Laurence Overmire Quotes

I reserve the right to evolve. What I think and feel today is subject to revision tomorrow.

Life is a poem most people never read.

History remembers only the celebrated, genealogy remembers them all.

Whenever you speak the truth, someone will be offended.

Love is active, not passive. It is our love for one another, for Mother Earth, for our fellow creatures that compels us to act on their behalf.

My forebears played a significant part in making me who I am. I honor their legacy. I will never forget what they gave me. I will love them until the day I die. And no one can take them away from me.

Dead people are easy to love. It's the living ones who are hard.

We are the last generation with a real opportunity to save the world.

There is no such thing as an insignificant life, only the insignificance of mind that refuses to grasp the implications.

All of our ancestors give us the precious gift of life. Do we use it wisely? Do we use it well? Do we make a name for ourselves and for our children of which we can be proud?

The more we understand the One Idea, how all of life is interconnected and interdependent, the more we can act in positive ways for the good of all.

All of our ancestors live within each one of us whether we are aware of it or not.

Only through love will we find our way to create a world worthy of our children and our grandchildren.

Good people turn to love, courage and kindness in times of crisis, not hate, fear and cruelty.

Expect nothing and accept everything and you will never be disappointed.

Dare to find your own truth, despite what others say, then have the courage to live it.

A society that has no respect, no regard for its bards, its historians, its storytellers, is a society in steep decline, a society that has lost its very soul and may never find its way.

Our stories make us who we are. And each story has its own purpose and its own reward. Each story rings true and each story is worthy of the ages. There is no such thing as an insignificant life.

I don't make much of a living, but I do live much of a making.

Every succeeding generation has the opportunity to heal the wounds of the past.

Public condemnation goes a long way in establishing what is and what is not acceptable in a society. The public good will prevail if the public demands it.

There are basically two kinds of people: those who have empathy and care about others and those who don't. The ones who don't are creating most of the problems in the world.

Love is a powerful thing. It transcends time and place. If you're looking for immortality, love long and love well. The rest will take care of itself.

Being good or being evil is not something that is inherent in our nature over which we have no control, rather we define ourselves by the choices we make, moment by moment, situation by situation. All it takes is an act of will to be the best that we can be.

When you trace your genealogy, you find connections to many of the people and events that shaped history. History is not the story of some old irrelevant strangers. No. History is your story. Your family was there - your grandmothers and grandfathers, uncles and aunts, cousins, nephews and nieces. If not for them, you wouldn't even be here.

One could only wish there were more who understood the love of family, of history, and of ancient, sacred bonds that grow deep within us all. If family is not worthy of our time and attention, who or what is?

No matter who our ancestors are, our own personal and monumental task is to become the best person that we can possibly be - someone in whom our own descendants in times to come can take great pride and find inspiration.

Our individual power to effect change may not seem like much, but remember, we are all interconnected: We are One. Powerlessness itself is an illusion. Every positive action we take, no matter how small, will have an impact.

There is no nobler profession, nor no greater calling, than to be among those unheralded many who gave and give their lives to the preservation of human knowledge, passed with commitment and care from one generation to the next.

Racists cling to the false notion that we are separate. They refuse to acknowledge that they are connected to, and even descended from, other people of different skin color. Their egos demand that they be superior and that others be inferior. This is how they seek to justify their hatred of, and cruelty towards, others.

It takes no genius to destroy. The creators, the givers, the lovers, the healers - these are the heroes who know - the building up is so much more difficult than the tearing down.

Love doesn't make bullets. It doesn't drop bombs. Only hate does that - driven by fear.

Glorious creation, so easy to destroy, yet the palette of possibility somehow prevails.

We have listened to the voices of hate, the voices of selfish unreason for far too long. Only the voices of peace will lead us where we need to be.

Cupid's bloody bow is strung with a million hearts, wisdom bought at a terrible price, and love laid to rest on the river of Time.

We are the collective creator of our own agony. It is time for a re-awakening of consciousness when we recognize the best in ourselves and overcome the worst.

Breathe deep... The rain falls but a moment, and in a moment, gives life to another day.

Despite what we humans may or may not do, the Earth will endure, going on as it always has, forever at home with the revolution of sun and moon and wayward, inconstant star.

I am not a skin color. I contain all of humanity in my heart and my mind, my flesh, my blood and my bones, and I am proud of that fact. You should be, too.

One can never be 100% certain when it comes to family lineage. One must always keep an open mind, willing to go wherever the facts may lead.

In caring for others, we are really caring for ourselves, for we all nurture one another in the garden of the heart.

No matter what path you're on in this life, if that path isn't about love, you're on the wrong path.

Those who oppose equality, compassion and social justice have been on the wrong side of history time and time again.

Fantasy, myth, legend, truth - all are intertwined in the story that is Scotland.

If we are going to preserve the viability of life on this planet, we must strive to understand the connections, the interrelatedness of all things.

The truth hurts. But if we want to heal the world, we had better start paying attention to the pain.

The best gift you can give anyone is to spend quality time with them.

Are we as a species evolving toward the best in ourselves or the worst? Let's not lose sight of who we are and who we wish to be.

Every creature has a right to be on this Earth. Who am I to disrupt the natural order? "Respect" is a good word worth handing down to our children.

How ill-inspired we are when Life, brawling in its crude matter-of-fact way Decks us with the cold fist of reality

If we are going to get any real change, we need to elect honest, compassionate politicians with integrity, who truly care about all the people.

Despite our differences, I consider everyone with a good heart to be my ally in creating a better, more peaceful world.

Every being has its own important and unique place in the cosmic dance.

It’s no use trying to reasonably argue with unreasonable people. Better to spend your time in more productive pursuits.

Every child comes into this world as a gift to humanity. It is up to us, as adults, to see that they are properly taken care of and given all the love and attention they deserve. If we did so, I have no doubt our world would be drastically different and much more humane.

There is a falling from the sky The sacred hoop is broken But different hands with different voice Hear the ancient songs And soon All men will see That truth and justice Must Prevail.

Through the various branches of your tree, you are connected to the entirety of human history. When we talk about the ancient Egyptians building the pyramids, we're not talking about a bunch of exotic strangers, we're talking about our great-great-many-times-great grandparents!

We live in a culture in which we are led to believe that anything you do not get paid for is not worth doing. As a consequence, the things that don't get done are often the most worthwhile.

As we commit to peace in our own lives, our own little worlds, encompassing everyone we know personally, then we will find the way of peace spreading like a great healing light all over the world.

Some of us are given more time on this Earth than others, but none of us should ever take the gift of life for granted. If we strive to be the best we can be, committing ourselves to what is right and true, while helping others along the way, then we will leave our own story worth the telling and be a shining example for our children and our grandchildren and all those great, great, great, great grandchildren in those far off times to come.

Doing the right thing, surrendering our short-term self-interest to serve the needs of the whole, has never been easy for humankind, but now, more than ever, that is exactly what we must do. Future generations are counting on us.

Over the course of the millennia, all these multitudes of ancestors, generation upon generation, have come down to this moment in time—to give birth to you. There has never been, nor will ever be, another like you. You have been given a tremendous responsibility. You carry the hopes and dreams of all those who have gone before. Hopes and dreams for a better world. What will you do with your time on this Earth? How will you contribute to the ongoing story of humankind?

If you can make your ancestors real for yourself, learn their stories and who they were, your life - and death - will take on added meaning. You will see yourself in the Big Picture that includes all human life that has come and gone on the planet.

As a genealogist, I have seen the Big Picture as very few have. Most people now living have no clue who they are or where they come from. We are all descended from the ancient kings of our various cultures. There is nothing unique about it. And let's be honest, most of those kings were pretty ruthless individuals. What's important for us today is that we wake up to the fact that we are all literally cousins. How would our world change if we honored that relationship and started treating one another as family?

I have embraced Robert Burns and his beloved Scotland. I have heard the music of the authentic mother tongue. I have walked where he walked, lived where he lived, if only for a brief time, and seen where he died and where he was finally laid to rest. The ghost of Rabbie Burns will continue to walk beside me. And when I am gone, I will walk beside others who fight for the cause of truth.

Our science and technology are advancing rapidly, but our ability to understand the interconnected ramifications of the application of the technology is not keeping pace. Wisdom is required. We must become aware of the consequences for any alterations we humans might make to the natural world.

To be compassionate requires great strength of character. It is never weakness. The people who stand for compassion and love often do so at the risk of their own lives. They are the people we admire most who remain true to themselves at all costs and true to the highest principles of human decency in the face of unspeakable cruelty.

My charge, then, in putting down my pen, and giving over this work to posterity, is this: Take the time. Take the time to preserve the stories, the photographs, the small mementos that mean so much. This is your legacy to future generations. Give it the attention it deserves. Your children and your grandchildren will thank you for it.

While most of our major religions acknowledge the truth of universal brotherhood, too many human beings are still hanging on to their hate and fear of "the other." We have created our own misery. We can also heal ourselves through kindness, cooperation, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, honesty, understanding and sacrifice. The choice is ours.

Poetry is not life. Life is poetry.

Expect nothing and you will never be disasppointed

Animals are forever true to their God-given natures, communicating well enough with canny precision in languages we are perhaps too arrogant to understand.

New generations recognize, money is just a plaything. The new bottom line is humanity itself.

All of us are part of a beautiful pageantry of human experience. Let us make the most of this life in all we do.

Despite the pressing insistence of the ordinary and the mundane, we must make the best time of the time we have before the tick tick ticking ends.

Only in making peace - with ourselves, with others, and the world - will any of us find the life we are hoping for.

The way to peace, harmony and balance for the planet is through the loving kindness of each individual heart.

Life is much more than the evanescent present. We should do all we can to preserve our antiquities, lest we forget who we are.

Poetry is the art of using language to transcend language.

Real life is never quite as interesting as the story told afterward.

The future is won or lost in the war of ideas.

Live with an open mind and an open heart. Always choose love over fear and kindness over cruelty.

From generation to generation, lights are extinguished and darkness threatens until some one stoops to bear the torch.

Del Usion If you knew the person He thinks he is You'd have to admit He's one very special guy.

Freedom is an idea that no tyrant will ever crush.

By dedicating ourselves to peace, understanding, kindness and compassion, we do our part to heal the world.

The truth is the truth. Denying it doesn't make it go away.

With every animal species that fades to extinction, one more opportunity is lost from the realm of human growth and possibility.

If we find ourselves in a moral quandary, we should seek more knowledge, more facts, more evidence and more truth, which will lead us on in its inevitable way to more wisdom.

The quest is ongoing The night forever young And someday, if you're lucky You, too, may see the stars.

Truth is the greatest enemy of tyrants everywhere.

The cure for much of what ails our society is active citizen participation. Those who don't care, those who do nothing, bear enormous responsibility for the suffering in the world.

Healthy people live their lives in love not hate, in courage not fear.

Misinformation destroys trust. When you destroy trust, you destroy the bonds that hold society together.

Wisdom is finding the path that is best for all - considering the options, the positives and the negatives - and having the courage to change what must be changed for the sake of the entire world.

An honest, poor, but otherwise unremarkable man and his loving, tender-hearted wife, though long forgotten and lost to history, may have been the ancestors who are most worthy of our admiration today.

Ultimately, the great truths of family history don't live in any book. They live in the hearts and minds of the living descendants. They live in the way we conduct our lives, in the passing of traditions and values to those who will follow.

Greed is the knife that stabs deep in the backs of one's fellows. Self-interested profit for the few too often reaps untold suffering for the many. The community of humankind is laid low in shame. The harmonic balance of the Earth is disrupted.

There are essentially two different philosophies at play in our politics: one that says, we are all in this together, let's help each other; and the other that says, I got mine, you are on your own. One is compassionate; the other is indifferent to the suffering of others.

While we cannot close our eyes to what is happening around us, it is important for each of us as individuals to refuse to hate another human being and commit to compassion, love, peace and nonviolence in the world. In becoming aware and resistant to evil, we should be wary of becoming part of the evil ourselves.