Top 120 Laurence Overmire Quotes (2025 Update)
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51. “The people who change the world never lose hope no matter how bleak the outcome might appear to be.”

— Laurence Overmire

52. “Fantasy, myth, legend, truth – all are intertwined in the story that is Scotland.”

— Laurence Overmire

53. “Being good or being evil is not something that is inherent in our nature over which we have no control, rather we define ourselves by the choices we make, moment by moment, situation by situation. All it takes is an act of will to be the best that we can be.”

— Laurence Overmire

54. “Love is the great truth we all know in our hearts and must eventually recognize.”

— Laurence Overmire

55. “From generation to generation, lights are extinguished and darkness threatens until some one stoops to bear the torch.”

— Laurence Overmire

56. “Art is always, even at its most repulsive, an impassioned cry of love.”

— Laurence Overmire

57. “A society that has no respect, no regard for its bards, its historians, its storytellers, is a society in steep decline, a society that has lost its very soul and may never find its way.”

— Laurence Overmire

58. “If you can make your ancestors real for yourself, learn their stories and who they were, your life – and death – will take on added meaning. You will see yourself in the Big Picture that includes all human life that has come and gone on the planet.”

— Laurence Overmire

59. “My forebears played a significant part in making me who I am. I honor their legacy. I will never forget what they gave me. I will love them until the day I die. And no one can take them away from me.”

— Laurence Overmire

60. “The truth hurts. But if we want to heal the world, we had better start paying attention to the pain.”

— Laurence Overmire

61. “Ultimately, the great truths of family history don’t live in any book. They live in the hearts and minds of the living descendants. They live in the way we conduct our lives, in the passing of traditions and values to those who will follow.”

— Laurence Overmire

62. “Public condemnation goes a long way in establishing what is and what is not acceptable in a society. The public good will prevail if the public demands it.”

— Laurence Overmire

63. “Those who oppose equality, compassion and social justice have been on the wrong side of history time and time again.”

— Laurence Overmire

64. “Racists cling to the false notion that we are separate. They refuse to acknowledge that they are connected to, and even descended from, other people of different skin color. Their egos demand that they be superior and that others be inferior. This is how they seek to justify their hatred of, and cruelty towards, others.”

— Laurence Overmire

65. “All of our ancestors give us the precious gift of life. Do we use it wisely? Do we use it well? Do we make a name for ourselves and for our children of which we can be proud?”

— Laurence Overmire

66. “Real life is never quite as interesting as the story told afterward.”

— Laurence Overmire

67. “An honest, poor, but otherwise unremarkable man and his loving, tender-hearted wife, though long forgotten and lost to history, may have been the ancestors who are most worthy of our admiration today.”

— Laurence Overmire

68. “Every child comes into this world as a gift to humanity. It is up to us, as adults, to see that they are properly taken care of and given all the love and attention they deserve. If we did so, I have no doubt our world would be drastically different and much more humane.”

— Laurence Overmire

69. “Only through love will we find our way to create a world worthy of our children and our grandchildren.”

— Laurence Overmire

70. “Wisdom is finding the path that is best for all – considering the options, the positives and the negatives – and having the courage to change what must be changed for the sake of the entire world.”

— Laurence Overmire

71. “There are basically two kinds of people: those who have empathy and care about others and those who don’t. The ones who don’t are creating most of the problems in the world.”

— Laurence Overmire

72. “Good people turn to love, courage and kindness in times of crisis, not hate, fear and cruelty.”

— Laurence Overmire

73. “Over the course of the millennia, all these multitudes of ancestors, generation upon generation, have come down to this moment in time – to give birth to you. There has never been, nor will ever be, another like you. You have been given a tremendous responsibility. You carry the hopes and dreams of all those who have gone before. Hopes and dreams for a better world. What will you do with your time on this Earth? How will you contribute to the ongoing story of humankind?”

— Laurence Overmire

74. “Love is active, not passive. It is our love for one another, for Mother Earth, for our fellow creatures that compels us to act on their behalf.”

— Laurence Overmire

75. “My charge, then, in putting down my pen, and giving over this work to posterity, is this: Take the time. Take the time to preserve the stories, the photographs, the small mementos that mean so much. This is your legacy to future generations. Give it the attention it deserves. Your children and your grandchildren will thank you for it.”

— Laurence Overmire

76. “No matter who our ancestors are, our own personal and monumental task is to become the best person that we can possibly be – someone in whom our own descendants in times to come can take great pride and find inspiration.”

— Laurence Overmire

77. “I don’t make much of a living, but I do live much of a making.”

— Laurence Overmire

78. “One could only wish there were more who understood the love of family, of history, and of ancient, sacred bonds that grow deep within us all. If family is not worthy of our time and attention, who or what is?”

— Laurence Overmire

79. “One can never be 100% certain when it comes to family lineage. One must always keep an open mind, willing to go wherever the facts may lead.”

— Laurence Overmire

80. “Some of us are given more time on this Earth than others, but none of us should ever take the gift of life for granted. If we strive to be the best we can be, committing ourselves to what is right and true, while helping others along the way, then we will leave our own story worth the telling and be a shining example for our children and our grandchildren and all those great, great, great, great grandchildren in those far off times to come.”

— Laurence Overmire

81. “Through the various branches of your tree, you are connected to the entirety of human history. When we talk about the ancient Egyptians building the pyramids, we’re not talking about a bunch of exotic strangers, we’re talking about our great-great-many-times-great grandparents!”

— Laurence Overmire

82. “The best gift you can give anyone is to spend quality time with them.”

— Laurence Overmire

83. “New generations recognize, money is just a plaything. The new bottom line is humanity itself.”

— Laurence Overmire

84. “Cupid’s bloody bow is strung with a million hearts, wisdom bought at a terrible price, and love laid to rest on the river of Time.”

— Laurence Overmire

85. “I have embraced Robert Burns and his beloved Scotland. I have heard the music of the authentic mother tongue. I have walked where he walked, lived where he lived, if only for a brief time, and seen where he died and where he was finally laid to rest. The ghost of Rabbie Burns will continue to walk beside me. And when I am gone, I will walk beside others who fight for the cause of truth.”

— Laurence Overmire

86. “Love is a powerful thing. It transcends time and place. If you’re looking for immortality, love long and love well. The rest will take care of itself.”

— Laurence Overmire

87. “The more we understand the One Idea, how all of life is interconnected and interdependent, the more we can act in positive ways for the good of all.”

— Laurence Overmire

88. “While most of our major religions acknowledge the truth of universal brotherhood, too many human beings are still hanging on to their hate and fear of “the other.” We have created our own misery. We can also heal ourselves through kindness, cooperation, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, honesty, understanding and sacrifice. The choice is ours.”

— Laurence Overmire

89. “While we cannot close our eyes to what is happening around us, it is important for each of us as individuals to refuse to hate another human being and commit to compassion, love, peace and nonviolence in the world. In becoming aware and resistant to evil, we should be wary of becoming part of the evil ourselves.”

— Laurence Overmire

90. “No one is going to save the world by hating other people. That’s not to say we shouldn’t be angry about all the wrongdoing. Anger, however, is not the same as hate, though people often equate the two. Anger can be channeled into positive action, as a force for good. When our hearts are in the right place, we are working for the benefit of all humanity.”

— Laurence Overmire

91. “Greed is the knife that stabs deep in the backs of one’s fellows. Self-interested profit for the few too often reaps untold suffering for the many. The community of humankind is laid low in shame. The harmonic balance of the Earth is disrupted.”

— Laurence Overmire

92. “In caring for others, we are really caring for ourselves, for we all nurture one another in the garden of the heart.”

— Laurence Overmire

93. “Life is much more than the evanescent present. We should do all we can to preserve our antiquities, lest we forget who we are.”

— Laurence Overmire

94. “All of us are part of a beautiful pageantry of human experience. Let us make the most of this life in all we do.”

— Laurence Overmire

95. “As we commit to peace in our own lives, our own little worlds, encompassing everyone we know personally, then we will find the way of peace spreading like a great healing light all over the world.”

— Laurence Overmire

96. “Misinformation destroys trust. When you destroy trust, you destroy the bonds that hold society together.”

— Laurence Overmire

97. “Extremism is marked by a closed mind and a meanness of spirit – unwilling to listen, unwilling to reason, unwilling to compromise, unwilling to forgive, and in the end, unwilling to learn and unwilling to grow.”

— Laurence Overmire

98. “It’s no use trying to reasonably argue with unreasonable people. Better to spend your time in more productive pursuits.”

— Laurence Overmire

99. “The word “love” in its broadest sense embraces all that is good in this world: kindness, empathy, caring, compassion, generosity, cooperation, forgiveness, understanding, respect, appreciation, gratitude and sacrifice. Love is the great healing power in the world. When you make your life all about love, you will also find peace and contentment.”

— Laurence Overmire

100. “Despite our differences, I consider everyone with a good heart to be my ally in creating a better, more peaceful world.”

— Laurence Overmire