″As human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. We can subordinate feelings to values. We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen.″
“We’re in the business of saving lives, Matthew. With every degree that we allow ourselves to move off the mark of perfection as officers, more people die- that’s a responsibility that I take pretty seriously. ‘Cause I absolutely believe that simply taking a Marine who’s not yet up to the job and packing him off to another assignment is the same as sending a kid into the jungle with a weapon that backfires.”
“What will be the sign that you were here? It’s important that you realize that you have a responsibility to do something with your life. You mustn’t be cavalier with this precious gift you have from above.”
“It may seem like a daunting—if not exhausting—task to establish a greater degree of order in your life. That may feel impossible if you feel you are already overstretched. But taking time to order your day should not be an additional burden or one more ‘to do’ on your list of duties and responsibilities.”
“It becomes much easier to take God seriously as the source of moral values if we don’t hold Him responsible for all the unfair things that happen in the world.”
“What does ‘work out your salvation’ mean? It means that now that God has delivered and saved us, we are to take responsibility to live a life that reflects him and his ways: daily dependence on God, trust, love, honesty, and all the things that are of him. And while we are doing that, he is doing miraculous, divine things to achieve his ends.”
“Now you’ve asked for it, and I’ll give it to you, because there ain’t anything mean about me; but if you find you don’t like it, you mustn’t blame anybody but your own self.”