Craig T. Owens

I really enjoyed reading The Book Of Man by William J. Bennett (you can read my book review here). The topics were very broad, so I’ll be sharing some of my favorite quotes on the different sections in this book over the next few days.

Here are three quotes about leisure and sports activities…

“Let your recreations be manful, not sinful.” —George Washington, in his “Rules for Civility”

“Leisure only means a chance to do other jobs that demand attention.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

“Finally, if you make any of the teams, never quit. That is all the secret of success. Never quit! Quitting, I like to believe, has not been a striking characteristic of our family, and it is not tolerated in our college. If you can’t win the scholarship, fight it out to the end of the examination. If you can’t win your race, at least finish—somewhere. If your boat can’t win, at least keep pulling on your oar, even if your eye glazes and the taste of blood comes into your throat with every heave. If you cannot make your five yards in football, keep bucking the line—never let up,—if you can’t see, or hear, keep plugging ahead! Never quit! If you forget all else I have said, remember these two words, through all your life, and come success or failure, I shall proudly think of you as my own dear son.” —John D. Swain