Quotes From "Rise Of The Morningstar" By A.J. Darkholme

The most inefficient and self-harming thing a person can do is go out looking for love. Let it find you when the time is right and you're out doing what you love to do. Only then will you find it in its truest form. A.J. Darkholme

Trust is not a gasoline-soaked blanket that succumbs to the matches of betrayal, never able to be used for its warmth again; it’s a tapestry that wears thin in places, but can be patched over if you have the right materials, circumstances, and patience to repair it. If you don’t, you’re always the one who feels the coldest when winter comes. A.J. Darkholme

The more a mind thinks upon something, the deeper it will take root and affect all subsequent and related thought. A.J. Darkholme

If your heart, mind, and actions are selfish, they will ultimately divide you, others, or entire [establishments]. When motivation is pure and selfless, it will result in helping bring others together. A.J. Darkholme

Most physical battles begin once mental ones have been lost, anyway. Conquer the mind, conquer the body. A.J. Darkholme

Despite our human intelligence, we are very much like our friends in the wild; the world we live in is a survival of the fittest. But to this I say, let the fittest survive! Survival is overrated. We’re alive; we die. How long we survive for is of little significance. Our true significance lies not in the endless comparing of ourselves to one another, trying to see who is the fittest, using scales of evaluation and meaning that differ in the heart and mind of every individual; no - it lies in our deeds alone with the time we have. A.J. Darkholme

The mind thinks upon, processes, and remembers what the senses forget. A.J. Darkholme

The lion does not need the whole world to fear him, only those nearest where he roams. A.J. Darkholme

Our emotions hold more power over us than blade or poison alike. To embrace freely the entire spectrum of our emotions is to allow a multitude of Trojan horses containing hidden emotional poisons to circumvent the walls of rationalization — walls we need to protect our trust, confidence, understanding, and self-control. A.J. Darkholme

Like tiny gods, all that we say and do holds a power so great that any one of us in any given moment can be responsible for the birth of a new civilization or the collapse of our own. A.J. Darkholme

No army is comprised of all the same kinds of units or types of troops. There is power in diversity. If you always see only one choice, or use only one option, you will surely lose more than you win. A.J. Darkholme

Why spend your life working on defense when no defense can be made truly impenetrable? Take the offensive — learn the vulnerabilities of the world around you and be the change you wish to see rather than living in constant fear of what may happen to you instead. A.J. Darkholme

Always think at least two steps ahead [in everything, with everyone]. A.J. Darkholme

There is immense power in an idea, because it unites people. It motivates them toward change. But the real power lies in their unity, in coming together — if enough can be rallied to a cause, no matter how ridiculous, it will be seen and heard. A.J. Darkholme

[Everything you write is] not simply a collection of words, but a means of influence not to be taken lightly. Let your recipient's emotions be the gondola, and your words, its gondolier. A.J. Darkholme

When you give people a choice, they believe they have power. A.J. Darkholme

Fear is for the powerless. Fear is for the alone. But as you stand together now, you are neither of those. Together, you amplify each other’s strengths; you nullify each other’s weaknesses. A.J. Darkholme

The strong will always rule the weak. A.J. Darkholme

Perspective alone can make an experience positive or negative, but regardless of which you let it become, it can only have as much power over your outlook on life as you give it. A.J. Darkholme

Gaining satisfaction through accomplishments is and will always be a slippery slope, because there will come a time when you realize you have accomplished all that is within your power to accomplish in the realm of good, and will have nowhere else to turn but to the realms of greed and powerlust to find the satisfaction you crave. A.J. Darkholme

Power and influence: things that should be obtained not for means of greed, nor pride, nor ego, but rather to ensure that in the right moment, when your wisdom and benevolence are required to keep humanity strong and united, you can deliver and orchestrate others toward the greater good. A.J. Darkholme

Emotional states change like the wind, and to indulge them only gives them more power over a person. A.J. Darkholme

A man is no more than breath until his breath fashions the words that others cannot forget. A.J. Darkholme

The power to give everything or take it all away is the inborn power contained in every confident woman’s grasp — the only way for a man to regain that power, is to keep her happy enough that she forgets she even has it. A.J. Darkholme

The power of an idea is never to be underestimated. Many a thought has survived long after its host has ceased to be. It is the power of an idea that no shield can defend against, nor sword divide, nor poison infect. As such, we must aspire to create ideas, rather than preserve life. In a sense, this is how we achieve true immortality and live on past our time. A.J. Darkholme

Love is one of the most motivating and self-defining forces in our lives, whether we turn from it or allow ourselves to be drawn to it. If you allow romantic possibilities with others to consume all your time and energy, they will distract you from the things of interest that fill your life with passion and purpose. A.J. Darkholme

Your biggest dreams can become reality, not by brute-forcing the end-goal, but breaking it down into smaller, more manageable parts. If your goal takes years, breaking it down into months and days will let you improve your lot little bits at a time. A.J. Darkholme

It’s true what they say, that words are the true weapons. Those who fight with steel are limited to the strength of their arm, the reach of their blade, and the timing of their strike; but those who fight with persuasion know no limits — not time, nor status, nor chance. A.J. Darkholme

Even the tallest trees always begin as a seed. A.J. Darkholme

Never overestimate the strength of the torchbearer's arm, for even the strongest arms grow weary. A.J. Darkholme

You don’t have to keep living in a dystopia simply because you’re strong and noble enough to accept it. A.J. Darkholme

Sic vis pacem para bellum - if you want peace, prepare for war. A.J. Darkholme

Sometimes to submit is to know you have a life worth living for a higher purpose, worth seeing through. A.J. Darkholme

Sometimes you can grow more in a shorter amount of time with the right company than years of soul-searching alone, or by living the same patterns you've lived for your entire life. A.J. Darkholme

Seek counsel; though we are all skilled and experienced in many ways, no one can experience all that life has to offer in the limited time we are given in this world. A.J. Darkholme

Everything can be achieved through gradual steps — one small step at a time: overcoming fears, fulfilling dreams... anything you wish to be different from the way it is. A.J. Darkholme

What seems like a flaw is merely our higher consciousness telling us we're not looking at it in the right light yet. A.J. Darkholme

Our lives consist of a series of internal battles, deep within us, where weapons don't exist and technology is unable to create devices that better the best of yesterday. Our knowledge is our only defense; caution, our only friend. A.J. Darkholme

We must humble ourselves before [others] so we may learn from what others have lived. It is only when we have added their expertise to our own that we can truly excel towards our most ambitious goals and reach our fullest potential. A.J. Darkholme

No matter where you go, there’s always something to deal with; if it’s not greed, it’s lust, or envy, or pride, or something else. You just have to live your life so uncorrupted that it offsets the corruption as much as possible. A.J. Darkholme

Love is not a purpose, it’s a paradox; it’s not an end-goal, it’s an auxiliary fuel source to help get there. A.J. Darkholme

Some people experience a life-changing sensation that transforms how they see the world after a near-death experience, but the way I see it, we’re all dying — nay, we’re all dead — and it is up to us to be our own self-necromancers to find some form of life and spirit to reanimate the corpse of a life spent wanting. A.J. Darkholme

My happiness with the future and the present depends on my ability to let the past go and make peace with it. A.J. Darkholme

Sometimes it's best to trade an ideal for something more practical that you can guarantee. A.J. Darkholme

Without purpose and meaning in our lives, we banish ourselves to wander this plane of existence with self-destructive tendencies until the bell tolls and our breath capsizes in our lungs, snatching our chance to redeem ourselves forever. A.J. Darkholme

What we don't often realize is that the rebirth and collapse of grand things do not begin with grand things at all, like the things we see, but with the small, like the things we are - in the things we do - in the things we say. A.J. Darkholme

A good leader must have the wisdom to know when a pursuit is no longer worthy of being pursued - a time when the losses of the present must be accepted - and cut - to preserve the gains and providence of the future. A.J. Darkholme

Every man walks his own path, and every path has its fair share of locked doors. You never know who holds the key to a door you’ll need to open one day, so you best treat people as if they are all keyholders. A.J. Darkholme

The most fulfilling adventures happen when you start your journey without knowing where you’re going, because only then are you free to experience the unexpected detours you’re meant to take. A.J. Darkholme