“The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.” – James Buchanan
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First Principles: The Test of Leadership Is Not To Put Greatness Into Humanity, But To Elicit It, For the Greatness Is Already There
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Tagged Elicit, First Principles, Greatness, Humanity, James Buchanan, Leadership, Test
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Thought For the Day: No Philosophers So Thoroughly Comprehend Us As Dogs and Horses
“No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses.” – Herman Melville
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Tagged Comprehend, Dogs, Herman Melville, Horses, Philosophers, Thought For the Day, Us
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In Veneration
In Veneration
by Michael Doyle
With every breath's exhalation,
I speak of you with inspiration.
My fingers crawl across the pages.
At every turn, you're the rock of ages.
The Lord God withstood sacrifice.
I can only hope that what I do will suffice.
In all the doing, done, and understood,
I live my life for the good.
You are the savior in this fight,
Keeper of faith and bringer of light.
Holy then is your sacred name,
Jesus - the lifter of my heavy shame.
At the cornerstone is your faith and inspiration.
I walk my steps in life seeking after aspiration.
With the passing of my wounded generation,
I hope my life's love leaves some veneration.
As it reaches across and connects
To the generation that will come next,
As a child of God, I bear His holy name,
And hope my children will be the same.
(c)July 31, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Breath, Bringer of Light, Child of God, Connection, Cornerstone, Done, Exhalation, Faith, Fight, Fingers, Generation, Good, Holy, Inspiration, Jesus, Keeper of Faith, Life, Lord God, Love, Pages, Poetry and Poems, Rock of Ages, Sacred Name, Sacrifice, Savior, Shame, Speak, Suffice, Turn, Undestood, Veneration, Wounded Generation
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First Principles: While Men Inhabiting Different Parts of This Vast Continent Cannot Be Expected To Hold the Same Opinions, They Can Unite In A Common Objective and Sustain Common Principles
“While men inhabiting different parts of this vast continent cannot be expected to hold the same opinions, they can unite in a common objective and sustain common principles.” – Franklin Pierce
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Tagged Common Objective, Common Principles, Continent, Expectation, First Principles, Franklin Pierce, Mankind, Opinion, Sustain, United
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Thought For the Day: The Earth Is the Lord’s, and Everything In It, and All Who Live In It
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” – Psalm 24:1
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Tagged All, Earth, Everything, Psalm 24:1, The Lord, The World, Thought For the Day
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On Alien Worlds
On Alien Worlds
by Michael Doyle
On alien worlds,
There are contagions in the light.
It's played by a different set of rules
That must be kept pitch black as night.
There is life there
Swimming in the light.
It's a difference that we fear
Though we have no real right.
Evil transfers itself
Like any virus or common cold.
It's not existence but absence
Of any trace of God's presence.
It becomes something more than compelling,
As our desires become self-fulfilling.
There is no stopping until it takes control,
And we who would master this have lost our souls.
This then is a very human story,
The one that defines our moment of glory.
It's not about falling down, but rising up,
That gains us access to the victor's cup.
It's the same with prejudice and its ways.
It spread from vessel to vessel in ancient days.
It's a sad story without any thread of dignity,
However, it has continued to play out in human history.
The only cure is that those who live by harshness,
Filling their souls and our souls with darkness,
Can also bring about peace and love by imagination.
By doing so, this is the first cause of illumination.
(c) July 30, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Absence, Alien World, Common Cold, Compel, Contagion, Control, Desire, Difference, Evil, Existences, Fear, God's Presence, Life, Light, Night, Poetry and Poems, Rules, Soul, Virus
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First Principles: An Honorable Defeat Is Better Than A Dishonorable Victory
“An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory.” – Millard Fillmore
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Tagged Defeat, Dishonorable, First Pinrciples, Honor, Millard Fillmore, Victory
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Thought For the Day: Nature Does Not Hurry, Yet Everything Is Accomplished
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu
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Tagged Accomplishment, Everything, Hurry, Lao Tzu, Nature, Thought For the Day
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From Darkness, Light
From Darkness, Light
by Michael Doyle
Whatever the problems in life that vex and annoy,
The sun shines so that the wide world can enjoy.
It seems whatever good can be said of the night,
Humanity needs its time to soak in the daylight.
Sunshine is nature's hug that speaks to us all of love,
It is a dream within a dream that beams down from above.
Sunlight paints from both sides to remove the shadows.
While moonlight sculpts textures, sensuality knows.
Mixed metaphors are often indulgences of our anxiety,
Born as much from our simplicity as from our complexity.
The disease spreads through the contact that makes up our embrace,
It is both the boon and the bane of our fragile human race.
Skipping to the presumed end, we trace the glory,
And in doing so, we unravel the shreds of the story.
To become deconstructed to the base of who we are,
We find our past and our future is found ins the stars.
Patches of sunlight dance with the spirit of the wood,
Knowing a drunkenness that fills our hearts with good.
These are the experiences of what feels like God's light,
And brings our souls to become one with what is right.
This is what we have known from the ancient days of lore.
That from darkness there came the light of something more.
From this sensation that we aren't able to fully measure,
Comes the feeling that moves us, as if mankind's best treasure.
There's a touch of life shining from your beautiful eyes,
It sings of something warm and wonderful in your sighs.
It might be that my blue heaven is found to be unreachable,
Yet this sermon of faith and hope remains somehow teachable.
(c) July 29, 2025 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Darkness, Good, Light, Nature's Hug, Poetry and Poems, Problems, Sunshine
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Thought For the Day: To Acquire Knowledge, One Must Study; But To Acquire Wisdom, One Must Observe
“To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.” – Marilyn vos Savant
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Tagged Acquire, Knowledge, Marilyn vos Savant, Observe, Study, Thought For the Day, Wisdom
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ALOHA PROMISES FOREVER 