We're in the Fall season now and our thoughts naturally turn to the fruits of the fields. Just so in our business lives. I'm providing you with some juicy quotations about 'gratitude' and 'self-restraint' so that you can reflect back upon your year and give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back for your efforts.

At the very least, if you pick one of the following quotes to ponder over the coming few days it will send you into your Thanksgiving celebration with a new attitude, perhaps one of kindness, acceptance, and yes, appreciation. Let go of any mishaps of the past. This is a brand new celebration.

Gratitude

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. Albert Schweitzer

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. Buddha

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. Cicero

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. William James

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. Henry Ward Beecher

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more. Brother David Steindl-Rast

Self-Restraint

I have always repented speaking, but never of holding my tongue. Xenocrates Self-control is the chief element in self-respect and the chief element in courage. Thucydides

Remember, there is always a limit to self indulgence, but none to self- restraint. Mahatma Gandhi Some people are molded by their admiration, others by their hostilities. Elizabeth Bowen

There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself. Louis XIV

The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants them to do, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it. Theodore Roosevelt

I wish you a safe and enjoyable celebration of the rewards you've earned through the 'planting and plowing' you've done all year. Be thankful for your 'harvest' - the results of a year of great work. It's my warmest hope that your own sense of gratitude and of self-restraint have a fuller sense within you also. Enjoy your discoveries!