A collection of thoughts and quotations compiled by Craig Lock (in 1994), that have inspired him in his quest and "mission".

"What you ARE is as important as what you do."

"Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."
- anon

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." - Henry Ford

"Never ever give up - never" - Winston Churchill

No matter what path you are on, people (often well-meaning) will not understand and will criticise you. Are you strong enough to handle the critics?

Passionate people, who live their dreams, embrace what they love and never give up. They overcome many (and often seemingly insurmountable) obstacles on the path to success in pursuing their life vision.

"Obstacles cannot crush me; every obstacle yields to stern resolve." - Leonardo Da Vinci

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal."

- Henry Ford

"We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof, that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: The last of his freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
- Viktor E. Frankl in his book, 'Man's Search for Meaning' *

DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL

You've failed many times; although you may not remember.

* Didn't you fall down the first time you tried to walk? (What would you have done, if your dear mom had given up on you ever walking as a baby). No, she waited patiently for you to take those first tentative steps.

* You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn't you?

* Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat? Heavy hitters, the ones who strike the most home runs, also strike out a lot.

Now for some examples of famous achievers, who refused to quit...

R.H Macy failed 7 times, before his store in

English novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips before he published 564 books.

Baseball legend, Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times; but he also hit 714 home runs.

So don't worry about failure. Worry about the chances you miss, when you don't even try.

Abraham Lincoln didn't quit. He once wrote:

"The sense of obligation to continue is present in all of us. A duty to strive is the duty of us all. I feel a call to that duty." - Abraham Lincoln

"The path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped out from under me, knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself, 'It's a slip and not a fall.'" Lincoln spoke these inspiring words after losing a senate race. He never quit...and so won't I.

Will YOUR name be mentioned some day as not being a "quitter", who overcame almost insurmountable obstacles?

Will YOU quit, whatever you are doing...if you really believe in your "unique calling" - a tribute to the power of persistance and faith?

WILL YOU SAY, I WILL UNTIL?"

Craig Lock

"Every man has his own destiny; the only imperative is to follow it, no matter where it leads him." - Henry Miller

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man strumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man, who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcomings, who knows the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

- Theodore Roosevelt

Craig's various books* (hard copies, CD's, "talking books" and e-books)
are available at:
http://www.craiglock.com and http://www.novelty-gift.com