. May be when you see it completely you will regain the power that you surrendered to it.

Do what stimulates you. Exercise the mind and the body regularly. This is how you show your gratitude for the gift of life.

Distinguish between what you really want to learn and what you will not mind learning. Then focus your mind and direct your heart to all that you really want to learn and discard everything else.

When Christ is in you, all will be well. No matter what the conflict, no matter what the urge, Christ will have His way in you.

Sometimes you can try your best and still fail to produce the desired effect. That's when you should draw from within and continue in the same vein. It really does not matter how you're received as long as you perform optimally.

You are waiting for a glorious moment. But what do you think about this moment? Are you not celebrating today? Do you not rejoice in the present moment? Are you not already so far ahead from where you were once?

Does the sore still itch? Does the wound still produce a tingle of pain? Is your sleep still disturbed? Are you dreams still unpleasant? Don't worry. Don't give it undue thought. Know this, Jesus is at work within you. He has saved you from your sin, even if you don't feel saved. If the Son has saved you, you are saved indeed. Believe in this and walk by faith.

Every trickle of blessing that comes your way, stop and give thanks. Cease your relentless search for joy, pause and take note of God's act of kindness, though it may be little. Thank God with all your heart. Celebrate the little things, the little strokes of love from God's fingers.

To succeed in communication, restraint is more important than expression. Language is powerful, and he who can restrain from the unnecessary use of language is most powerful in his use of it.

To see and to not reach out, to have and to not experience, to possess and to not retain, this is strength, this is how you overcome the irresistible impulse. You can never run away from the thing that pursues you. But you can live with it and discard it through the knowledge of the self.

You've got to get a little angry sometimes, at least to know the use of anger. Anger is never useless. It may be needless.

Do misunderstand. Only then shall you understand.

Never react immediately. Delay your reaction by days, months, preferably by a year or two.

Can you run away from what troubles you? Can you fly away from every temptation? If so, will you not be running all your life? Is it not better to confront the problem and deal with it? Is it not better to bring in all that you have learned from previous mistakes to resolve the problem? Is it not better to believe that you can deal with your problems rather than believe that they are too difficult to deal with?

The advantage of pain is that you become stronger through experiencing it. So don't be afraid of pain. Don't treat it as something undesirable. Take it and experience it. Love it and learn from it. It is going to tell you something that no joy no matter how wonderful can convey to you.

Learning to be silent is more important than learning to speak.

If you can create something and give it to others and then walk away from what you created without looking back, then you have gained mastery over your creation.

To work well you must learn to work in silence. Do not depend on anything or anyone. Just draw from within what has been placed by divine hands. Believe in yourself, believe in your strength. And draw from within in utter silence. And when you produce your work and present it to the world accept nothing but silence in return.

What is the use of a beautiful exterior without a beautiful interior? The exterior may only point to the interior. But without a beautiful interior the beauty of an exterior is worthless.

It is beauty that we seek. It is beauty that we want to celebrate. Not physical beauty as it lasts only a while, and its celebration is only momentary. But inner beauty, the beauty of the mind and the heart cannot be erased by time. This beauty ennobles the seeker and fulfils his soul.

It is not in wanting but in not wanting that strength is expressed. You should not want what you cannot have. And when you cannot have something it is strong not to want it.