“Blind obedience is itself an abuse of human morality. It is a misuse of the human soul in the name of religious commitment. It is a sin against individual conscience. It makes moral children of the adults from whom moral agency is required. It makes a vow, which is meant to require religious figures to listen always to the law of God, beholden first to the laws of very human organizations in the person of very human authorities. It is a law that isn't even working in the military and can never substitute for personal morality.” FirstsHumansChildrenPersonsSoulLawNamesIndividualReligiousSinMoralMilitaryFiguresMoralityAuthorityEthicsConscienceAdultsCommitmentOrganizationAbuseIndependenceBlindObedienceAgencySubstitutesHuman SoulVowMisuseBlind Obedience Author:Joan D. Chittister
“A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with-that's poverty-but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . . When you're clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it's clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar. (148)” FirstsLittlesDoeLife IsPurposeSimplePovertySupportClearSeeingCommitmentPrioritiesSimple LifeCabinetsClutterCalendarsFirst Things FirstPut First Things First Author:Victoria Moran
“Part of the problem with extreme patriotism is that it makes the support of one's country and its policies unconditional. Moderate patriots, on the other hand, see that taking morality seriously requires that our commitment to our country be conditional in two ways. First, the actions or policies of a government must be worthy of support or, at least, must not be serious violations of morality. When nations behave immorally, patriots need not support them.” WayNeedsFirstsTwoCountryProblemHandsGovernmentActionNationsSupportPolicySeriousMoralityCommitmentExtremesWorthyOur CountryBehavePatriotismPatriotUnconditionalModeratesViolationTwo WaysConditional Author:Stephen Nathanson
“Breakfast is everything. The beginning, the first thing. It is the mouthful that is the commitment to a new day, a continuing life.” FirstsCommitmentBreakfastContinuingNew DayBeginning Author:A. A. Gill
“For Christians, the first priority may be theological self-understanding. For Jews it is, and after Auschwitz must be, simple safety for their children. In pursuit of this goal, Jews seek - are morally required to seek - independence of other people's charity. They therefore seek safety - are morally required to seek it - through the existence of a Jewish state. Except among the theologically or humanly perverse, Zionism - the commitment to the safety and genuine sovereignty of the State of Israel - is not negotiable.” PeopleFirstsMayChildrenSelfStatesChristianUnderstandingGoalSimpleExistenceCommitmentSafetyIndependenceCharityJewIsraelPrioritiesPursuitGenuineSovereigntyTheologicalZionismAuschwitzSelf Understanding Author:Emil Fackenheim
“To anyone who has followed the practice of using profanity or vulgarity and would like to correct the habit, could I offer this suggestion? First, make the commitment to erase such words from your vocabulary. Next, if you slip and say a swear word or a substitute word, mentally reconstruct the sentence without the vulgarity or substitute word and repeat the new sentence aloud. Eventually you will develop a non-vulgar speech habit.” IfsFirstsNextPracticeHabitOffersSpeechCommitmentSentencesRepeatsSubstitutesMissionarySlipsSwearSuggestionsVocabularyVulgarEraseVulgarityProfanitySwear Word Author:L. Tom Perry
“Our struggle to put first things first can be characterized by the contrast between two powerful tools that direct us: the clock and the compass. The clock represents our commitments, appointments, schedules, goals, activities - what we do with, and how we manage our time. The compass represents our vision, values, principles, mission, conscience, direction - what we feel is important and how we lead our lives. In an effort to close the gap between the clock and the compass in our lives, many of us turn to the field of "time management."” FeelsFirstsTwoImportantValuesTurnsGoalPowerfulEffortVisionPrinciplesStruggleOur LivesFieldsActivityConscienceCommitmentToolsDirectManagementMissionsManageClockOur TimeGapsTime ManagementContrastSchedulesCompassAppointmentsLife StruggleFirst Things FirstPut First Things First Author:Stephen Covey
“I believe it’s impossible to claim you have taught, when there are students who have not learned. With that commitment, from my first year as an English teacher until my last as UCLA basketball teacher/coach, I was determined to make the effort to become the best teacher I could possibly be, not for my sake, but for all those who were placed under my supervision.” YearsFirstsBelieveLastsI BelieveEffortTeacherImpossibleStudentsTaughtBasketballCommitmentClaimsSakeDeterminedCoachesBest TeacherSupervisionEnglish TeacherUcla Author:John Wooden
“The first basic need of a male is sexual fulfillment; for a female, affection. The second most basic need of a male is recreational companionship; for a female, communication and conversation. The third basic need of a male in a relationship is an attractive woman; for a woman, honesty and openness. The fourth basic need of a male is domestic support; for a female, financial support. The fifth basic need of a male is admiration and respect; for a woman, family commitment.” NeedsFirstsSupportHonestyCommunicationConversationCommitmentFemaleThirdsMalesFinancialAffectionFulfillmentAttractiveAdmirationOpennessFourthCompanionshipFifthBasic NeedsAdmiration And RespectAttractive WomanFinancial Support Book:Purpose and Power of Love and Marriage Source: Purpose and Power of Love and Marriage