Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor.

––H.J. Brown

The person who is waiting for something to turn up might start with his shirt sleeves.

––Garth Henrichs

Too many people are thinking of security; they seem more afraid of life than of death.

––James F. Byrnes

The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.

 ––Sir Winston Churchill

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. / Old Time is still a-flying: / And this same flower that smiles today / Tomorrow will be dying.

––Robert Herrick

Opportunity always looks bigger going than coming.

––anonymous

Opportunity is missed by most people because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work.

––Thomas A. Edison

Let your hook always be cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.

––Ovid

Oh, my friend, it’s not what they take away from you that counts. It’s what you do with what you have left.

 ––Hubert H. Humphrey

To everyone is given the key to heaven; the same key opens the gates of hell.

––proverb

A man stands for long time with his mouth open before a roast duck flies in.

 ––Chinese saying

Act and you shall have dinner. Think and you shall be dinner.

––Klingon proverb

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

 ––Mark Twain

Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.

––William Butler Yeats

To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.

––Benjamin Franklin

(Each week this column features quotations gleaned from the readings and experiences of our editors, reporters, readers, and friends. All are invited to submit quotations for inclusion here. They may be sent to Gleanings, c/o The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470 or emailed to editor@thebee.com.)