Nothing inspires the mind and heart like a book. Whether it is about history, philosophy, or even for pleasure, we can often learn by sitting and reading a good book. Henry David Thoreau taught that, “a truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it, and commence living on its hint. What I began reading, I must finish by acting.”

Good words inspire and uplift! They motivate us to become better than who we were when we began reading. Even as we sit to read a fairytale or a fictional novel, there are lessons we can learn that help us progress. However, while reading often gives us much needed inspiration or motivation, it can also lead us away from progression. Harmful words cause us to think dangerous thoughts, and we must be careful of them.

Be cautious as you pick up a book to read, but as you do, remember all the possibilities a good book can hold. Remember to be seeking ways to better yourself as you read. Learn from the facts, the lessons, and the stories. They can all hold immense value for you. Remember the importance of knowledge and all that can be gained from what you read. Nothing can surpass the knowledge gained from reading and the actions preformed after you’ve done so.

Yours truly,

Publius

In Cicero’s Republic, he goes over everything that went into making making the Roman republic as grand as it was. One of the many reasons came from the Roman Constitution. He states, “Our Roman Constitution, on the contrary, did not spring from the genius of an individual, but of many; and it was established, not in the lifetime of a man, but in the course of ages and centuries.” In this thought appears so many parallels to the constitution that was established in our nation. It was not created by a mere man, but by a convention of the greatest minds of their time. Nor was it made up of the ideas found in a single lifetime. James Madison made sure that our constitution was founded on the best principles scattered throughout all of history. The United States’ Constitution was a collaboration by the best from every generation, not only the founding. And, as Cicero continues, “all of the geniuses in the world united in a single mind, could never, within the limits of a single life, exert a foresight sufficiently extensive to embrace and harmonize all, without the aid of experience and practice.” The only reason that the founders were able to provide such a strong basis for our country was their experience and practice. They brought together 13 strong and independent countries into a confederacy powerful enough to overthrow a great empire not because of luck, but because of the knowledge they had been cultivating their entire lives. They had practice doing the right thing and knew what was best. If we ever want to follow in their footsteps, we must do it completely. We must gain the knowledge of the world’s true geniuses and study the experiences of the truest patriots who have come before us. Only then can we come together to reinstate the order which once was highly regarded in our country. It will not be found in the skill and wisdom of a single lifetime, but the conglomeration of every century that has passed.

Yours truly, 

Publius 

We face mistakes on a daily basis. Whether they’re big or small, they’re inevitable. We also have to face the mistakes of others and the effect that those mistakes may have on our lives. Why, then, are people who work hard to live virtuous lives still faced with difficulties? It is because sometimes we must be cut down if we want to continue to grow. Life cannot be simple and easy because we are working for something that is priceless, and something with so much worth cannot come cheap. It requires endurance through a sea of trials and challenges. The wonderful thing about these hard times is that, as John Bytheway stated, “from [them] we can grow and progress if we choose to.” And that is key. We must choose to. We can allow ourselves to be brought low and stay there, or we can look at it as simply a new point of view and then continue to move forward. Nothing in life is going to be easy, but that does not mean it will not be worth it and that we cannot have joy. You must look at every mistake as an opportunity to learn and every trial as being one step closer to your goal. Just remember the words said by Thomas Paine, “the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” I promise as you keep facing each mistake with your head up and the knowledge that you can only grow because of it, you will reach a most glorious triumph that will cause you to forget the pain it took to get there.

Yours truly,

Publius

Peter of the Old Testament spoke that those that are happy are those who “suffer for righteous sake”, but why is this? We live in a world where anything that has to do with enduring or suffering is immediately seen as something that has nothing to do with happiness and should be avoided at all costs. However, Cicero agrees with Peter’s statement when he says that those who can be seen as happy are those who learn to sacrifice and endure. The question still remains as to why this is, though the answer is simple; people are happiest when they have a purpose. This is why it seems everyone is trying to be busy in some way, because it is their attempt to be “productive”, therefore making themselves happy. But just because you are busy does not guarantee you are happy. You must be busy doing the work you are meant to be doing. Everything has a purpose, including people, and those who have the most joy are those who recognize what their purpose and worth is and recognize the purpose and worth of the people and things around them. For example, many people place the most worth in money, but those who seem to have the biggest smiles are those who value family over cash. Obtaining that joy we all so greatly desire is a matter of finding what you are meant to accomplish and speedily working to accomplish it. Instead of filling our lives with things to make us busy, we need to fill our minds with things that will, as Cicero says, keep us busy while doing nothing. There is great virtue and joy that comes from earnestly striving to find that which you are meant to do and actually being willing to undertake whatever task is placed before you. If you are at a point when you are seeking for the happiness you seem to lack, I urge you to read wise words, study them out, and do whatever is necessary for you to find and accomplish the work that is set before you.

Yours truly,

Publius