Quotes of the Week - 2007-12-20

Quotes of the Week:

This weeks quotes mostly come from one book:

Fit for Eternal Life: A Christian Approach to Working Out, Eating Right, and Building the Virtues of Fitness in Your Soul by Kevin Vost
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”— I Corinthians 6:19

“You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”— Matthew 5:48
“The Church, without any doubt whatever, approves of physical culture, if it be in proper proportion.”— Pope Pius XII
"What exactly did Pope Pius XII (a most athletic pontiff who had a gymnasium installed in the Vatican) mean by proper proportion? He said that exercise remains in proper proportion when it:

• does not lead to worship of the body;
• strengthens and energizes the body rather than draining it;
• provides refreshment for the spirit;
• does not lead to spiritual sloth or crudeness;
• provides “new excitements” for study and work; and
• does not disturb the peace and sanctity of the home.

Physical culture, then, is a wonderful thing when it brings us closer to bodily perfection, to spiritual renewal, to vocational achievement, and to health and harmony within our homes."— Kevin Vost

“But if a man uses exercise, food, and drink in moderation, he will become physically strong and his health will be improved and preserved. It is the same with the virtues of the soul — for instance, fortitude, temperance, and the other virtues.”— St. Thomas Aquinas

“There is a need to find free time in order to exercise strength and dexterity, endurance, and harmonious movement, so as to attain or guarantee that physical efficiency necessary to man’s overall equilibrium.”— Pope John Paul II
“The highest merit should not be attributed to him who has the strongest and most agile muscles, but rather to him who shows the most ready ability in keeping them subject to the power of the spirit.”— Pope Pius XII

“Virtue, inasmuch as it is a suitable disposition of the soul, is like health and beauty, which
are suitable dispositions of the body.”— St. Thomas Aquinas

“Every virtue or excellence puts into good condition that of which it is a virtue or excellence, and
enables it to perform its work well.”— Aristotle
“To achieve excellence, we first must sweat.”
— Hesiod

“Virtue implies a perfection of power . . . Every evil is a weakness.”— St. Thomas Aquinas

“He has appointed a time for every matter and for every work.”— Ecclesiastes 3:17

“Now, there are short and simple exercises which tire the body rapidly, and so save time; and time is something of which we ought to keep strict account.”— Seneca
“I confess that we all have an inborn affection for our body; I confess that we are entrusted with its guardianship. I do not maintain that the body is not to be indulged at all; but I maintain that we must not be slaves to it.”
— Seneca

“The workout, understand, doesn’t produce muscle growth, but merely serves to stimulate the body’s growth mechanism into motion. It is the body that produces the growth, but only if left undisturbed during a sufficient rest period.”— Mike Mentzer

“Now the principal act of fortitude is to endure.”— St. Thomas Aquinas

“We should take walks outside so that the mind can be strengthened and refreshed by being outdoors as we breathe the fresh air.”— Seneca
“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we, an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
— 1 Corinthians 9:25-27

“Too much or too little gymnastic exercise is fatal to strength. Similarly, too much or too little meat and drink is fatal to health, whereas a suitable amount produces, increases, and sustains it.”— Aristotle
“Unless we first tame the enemy dwelling within us, namely, our gluttonous appetite, we have not even stood up to engage in the spiritual combat.”— St. Gregory the Great

“He will have many masters who makes his body his master.”— Seneca

"There is nothing so constant as change. Meet it. Embrace it. Enjoy it. Learn from it.
The one thing you can be absolutely sure of in your life is change. It’s the only thing that never changes. The law of nature is that you either grow or you die; there’s no in-between. So, what have you chosen so far? Are you growing in every area of your life? Hey, it’s not enough to be growing and looking great just because you work out. That’s only a small part of your life. What about your emotions, spiritual life, family, friends, career, hobbies? Are they growing as your body does? Become a complete person and not an in-shape and great-looking version of an incomplete person. There’s way more to life than just working out. Go with the flow and embrace changes in all areas of your life. The change will do you good."— Robert Wolff, PH.D. Bodybuilding 101

"To strengthen the mind you must harden the muscles."— Montaigne
"Locked inside each of us is the person we want to be. Others might not recognize it yet, but I'm telling you, it's in there. The passion shouldn't die before we do. Even against rediculous odds, what propels you forward and seperates you from the rest? P.R.I.D.E., which stands for perseverance, Responsibility, integrity, determination, and excitement. If you have these five elements in your life, you can accomplish almost anything."— Sylvester Stallone - Sly Moves p. 201

"Sly's Top Ten Tips for Life
10. Believe it! Truly, it can be done and it will.
9. Every day - every few hours - see your vision materializing.
8. Don't discuss your dreams. Pursue Them!
7. If other people can steal your ideal, most likely they will. (not so fond of this one)
6. Don't be afraid of embarrassment while pursuing your goal. It's all part of being committed.
5. Being naive is business and in understanding human nature is a recipe for disaster.
4. Study people's success stories hard. Study their failures even harder.
3. Enthusiasm is like a wonderful disease -keep spreading it until everyone's infected.
2. Only choose a goal that - if you had to - you'd gladly pursue for free.
In order to achieve success, you've got to follow your passion.
1. Most Important: If it's not broken, break it. That's how new discoveries are made.
That's why everything that changes life is called a breakthrough."— Sylvester Stallone - Sly Moves p.186
"Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement. He is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor - that is the only way out of a hole. This process of surrender - this movement full speed astern - is repentance"— C.S. Lewis

"Discipleship means complete dedication. It demands everything - the whole heart, the whole mind, and the whole of life, including one's time, energy, and property - for the cause of love. Half-hearted Christianity is worse than no Christianity."— J. Heinrich Arnold