Bill Cosby's Quotes

"Old is always fifteen years from now."

"People can be more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what's bitter and move on."

"Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it."

"Every closed eye is not sleeping, and every open eye is not seeing."

"Gray hair is God's graffiti."

"I am certainly not an authority on love because there are no authorities on love, just those who've had luck with it and those who haven't."

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."

"There is hope for the future because God has a sense of humor and we are funny to God."

"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it."

"When you become senile, you won't know it."

"Women don't want to hear what you think. Women want to hear what they think - in a deeper voice."

George Sand Defines Happiness

"The consciousness of self as animal, vegetable and mineral, and the delight we feel in plunging down into that consciousness, is by no means degrading. It is good to know the fundamental life at our roots, while we reach out toward that higher life which is completely attained only in flashes of insight and in dreams.

"In striving for truth and happiness we should not allow ourselves to regard these two goals of human effort as illusions. When we struggle for truth we find a part of it. When we dream of happiness it is already ours.

"The satisfaction of a personal passion is pleasure or intoxication. It is not happiness.

"Happiness, to deserve the name, must be enduring and indestructible. Those who try to find happiness in excitement attempt the impossible. The highest form of excitement is exaltation, a state so exceptional that if persisted in, it would end in killing us. A nervous system completely abandoned to transports of emotion would burst asunder.

"Spring means fever. Autumn means repose. Late autumn leads slowly to mistiness and sleep. Maturity loves quiet and accepts it as an expression of happiness. In youth, happiness is still unrealized and unsought. Youth prefers joy, exhilaration, the sense of power.

"When we are young it is enough to feel alive. which is always possible under normal conditions; it is enough to live fully, take risks, know the price of experience and accept the consequences. To live thus is to believe in life.

"Maturity finds happiness in a state of grace, that is, the consciousness of good behind one, before one, and within one. The capacity for such happiness shows complete absence of mean motives. In the state of grace one cannot bear to give pain or do injury. One need not be a saint or a great man, not even pose as virtuous in order to attain this state of being. It is within reach of everyone.

"I deny that there is any happiness in wealth.

"But I have been dwelling on individual happiness. I submit that it is incomplete. Complete happiness requires the general happiness of society. Without this vicarious quality it is so fragmentary, so personal, that it scarcely exists and cannot be accurately defined.

"The happiness of others is absolutely necessary to our own. Opinions to the contrary must be boldly fought. On the other hand, there is a certain type of socialist who exaggerates this aspect of the question.

"The error of socialism, thus understood, is that it overlooks the importance of the individual. It hopes to impose the happiness of all on each. It is true that justice and liberty will make room for more individual satisfactions. But we cannot hand out happiness to others. The individual must win his own. Violence destroys happiness, whereas time and education will develop men and women until they find their own happiness in harmony with social well-being."

- The Intimate Journal of George Sand: Sketches and Hints.

From The Intimate Journal of George Sand

Year: 1836
"When mental sickness increases until it reaches the danger point, do not exhaust yourself by efforts to trace back to original causes. Better accept them as inevitable and save your strength to fight against the effects.

"Try to find the immediate daily causes of these crises, Observe what you are doing or thinking to bring them on. In that way you may prevent them, or at least diminish their force.

"When your mental state is normal, try to realize that the delirium is bound to recur. Then when you are delirious, strengthen yourself by the certainty that you will recover your mental poise.

"Do not allow yourself to be the dupe of your sick state of mind.

"Take care of your bodily health. Eat little at a time and eat often. If your body is accustomed to tonics, take them faithfully. If you are not used to them, do not acquire the habit.

"Do not allow yourself to cry. Tears are debilitating. They are followed by exhaustion and other extreme reactions. The only tears that should not be restrained are those of tenderness and compassion.

"Above all, above everything, never give way to feelings of anger and vengeance. They are wasteful expenditures of strength."

"Human nature is fundamentally good. Yet in spite of our natural goodness, there are times of stress when we are possessed by rage, and we imagine that by yielding to pent-up emotion, we relieve the intensity of our suffering."

"The truth is that anger creates anger, just as tears produce more tears. Good and evil cannot be eradicated from our natures. But we can, if we will, repress the evil and express the good.

"When vengeance has been overcome by mercy, the softened mood that follows brings a tranquil happiness that is the recompense of victory. It comes from God. Let us accept it and have no fear that we may feel it to excess.

"Alas, how seldom we give ourselves the pleasure of rejoicing in ourselves.

"Without counting too much upon our strength, we must be confident that strength is in us.

"Pray often and humbly, with hope but no certainty that prayer will be answered. For prayer that is merely a demand is no more praiseworthy than the impulse to drink when we are thirsty.

"Who has not desired intensely to be delivered from suffering? Who has not cried out in agony: Lord, Lord, hear my prayer! Is mere distress reason enough to be heard? If answer to prayer were automatic, we would never allow ourselves to suffer. There would be no reason for doubt and no merit in faith.

"God is not a force outside of us. Nor is He a shining luminary lifted above the skies. Nor is He, in any special sense, the consecrated bread in the chalice of gold.

"God is the sun and the skies and the gold of the chalice. He is the bread. He is all the elements of earth. He is the heart of man. He is in us and outside of us. We are in him and never outside of Him. He is universal spirit. He reveals Himself in man, whom He animates with His breath and whom He sometimes enfolds in His love.

"Seek God in man, for as we seek Him there, the more transparent the veil of flesh becomes and the more perfectly we learn to find Him there.

"But we seek Him so seldom and so stupidly that we lose all consciousness of God and of ourselves.

"If we hold ourselves receptive to the life of spirit, we shall sometimes feel in the depths of our being that mysterious closeness of self and not-self which attests the presence of God in man.

"Forgive, forgive the one who has injured you, for the time may come when you will do your own soul an even greater injury, and you may not be able to forgive yourself.

"Do not despise weakness in a fellow-being, for you who are strong to-day may awake to-morrow to find yourself weaker than your friend.

"Our heaped-up wisdom is not a permanent dwelling place in which we may safely go to sleep. It is a temporary abode in which it behooves us to keep awake, for every day that passes sees at least one stone fall away from the walls we have builded, and at the slightest wind the entire edifice may crumble to the ground.

"We do not know what awaits u. Let us learn, then, to dominate the present, or we shall not be able to endure what the future will bring."

George Sand (1804-1876) was an amazing author, personality, and all-around woman. She earned as much notoriety for her Bohemian lifestyle as for her written work. Born Aurore Dupin, she was the most famous woman writer in 19th-century France. A prolific and iconoclastic author of novels, stories, plays, essays, and memoirs, she represented the epitome of French romantic idealism. She demanded for women the freedom in living that was a matter of course to the men of her day. George's first independent novel, Indiana, the story of an unhappy wife who struggles to free herself from the imprisonment of marriage (explicitly called a form of slavery), made her an overnight celebrity. Subsequent novels, such as Valentine and Lélia, astounded readers with their frank exploration of women's sexual feelings and their passionate call for women's freedom to find emotional satisfaction. In the eyes of many critics, George's masterpiece is her autobiography. Though she was a brilliant writer, she was perhaps most famous for her personality and lifestyle.

Quotes by George Sand:

• "Liszt said to me today that God alone deserves to be loved. It may be true, but when one has loved a man it is very different to love God."

• "One is happy as a result of one's own efforts, once one knows the necessary ingredients of happiness — simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self denial to a point, love of work, and, above all, a clear conscience. Happiness is no vague dream, of that I now feel certain."

Discourses of Rumi: Signs of the Unseen

"All this I said to the Parvana. I told him, "You, who have become the head of Islamdom, have said, 'I sacrifice myself and my intellect and all my power of deliberation and judgment for the continued existence and spread of Islam.' But since you have relied upon yourself and not looked to God to realize that everything is from Him, God has caused that very endeavor of yours to be the cause for the diminution of Islam.... The very thing that was to be a cause for the expansion of Islam has become the cause for its diminishment. Therefore, in this state, which is a fearful one, turn to God. Give alms that He may deliver you from this evil condition, which is fear. Do not despair of Him, even if He has cast you down from a state of obedience into disobedience. Because you thought your obedience was in and of yourself, you have fallen into disobedience. Even now in this disobedience, despair not but turn humbly to God, for He is almighty. If He turned that obedience into disobedience, He can turn this disobedience into obedience and give you repentance. He can provide you the means to strive anew on behalf of the propagation of Islam and to be the strength for Islam. Despair not, for none despaireth of God's mercy, except the unbelieving people [12:87]."

"My purpose was to make him understand, give alms and humble himself before God, for from a most exalted position he had come to a low state, even in which he should be hopeful."

"God works in mysterious ways. Things may look good outwardly, but there may be evil contained inside. Let no one be deluded by pride that he himself has conceived good ideas or done good deeds. If everything were as it seemed, the Prophet would not have cried out with such illuminated and illuminating perspicacity, "Show me things as they are! You make things appear beautiful when in reality they are ugly; You make things appear ugly when in reality they are beautiful. Show us therefore each thing as it is lest we fall into a snare and be ever errant." Now your judgment, however good and clear it may be, is not better than his, and he spoke as he did. Don't rely on your every thought and opinion, but humble yourself before God and fear Him."

"Such was my purpose in speaking to the Parvana. However, he applied this verse and this interpretation to his own strategy, saying, "At this time, when we are moving our troops, we must not rely on them. Even defeated, we must not despair of Him in time of fear and hopelessness." He applied my words to his own design, whereas my purpose was as I have said."

- Signs of the Unseen: Discourses of Jalaluddin Rumi.

And The Wind Swirls Around Me Again...

All around the world, there are cyclones, tornados and hurricanes blowing their wrathful puffs, leaving a trail of devastation and destruction along the way. Unfortunately for me, although I may not be a continent or a nation, I am not excluded in the tempestuous winds eddying around me.

This is not my first experience. The wind blows the same. But what it brings with it this time is somewhat different than before. I have had my life turned upside down to the point where everything I believed to be right and true was challenged and re-established. This time around, the dust in the wind carries poison needles that tries to penetrate the faith of my soul and the strength of my spirit.

The rage may still be equally horrendous for those around me. Yet, I feel it differently. Its more like a whisper, strengthening my belief that faith is the strongest slayer of everything evil and devious. I am not swayed by the eddying wind around me. I stand strong and grounded. I am not easily shaken anymore. Allah has whispered in my ear. He is around me, in me, in everything. I can't lose this time. I can only win. I have Him on my side. And I am on His side.

The wind has failed to blow out my beacon of light that shines a path of victory for me to see. I venture on with confidence and integrity, with pride and humility, with faith and strength. Even if I were to perish, I still win. The greatest blessing is to live by His name. The greatest honor is to die for His sake. He did not ask this of me. I willingly volunteer. My life, my prayers, my death is all for Him. And I refuse to be one of the infidels.

Next...!

When I look back at my life so far, I can fairly say that I've almost done everything by the book. Got married at 25, had two beautiful and intelligent daughters (Okay... I'm biased!), stayed at home and became a full time mom while my girls were growing up, went back to school to study Psychology Counseling and now I've completed my Masters.

Professionally, I started off as a lounge singer, became a recording artist and was in the entertainment industry for a good 15 years; during which I also practiced counseling, helping youths in need and eventually graduating to becoming a counseling psychologist in private practice. I am contented with my career path and thoroughly enjoy giving counseling to local and expatriate clients alike.

After all the many years of struggling and juggling and eventually completing everything I've set my mind on, I've reached another cross road. To sing again or not.

Thanks to my dear brother and his wonderful talent for composing songs, I've recorded my first single after more than 20 years has passed since the last time I stepped into a recording studio. And after hours of labour, the outcome was surprisingly pleasant sounding in my ears. This came as a big relief for me after many years of wondering if I truly possess the talent I have or I was merely the daughter of a famous maestro. This has nothing to do with the need for fame but more of my sense of identity. Who am I? What do I have? What am I capable of doing?

The late Sudirman Hj Arshad was a qualified lawyer who turned in his barrister's robe for the microphone and a successful career as an entertainer. I remember his advice to me as a young singer when I was just starting out as a recording artist. He said,"If you have decided that this is what you want to do, you need to set goals for yourself and work at achieving the best you can do." I think I have done that as far as my personal life is concerned. But as for my career as an entertainer, I've realized now that I sang for the love of it and didn't really set out to be the greatest star in the Malaysian entertainment world as I'm sure he did.

The difference between Sudirman and me are just too many to count. But one that really stands out in my mind is his decision to choose which career to pursue: Law or Entertainment. His choice was made and the rest is history. However, in my case, I am greedy, I guess. Because I wanna do it all. Why do I have to choose? Why can't I do everything that I enjoy and love? What is holding me back?

People are very fond of using labels. Not just on others but also onto themselves. They define themselves by what they do and what roles they play. They label others the same way. That's all fine and good. But why must there be only one label per person? Why can't one person have more than one role, more than one career?

God has created mankind with many talents. Some talents are inborn while others are learned or acquired. Either way, talent is nothing if we don't use it. Its as good us not having any. The proof of knowledge is by practicing it. The proof of talent is by using it.

So, what am I going to do with myself next? Do I have to choose just so that others can easily label me according to my choice of career or roles? What if I refuse to allow any labels to be attached to me?

Being an Aquarian Dragon that I am, I have a humanitarian streak within me. I have this strong urge to help others in need, to reach out and touch others, to spread the word of hope and love, to inspire. Therefore, I have decided to live my life to the fullest. Since God has given me a voice, I shall sing to bring His love into the hearts of those who have forgotten Him. God has given me the gift of understanding people. So I am going to continue counseling until the day I die. I believe these two paths are heading the same way... just different in its rendition. One is through music and the other is through therapy.

So, I predict people are going to call me The Singing Counselor? Hahahahahaaa.... We'll just have to wait and see. As someone close to my heart once said, "One step at a time, my dear..."

In a Blink of Eye, I Turned 44! Yikes!!

On last January 29th, I turned 44 years old. I was uncertain as to how I would survive the day without breaking down. So I decided to take it one step at a time.

First: As the clock chimed at midnight, my husband and daughters embraced me with their love, kisses and wishes. I'm still alright. No tears. Text messages and phone calls began streaming in from early morning; all laden with greetings and wishes.

Second: I went to work as usual. Part of me was grateful for the distraction. I was determined to do my best counseling on my 44th year on earth. I had two clients. Thoroughly enjoyed my sessions with my clients.

Third: I told my sweet husband that I wanted to go to Ikea to buy a new pedal bin for our bathroom. I was also secretly planning to purchase a piece of crockery item or two for our kitchen. But it began to rain heavily and it was almost 6 pm in the evening and hubby went on to order some pizza for our girls at home because they were hungry.

Fourth: As we reached to condo's car parking lot, I could almost see the dinosaurs and elephants coming down in teems from the sky! Hubby struggled to open the umbrella we always have in our car. We squealed and laughed as we ran through the rain, with the brolly barely keeping us dry from the rain.

Fifth: A sense of relief came over me as I walked through the door. My girls, as usual, asked how my counseling sessions went earlier. I had just began to share some of my thoughts on it, I heard a booming sound around me. "Surprise!!" I was gobsmacked!! I flailed my arms in shock with my mouth open, letting out a startled shriek. My mom, brothers and their families began streaming out of their hiding places!! And the only thought I had in mind was, "WOW!! This is my first surprise birthday party!! Yippee!!"

Sixth: We ate dinner together and it was lovely. I felt so loved and precious. The presence of my soul sister was an added bonus.

Seventh: After everyone had left, my family and I slowly began to clean up and settle down to the nightly rituals of going online, facebooking, blogging and chatting.

Eighth: With my girls already in bed, I sat quietly next to my husband and began to share my journey throughout my 44th birth day. I didn't shed a drop of tear today. I still miss Mad but I am no longer mourning his passing. I have managed to overcome my grief and guilt. Hubby expressed his relief that I am okay and that I am no longer grieving.

I am still reading "Overcoming Grief" almost every night and reaping many benefits from it. I feel truly blessed to have found that book. I am moving on. The sadness has been replaced only with sweet memories of my friendship with my soul brother, Mad. I survived the day without expecting a call from him. I'm okay now. But I will still take things one day at a time.