Mentor Quotes

“All depression has its roots in self-pity, and all self-pity is rooted in people taking themselves too seriously.”

At the time Switters had disputed her assertion. Even at seventeen, he was aware that depression could have chemical causes.

“The key word here is roots,” Maestra had countered. “The roots of depression. For most people, self-awareness and self-pity blossom simultaneously in early adolescence. It's about that time that we start viewing the world as something other than a whoop-de-doo playground, we start to experience personally how threatening it can be, how cruel and unjust. At the very moment when we become, for the first time, both introspective and socially conscientious, we receive the bad news that the world, by and large, doesn't give a rat's ass. Even an old tomato like me can recall how painful, scary, and disillusioning that realization was. So, there's a tendency, then, to slip into rage and self-pity, which if indulged, can fester into bouts of depression.”

“Yeah but Maestra—”

“Don't interrupt. Now, unless someone stronger and wiser—a friend, a parent, a novelist, filmmaker, teacher, or musician—can josh us out of it, can elevate us and show us how petty and pompous and monumentally useless it is to take ourselves so seriously, then depression can become a habit, which, in tern, can produce a neurological imprint. Are you with me? Gradually, our brain chemistry becomes conditioned to react to negative stimuli in a particular, predictable way. One thing'll go wrong and it'll automatically switch on its blender and mix us that black cocktail, the ol’ doomsday daiquiri, and before we know it, we’re soused to the gills from the inside out. Once depression has become electrochemically integrated, it can be extremely difficult to philosophically or psychologically override it; by then it's playing by physical rules, a whole different ball game. That's why, Switters my dearest, every time you've shown signs of feeling sorry for yourself, I've played my blues records really loud or read to you from The Horse’s Mouth. And that’s why when you’ve exhibited the slightest tendency toward self-importance, I’ve reminded you that you and me— you and I: excuse me—may be every bit as important as the President or the pope or the biggest prime-time icon in Hollywood, but none of us is much more than a pimple on the ass-end of creation, so let’s not get carried away with ourselves. Preventive medicine, boy. It’s preventive medicine.”

“But what about self-esteem?”

“Heh! Self-esteem is for sissies. Accept that you’re a pimple and try to keep a lively sense of humor about it. That way lies grace—and maybe even glory.”
― Tom Robbins, Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates

“What I've found about it is that there are some folks you can talk to until you're blue in the face--they're never going to get it and they're never going to change. But every once in a while, you'll run into someone who is eager to listen, eager to learn, and willing to try new things. Those are the people we need to reach. We have a responsibility as parents, older people, teachers, people in the neighborhood to recognize that.”
― Tyler Perry, Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life

“Dreams are what guide us, art is what defines us, math is what makes it all possible, and love is what lights our way.”
― Mike Norton

“Starting over can be the scariest thing in the entire world, whether it’s leaving a lover, a school, a team, a friend or anything else that feels like a core part of our identity but when your gut is telling you that something here isn’t right or feels unsafe, I really want you to listen and trust in that voice.”
― Jennifer Elisabeth, Born Ready: Unleash Your Inner Dream Girl

“Our power lies in our small daily choices, one after another, to create eternal ripples of a life well lived.”
― Mollie Marti

“This is your life – not your parents’, teachers’ or significant other’s. If you ever find yourself on a path that just doesn’t feel safe anymore, you have every right to stop the car, get out – change your shoes and start walking.”
― Jennifer Elisabeth, Born Ready: Unleash Your Inner Dream Girl

“It was my teacher's genius, her quick sympathy, her loving tact
which made the first years of my education so beautiful. It was
because she seized the right moment to impart knowledge that made
it so pleasant and acceptable to me. She realized that a child's
mind is like a shallow brook which ripples and dances merrily
over the stony course of its education and reflects here a
flower, there a bush, yonder a fleecy cloud; and she attempted to
guide my mind on its way, knowing that like a brook it should be
fed by mountain streams and hidden springs, until it broadened
out into a deep river, capable of reflecting in its placid
surface, billowy hills, the luminous shadows of trees and the
blue heavens, as well as the sweet face of a little flower.
Any teacher can take a child to the classroom, but not every
teacher can make him learn. He will not work joyously unless he
feels that liberty is his, whether he is busy or at rest; he must
feel the flush of victory and the heart-sinking of disappointment
before he takes with a will the tasks distasteful to him and
resolves to dance his way bravely through a dull routine of
textbooks.
My teacher is so near to me that I scarcely think of myself apart
from her. How much of my delight in all beautiful things is
innate, and how much is due to her influence, I can never tell. I
feel that her being is inseparable from my own, and that the
footsteps of my life are in hers. All the best of me belongs to
her--there is not a talent, or an aspiration or a joy in me that
has not been awakened by her loving touch.”
― Helen Keller, The Story of My Life: With Her Letters (1887 1901) and a Supplementary Account of Her Education Including Passages from the Reports and Letters of Her Teacher Anne Mansfield Sullivan by John Albert Macy

“I never want you to deny anything about yourself because you have grown up thinking it’s unacceptable or inconvenient for the people around you.”
― Jennifer Elisabeth, Born Ready: Unleash Your Inner Dream Girl

“Do not give them a candle to light the way, teach them how to make fire instead. That is the meaning of enlightenment.”
― Kamand Kojouri

“Being a Dream Girl is never going to be about what you look like or how much you weigh. After all, our physical appearances are just reflections of our inner worlds. What makes you a Dream Girl is your emotional sensitivity, your self-awareness, and your ability to communicate who you are effectively and compassionately in the world.”
― Jennifer Elisabeth, Born Ready: Unleash Your Inner Dream Girl

“Integrity is a powerful force, keeping you alive to others long after you’ve left their presence.”
― Mollie Marti

“Mentoring is: Sharing Life's Experiences and God's Faithfulness”
― Janet Thompson, Dear God, He's Home!: A Woman's Guide to Her Stay-at-Home Man

“I am thankful that there are those among us who have sacrificed dearly on behalf of us. And I ardently pray to God that I might be less like myself and more like them.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“Sir Gerald Moore: I was at dinner last evening, and halfway through the pudding, this four-year-old child came alone, dragging a little toy cart. And on the cart was a fresh turd. Her own, I suppose. The parents just shook their heads and smiled. I've made a big investment in you, Peter. Time and money, and it's not working. Now, I could just shake my head and smile. But in my house, when a turd appears, we throw it out. We dispose of it. We flush it away. We don't put it on the table and call it caviar.”
― Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

“The mediocre leader tells. The good leader explains. The superior leader demonstrates. The great leader inspires.”
― Gary F. Patton

“Can you identify the source preventing you from feeling good every single day, from loving yourself unconditionally and making your dreams come true? Is it a voice in your head or a gut wrenching ache that compromises your inner peace and doesn’t allow you to accept the love around you? Is there one thing, or maybe many things, keeping you from forgiving your past and moving forward, tormenting you with lies like “You don’t deserve real love so just settle for whatever you can get,” “You’re not smart enough to achieve your dream so don’t even try,” or “Look at your past… you should hate yourself way more than you actually do!”?

Welcome to your Little Monster.”
― Jennifer Elisabeth, Born Ready: Unleash Your Inner Dream Girl

“Expression is a function of intention and intention emanates from your thought faculty.”
― Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha

“Teaching a boy to be a man is the primary job of a father.”
― Clayton Lessor MA, LPC

“Even if we try to conform to ideals and strive for perfection, we will always be pulled back to our core identity because it’s the path of least resistance for our souls – an energy force that wants nothing more than for us to honor and accept who we are and discover what we’re meant to do in the world.”
― Jennifer Elisabeth, Born Ready: Unleash Your Inner Dream Girl

“The relationship between apprentice and mentor is one of the most beautiful and most sacred relationships. In sharing his wisdom with his apprentice, the mentor discovers even more wisdom to share.”
― Charbel Tadros

“You bring out the best in people when you trust them with a higher-vision of themselves. You keep them at lower-levels when you treat them like you see them with your physical eyes.”
― Richie Norton

“When the hero is ready, the mentor appears.”
― Will Craig, Living the Hero's Journey

“IF YOU TREAT PEOPLE AS IF THEY ARE THE BRILLIANT PERSON THEY WILL BECOME IN 20 YEARS, THEY BECOME IT NOW.”
― Richie Norton

“While being mentored by a Shaman, a major teaching that they deeply instilled in me is how to routinely spiritually protect myself.”
― Robin S. Baker

“In the tapestry of life, chakras serve as vibrant threads weaving the story of change and growth, inviting individuals to embark on a journey of self-realization and spiritual expansion….”
― Jennifer Pierre

“This is very important to me," Regulus says stiffly. "So, if you would please set aside your pride, along with your many other grievances with me and my brother, I'd appreciate it."

"Do you realize how selfish it is to ask this of me?"

"I don't care about that either. You know, some would see it as an honor. Do you know how many people would kill to get the chance?"

"So, ask them," Aberforth grits out.

"I don't want them," Regulus declares simply. "I want you.”
― Zeppazariel, Crimson Rivers

“Alright, alright," Aberforth grunts, grimacing at the truly ridiculous amount of warm-and-fuzzies implied with all of that. The boy is usually better about keeping that shit to himself, unlike his over-emotional brother. Makes sense why Aberforth prefers him. "Fine, I'll—stop in to officiate your wedding, but I'm doing that and nothing else. I'm doing it on one condition, you hear me?"

"Okay," Regulus says, eyes narrowing again.

"I'm old. I'm probably gonna die in the next fifteen years or so, if I'm lucky," Aberforth announces with a grunt, and he appreciates that the boy doesn't protest, or try to deny it, or even seem to care very much. He only blinks and, after a moment of hesitation, nods. "I don't have kids, never cared to have a spouse, and all my family is dead. I don't much care what happens to my property or possessions after I'm gone, but I need someone to carry out my last wishes for my burial."

"The tree," Regulus murmurs.

Aberforth nods. "I want to be cremated, then buried with Albus and Ariana. Think you can handle that?"

"You—me?" Regulus blinks again, this time with mild alarm, visibly startled. "Wait, you're putting me in your will? No, that's too much. I don't want your stuff, or to deal with all that shit. It's stressful. Pick someone else."

"How bad do you want me to officiate your wedding?" Aberforth asks, eyebrows raised.

Regulus holds his hand out immediately. "I'd be happy to bury you. You have yourself a deal."

Aberforth chuckles, helplessly, and reaches out to shake his hand.”
― Zeppazariel, Crimson Rivers

“How can I—how can any of us—let you go? You are woven through us, from birth to death. You educated me, married us, comforted us. You stood at our mileposts, our weddings, our funerals. You gave us the courage when tragedy struck, and when we howled at God, you stirred the embers of our faith and reminded us, as a respected man once said, that the only whole heart is a broken heart.”
― Mitch Albom, Have a Little Faith: a True Story

“ead like Beyoncé, hustle like Dwayne Johnson, and slay like Rihanna. You’re the CEO of your life, the rockstar of your own show, and the trendsetter of your destiny. So, put on your crown, channel your inner boss babe, and strut your stuff like the fierce and fabulous leader you were born to be. Life’s too short for mediocrity, darling. Embrace your power, command your domain, and let your light shine bright like a diamond in a world full of mere pebbles. You’ve got this!”
― Life is Positive

“Lead like Beyoncé, hustle like Dwayne Johnson, and slay like Rihanna. You’re the CEO of your life, the rockstar of your own show, and the trendsetter of your destiny. So, put on your crown, channel your inner boss, babe, and strut your stuff like the fierce and fabulous leader you were born to be. Life’s too short for mediocrity, darling. Embrace your power, command your domain, and let your light shine bright like a diamond in a world full of mere pebbles. You’ve got this!”
― Life is Positive