Last November, I attended a conference in Tampa, Florida, entitled “Black, Brown, and College Bound,” which discussed the problems of minority males in higher education. One of the speakers was Freeman Hrabowski, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/president/index.php). He was a fantastic motivational speaker.
He recited a quote that I really liked:
"Watch your thoughts, they become words.Watch your words, they become actions.Watch your actions, they become habits.Watch your habits, they become your character.Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
A little research attributes this to someone named Frank Outlaw, a cool name, but cannot be tracked down. The “internet” also attributes the quote to “Elizabeth C” who states she started sending it around in 1999.
A bit more research, however, reveals that this….probably like all good quotes….actually is a variation on something stated by Siddhārtha Gautama, the Buddha:
“The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love Born out of concern for all beings.”
Which isn’t too different from what Jesus said: “A tree is known by its fruit. … For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil.” (Matthew 12:34)
