T. L. Haines and L. W. Yaggy

“ He can save himself from the sure death of a pusillanimous, halting, irresolute spirit. Never be cast down by misfortunes. If a spider breaks his web, over and over he will mend it again. And do not you fall behind the very insect on your walls. If the sun is going down look up to the stars; if earth is dark, keep your eye on heaven. With the presence and promise of God, we can bear up under anything; and should press on, and never falter or fear.
It is my firm conviction that man has only himself to blame if his life appears to him at any time void of interest and of pleasure. ”

“ It will watch over his slumbers to jog him at the appointed hour, and summon him to the cheerful duties of his chosen pursuit. Those who labor and study under the inspiration of such a purpose, will soon soar out of sight of those who barely allow themselves to be carried along by the momentum of the machinery to which they are attached.
Many pass through life without even a consciousness of where they are, and what they are doing. They gaze on whatever lies directly before them, "in fond amusement lost." Human life is a watchtower. ”

“ A man is to learn of the oak, and cling to his plans as it to its leaves till pushed off by new ones; and be as tenacious of life, when lopt, sending up branches straight as the old trunk, and when cut off, sending up a brood of young oaks, crowning the stump with vigorous defenders. ”

“ God would not have attended life with his broad march of grandeur, if it did not mean something. He would not have descended to the blade of grass, the dew-drop, and the dust-atom, if every moment of life were not a letter to spell out some word that should bear the burden of a thought. ”

“ If his life is governed by a plan, a purpose, it is the purpose of another - not his own. The man has his own purpose, his own plan, his own life aim. The sorrowful experience of multitudes in this respect is that they are never men, but children all their days. Think out your work, then work out your thought. No one can purpose a worthy object, with all the powers of his mind, and yet make his life a failure. A man may work in the dark, yet one day light shall arise upon his labor ”

“ How much life means, words refuse to tell, because they can not. The very doorway of life is hung around with flowery emblems, to indicate that it is for some purpose. The mystery of our being, the necessity of action, the relation of cause to effect, the dependence of one thing upon another, the mutant influence and affinity of all things, assure us that life is for a purpose to which every outward thing doth point. ”

“ We point to two ways in life, and if the young man and maiden. Whose feet are lingering in soft green meadows and flowery paths, will consider these two ways soberly and earnestly, before moving onward, and choose the one that truth and reason tell them leads to honor, success and happiness, they have wisely chosen the "Royal Path of Life." ”

“ He that floats lazily down the stream, in pursuit of something borne along by the same current, will find himself indeed moved forward; but unless he lays his hand to the oar, and increases his speed by his own labor, must be always at the same distance from that which he is following. In our voyage of life, we must not drift but steer.
Every youth should form, at the outset of his career, the solemn purpose to make the most and the best of the powers which God has given him, and to turn to the best possible account every outward advantage within his reach. ”

“ In nothing is childhood more strongly distinguished from manhood than in this, that the child has no purpose, no plan of life, no will by which his energies are directed. He lives, in a great measure, to enjoy the passing scene, and to find his happiness in those agreeable consciousnesses which from hour to hour come to him by chance. ”

“ Man may make life what he pleases and give it as much worth, both for himself and others, as he has energy for. Over his moral and intellectual being his sway is complete.
The first great mistake that men fall into is that they do not use integrity and truth and good sense in judging of what they are fit for. They take the things that they want and not the things that they deserve. They aspire after things that are pleasing to their ambition, and not after things to which they are adapted by their capacity. ”

“ There is a great deal of going across-lots to make a beggar of a man's self in this world. Whereas, the old-fashioned homely law that the man who was to establish himself in life must take time to lay the foundations of reality, and gradually and steadily build thereon, holds good yet. ”

“ The trees with leaves "like a shield or like a sword" wage vigorous warfare with the elements. They bend under the wind, make music of it, then stand up again and grow more stalwartly straight up toward the heart of the heavens. ”

“ Men are seen going across - lots to fortune; and a poor business many of them make of it. Oftentimes they lose their way; and when they do not, they find so many hills and valleys, so many swells and depressions, so many risings and fallings, so many ups and downs, that though by an air-line the distance might be shorter, in reality the distance is greater than by the lawful route ”

“ And when a man is brought into as sphere of his ambition for which he has not the requisite powers, and where he is goaded on every side in the discharge of his duties, his temptation is at once to make up by fraud and appearance that which he lacks in reality. ”

“ Rely not upon others; but let there be in your own bosom a calm, deep, decided, and all-pervading principle. Look first, midst, and last to God, to aid you in the great task before you; and then plant your foot on the right. Let others live as they please, - tainted by low tastes, debasing passions, a moral putrefaction. ”

“ It is the clear purpose of God that every one - the young especially - should take their stand on this tower. Look, listen, learn, wherever you go, wherever you tarry. Something is always transpiring to reward your attention. Let you eyes and ears be always open, and you will often observe in the slightest incidents, materials of advantage and means of personal improvement. ”

“ Such should know, that our own errors may often teach us more than the grave precepts of others. We counsel the young man never to despair. If he can make nothing by any work that presents itself now, he can at least make himself ”