We wish to share the collection of quotes I (Alex) assembled, exemplifying the lessons taught by my grandfather, William Lowell Putnam III. His life was full, and our time together was too short. We hope that reading these words will bring to mind your own experiences with someone you loved who was a great influence on your life.
A Bear’s Life
**Opinion**
“The middle of the road is where the white line is – and that’s the worst place to drive.”
—Robert Frost
**Integrity**
“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love, and loyalty.”
—Zig Ziglar
**Grow**
“We do not grow absolutely…We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.”
— Anaïs Nin
**Yourself**
“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”
— May Sarton
**Loyalty**
“Be loyal to what you love, be true to the earth, fight your enemies with passion and laughter.”
— Edward Abbey, *Confessions of a Barbarian*
**Desire**
“If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.”
— L. Frank Baum, *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz*
**Love**
“There is no remedy for love but to love more.”
—Henry David Thoreau
**Create**
“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”
—Walt Disney
**Nurture**
“My hope is that we continue to nurture the places that we love, but that we also look outside our immediate worlds.”
—Annie Leibovitz
**Humor**
“Go to heaven for the climate and hell for the company.”
— Mark Twain
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.”
— Jim Henson
“Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car.”
— Garrison Keillor
“The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.”
— Albert Einstein
**Fear**
“… If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
—Dale Carnegie
**Foundations**
“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.”
—David Brinkley
**Challenges**
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
**Curious**
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
—Walt Disney
**Commitment**
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
—Vince Lombardi
**Confidence**
“To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.”
—Mark Twain
“When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”
—Joe Namath
**Being Yourself**
“Living creatively is really important to maintain throughout your life…It means being yourself, not just complying with the wishes of other people.”
—Matt Groening
**Simplicity**
“In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
**Independence**
“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”
—Denis Waitley
**Character**
“…Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
—Helen Keller
**Grit**
“Heroes are never perfect, but they’re brave, they’re authentic, they’re courageous, determined, discreet, and they’ve got grit.”
—Wade Davis
**Wilderness**
“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”
—John Muir
**Explore**
“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”
— Lewis Carroll, *Alice in Wonderland*
**Life**
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
— Mae West
**Dreams**
“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.”
— Edward Abbey
**Everyday**
“Start every day at the beginning, and squeeze the moments chiseling, refining, tweaking. Eventually, it will be what you are looking for.”
—William Lowell Putnam III aka Oso
About the Author
