The Power of Words.

On this Easter Sunday I started the day thinking about words. In a week where words have been used to both injure and to heal, I reflected on just how powerful words are in shaping our views of the world and our place in it.

Sometimes we give more weight to words from a person who we idolize or worship and less to a person who we perceive as a villain or somehow evil.

But some words, or phrases, are so powerful that they stand on their own. It does not make any difference who spoke them, whether they be a person worthy of praise or derision. The words themselves have a certain truth which all intelligent people cannot help but recognize.

Below are some examples of powerful, inspirational words. I have purposefully not provided you with the source of these quotes in order to allow you to see them free of prejudice or preconception.

A) “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

B) "I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures."

C) "All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him."

D) "Hate the sin, love the sinner."

E) "If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress."

F) "Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."

G) "It is absolutely impossible to transcend the laws of nature. What can change in historically different circumstances is only the form in which these laws expose themselves."

And here is the list of the individuals that spoke the words listed above. Can you connect the speaker to the words?

1) Abraham Lincoln
2) Mahatma Gandhi
3) Karl Marx
4) Jesus Christ
5) Barack Obama
6) Buddha
7) Lao Tzu

I will put the answers in the comments section for those who want to check their accuracy.