On the 'Praise or Blame' and 'Stars or Dots' of Men

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"He has great tranquility and peace of heart who does not regard praise or blame, and he will soon be at peace and content who has a good conscience.  You are not the better because you are praised, or the worse because you are blamed, for as you are, you are, and whatever is said of you, you are no better than Almighty God, the Searcher of men's hearts, will testify that you are.  If you behold well what you are inwardly, you will not care much what the world says of you outwardly.  Man sees the face, but God beholds the heart; man beholds the deeds, but God beholds the intention of the deeds.  It is a great sign of a humble heart that a man will do well, yet think that he has done but little; and it is a great sign of purity of life and of an inward trust in God when a man takes his comfort from no creature.  When a man seeks no outward witness for himself, it appears that he has wholly committed himself to God.  Also, as St. Paul says: He who commends himself is not justified, but he whom God commends.  He who has his mind lifted up constantly to God and is not held by any inordinate affection is in the degree and in the state of a holy and blessed man."

"The glory of a good man is God's testimony that he has a good conscience.  Therefore, have a good conscience, and you will always have joy.  A good conscience can bear many wrongs and is constantly merry and glad in adversities, but an evil conscience is always fearful and unquiet.  You will rest sweetly and blessedly if your own heart does not reprove you."

~from "The Imitation of Christ", by Thomas a Kempis

"what I think is more important than what they think. The stickers only stick if you let them...The stickers only stick if they matter to you. The more you trust my love, the less you care about their stickers." -Your Maker

~from "You Are Special" by Max Lucado