Everybody wants to be somebody; nobody wants to grow.

                                                             ––Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific.       ––Lily Tomlin

If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.                                                       ––Robert Fritz

The only truly affluent are those who do not want more than they have.           ––Erich Fromm

Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important.                ––T. S. Eliot

Do not spoil what you have by desiring which you have not; but remember that what you have now was once among the things you only hoped for.                                                                                  ––Epicurus

If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal. Not to people or things.             ––Albert Einstein

Never invoke the gods unless you really want them to appear. It annoys them very much.           ––G.K. Chesterton

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. ––Abraham Lincoln

You can’t leave footprints in the sands of time if you’re sitting on your butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?                                                                                             ––Bob Moawad

It strikes me as gruesome and comical that in our culture we have an expectation that man can always solve his problems. This is so untrue that it makes me want to cry — or laugh.

                                                                                 ––Kurt Vonnegut, Jr

Why abandon a belief merely because it ceases to be true? Cling to it long enough, and it will turn true again, for so it goes. Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.              ––Robert Frost

When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on, or we will be taught to fly.   ––Patrick Overton

Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.

                                                                                        ––Howard Aiken

Everyone has the right to believe and accept what he or she wants, but reality doesn’t discriminate. Reality is not different for different people. Not once has reality excused anyone for good intentions, ignorance or stubborness. Reality shows no mercy, accepts no excuses, and issues no pardons. Reality does not “turn the other cheek.” This does not mean that reality is cruel. It just means that reality is.                                                                     ––Gary Ryan Blair

If you can’t solve it, it’s not a problem. It’s reality.

                                                                                  ––Barbara Colorose

Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.  ––George Carlin

(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.)