August 3

A prominent businessman whose daily schedule is packed to the limit, his responsibilities many and his activities widely diverse, always handles himself with impressive quietness. “I have learned to begin and end each day calmly,” he says. “I repeat to myself this line from Isaiah: ‘In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength’ [Isaiah 30:15]. That is my secret.”

May 2

A friend has six gems of wisdom which he repeats almost every day. The first is from Cicero: “To live long, live slowly.” The second is from Confucius: “The way of a superior man is threefold: virtuous, he is therefore free from anxiety; wise, he is therefore free from perplexity; bold, he is therefore free from fear.” The third is from Robert Louis Stevenson: “Sit loosely in the saddle of life.”

The fourth, Saint Theresa’s famous words: “Let nothing disturb you; let nothing frighten you. Everything passes except God; God alone is sufficient." And from Isaiah, “. . . In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). Then finally, and most importantly, the words of Jesus: “. . . my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).