“It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.”
—Winston Churchill
“The greater the obstacle the greater the glory in overcoming it.”
—Molière
“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you fo out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”
—Barack Obama
“You must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.”
—Richard Feynman
“The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us.”
—E.O. Wilson
“Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.”
—Edward Abbey
“Urge him with truth to frame his fair replies; And sure he will; for wisdom never lies.”
—Homer, The Odyssey
WORDS MATTER WEEK
“By words we learn thoughts, and by thoughts we learn life.”
—Jean Baptiste Girard
“A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.”
—Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.”
—Jane Goodall
“It can’t be done for you; it must be done by you.”
—Frank Sonnenberg
CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH WEEK
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky.
Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
—Thich Nhat Hanh
“Indecision is a decision.”
—Unknown
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”
—Walt Whitman
“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.”
—William Wordsworth
“We are using resources as if we had two planets, not one. There can be no ‘plan B’ because there is no ‘planet B’.'”
—Ban Ki-moon
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”
—Boyd K. Packer
“Now is the magic word of success. Tomorrow, next week, later, sometime, and someday are not. They are all synonyms for the same failure word, never.”
—David Schwartz
“As it is not one swallow or a fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy.”
—Aristotle
“The greates thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, the whole word would be vegetarian.”
—Linda McCartney
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
—Will Durant
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”
—William Arthur Ward
“Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book.”
—Jane Smiley
“By the time I realized my parents were right, I had kids that didn’t believe me.”
–Hussein Nishah
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
—Dr. Seuss
“The difference between dreams and goals: Dreams are free, there is nothing tangible there, but they don’t cost you anything. Goals come at a price, and a sacrifice; but the reward is tangible.”
—Unknown
“Humanity’s true moral test, its fundamental test … consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals.”
—Milan Kundera
“What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it feels about education.”
—Harold Howe
“Making a difference to the welfare of animals doesn’t require a massive effort; it requires small actions that can make a significant impact.”
—Paul Oxton
“We should indeed keep calm in the face of difference, and live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder at the diversity of humanity.”
—George Takei
FARM ANIMAL AWARENESS WEEK
“The managed grazing of pastured animals is as good for land as factory farming is bad for it.”
—Tamar Adler
“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.”
—Herman Melville
“After a visit to the beach, it’s hard to believe that we live in a material world.”
—Pam Shaw
“To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”
—Dr. Seuss
“The purpose of life in not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The purpose – where I start – is the idea of use. It is not recycling, it’s reuse.”
—Issey Miyake
“You’be got to be in it to win it.”
—Insightful Idiom
“Don’t wait for your ship to come in; swim out to meet it.”
—Dr. Gary Wood
CORAL REEF AWARENESS WEEK
“Coral reefs, the rain forest of the ocean, are home for one-third of the species of the sea. Coral reefs are under stress for several reasons, including warming of the ocean, but especially because of ocean acidification, a direct effect of added carbon dioxide.”
—James Hansen
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist see the opportunity in every difficulty.”
—Unknown
“If you think the ocean isn’t important, imagine Earth without it. Mars comes to mind.”
—Dr. Sylvia Earle
“Wildlife management? Wildlife only needs managing because we can’t manage ourselves properly in relation to our environment.”
—Michael Corthell
“The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you.”
—Dan Rather
“Good veterinarians talk to animals. Great veterinarians hear them talk back.”
—Unknown
“Continous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”
—Winston Churchill
NATIONAL OCEAN WEEK
“Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.”
—Sarah Kay
When parents say, “Because I said so.” You know you’ve made a good argument.
—Unknown
“No water, no life. No blue, no green.”
—Dr. Sylvia Earle
“The fate of animals is of far greater importance to me than the fear of appearing ridiculous.”
—Emile Zola
What is the point of a bedtime book?
“[T]o wake the child up, to start him thinking, to stimulate him, to provoke him, and sometimes to torment him.”
—Harlin Quis
“There would be very little point in my exhausting myself and other conservationists themselves in trying to protect animals and habitats if we weren’t at the same time raising young people to be better stewards.”
—Jane Goodall
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
—Mahatma Gandhi
“The companionship of an animal can be the bridge to the natural world and to our own nature.”
—Richard Louv
“In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with floaties and teach us to swim.”
—Linton Weeks
GOLDEN RULE WEEK
“Nothing in the Golden Rule says that others will treat us as we have treated them. It only says that we must treat others in a way that we would want to be treated.”
—Rosa Parks
“Actually, I’m an overnight success. But it took twenty years.”
—Monty Hall
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
—Benjamin Franklin
“Whether we change our lives or do nothing, we have responded. To do nothing is to do something.”
—Jonathan Safran Foer
FOOD WASTE ACTION WEEK
“Imagine walking out of a grocery store with four bags of groceries, dropping one in the parking lot, and just not bothering to pick it up. That’s essentially what we’re doing.”
—Dana Gunders
“The mark of a true leader is their ability to turn setbacks into comebacks.”
—Unknown
“The greatest danger to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
—Robert Swan
“Whether we change our lives or do nothing, we have responded. To do nothing is to do something.”
—Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals
“Never apologize for being oversensitive and emotional when defending the welfare of wildlife, let this be a sign that you have a big heart and aren’t afraid to show your true feelings. These emotions give you the strength to fight for what is right and to be the voice for those that cannot be heard.”
—Paul Oxton
“If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.”
—Zig Ziglar
HUNT FOR HAPINESS WEEK
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
—Helen Keller
“Humans remain entirely atmosphere dependent, so there is no choice but to respond to extreme climatic behaviour and its many effects.”
—Peter Garrett
“The conservation movement is especially prone to burnout. High hopes and enery soon dissipate without quick success. Wold I too have succumbed had I known at the outset it was a ten year journey? I have learnt that persistence and passion are key hallmarks of success.”
—Dr. Aila Keto
“The fact that jellyfish have survived 650 million years without brains gives humanity hope.”
—Unknown
“Tick tock goes the clock. No time like the present.”
—John Horgan
“If you chase two rabbits, they will both escape.”
—Unknown
HUMAN RIGHTS WEEK
“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you!”
—Dr. Seuss
“Save a life, shoot a camera.”
—Kirk Wolcott
“People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”
—Zig Ziglar
“A stepparent is so much more than just a parent, they made the choice to love you when they didn’t have to.”
—Unknown
HUMAN-ANIMAL RELATIONSHIP AWARENESS WEEK
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
—Mahatma Gandhi
NATIONAL ANIMAL SHELTER AND RESCUE APPRECIATION WEEK
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
—Anatole France
“The most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his personal dignity.”
—Jackie Robinson
RECYCLE WEEK
“Going green doesn’t start with green acts – it starts with a shift in consciousness. This shift allows you to recognize that with every choice you make, you are voting either for or against the kind of world you wish to see.”
—Ian Somerhalder
“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.”
—A.A. Milne
MENTAL ILLNESS AWARENESS WEEK
“The thing about a spiral is, if you follow it inward, it never actually ends. It just keeps tightening, infinitely.”
—John Green
NATIONAL WALK YOUR DOG WEEK
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”
—Groucho Marx
“No spring, nor summer hath such grace. As I have seen in one autumnal face.”
—John Donne
ADOPT A LESS ADOPTABLE PET WEEK
“People who hate cats will come back as mice in their next life.”
—Unknown
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
—George Bernard Shaw
“We cannot waste time. We can only waste ourselves.”
—George Matthews Adams
“In the end, what makes a book valuable is not the paper it’s printed on, but the thousands of hours of work by dozens of people who are dedicated to creating the best possible reading experience for you.”
—John Green
“Be nice to the environment. Be nice to animals. Be nice to people. If you do that, you will leave a mark on the world.”
—Enock Maregesi
“Veterinarians are the only doctors allowed to prescribe medicine to more than one species of patient.”
— Unknown
“Life is like a bicycle, in order to keep your balance you have to keep moving.”
— Unknown
“You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to make today worth remembering.”
—Meredith Wilson
“Do the best you can until you know better. When you know better, do better.
—Maya Angelou
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
—Dr. Seuss
NATIONAL FARRIERS WEEK
“As we hammer to shod the mule’s hooves With a succinct kick, the equine reproves.”
—R.N. Prasher
NATIONAL CLEAN BEACHES WEEK
“Not all heroes wear capes, some wear gloves and carry a trash bag to clean the ocean.”
—Unknown
“Helping is not, as conventionally thought, a charitable act that is praisworthy to do but not wrong to omit. It is something that everyone ought to do.”
—Peter Singer
LEARNING DISABILITIES WEEK
“My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least you’re moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again.”
—Richard Branson
“If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”
—Zig Zigler
“Listen to your conscience or it will stop talking to you.”
—Unknown
“A book store is a treasure chest. Every time you walk into one, you strike gold.”
—Regina Brett
NATIONAL VEGETARIAN WEEK (UK)
“May our daily choices be a reflection of our deepest values, and may we use our voices to speak for those who need us most, those who have no voice, those who have no choice.”
—Collen Patrick-Goudreau
“Always give back; whether it’s your family, strangers, the environment, or to animals. Generosity is abundant.”
—Robin S. Baker
NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
“Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.”
—Andy Rooney
CANADIAN CHILDREN’S BOOK WEEK
“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”
—C.S. Lewis
WORLD LABRATORY ANIMAL LIBERATION WEEK
“Covering our ears and closing our eyes to animal cruelty, and pretend [sic] it is not happening, is exactly what allows it to continue.”
—Angie Karan
CANADA BOOK WEEK
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accesible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
—Charles W. Eliot
NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK
“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”
—Albert Einstein
NATIONAL WILDLIFE WEEK
“The wild things of this earth are not ours to do with as we please. They have been given to us in trust, and we must account for them to the generations which will come after us and audit our accounts.”
—William T. Hornaday
“Veterinarians are not just animal doctors, they are animal advocates.”
—Unknown
“Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much larger and better in every way.”
—John Muir
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”
—Rachel Carson
“I have gathered a posy of other men’s flowers and nothing but the thread that binds them is mine own.”
—John Bartlett