1. Be too great, like the Sun, to retaliate when lesser men throw stones at you.
2. A rose, no matter how beautiful, still has to contend with thorns.
3. Be like seeds; do not see dirt thrown at you as your enemy, but as the ground to grow.
4. Only dead leaves allow the wind to blow them to and fro.
5. If someone has never walked a mile in your shoes, do not listen to him if he mocks the sores on your feet.
6. Be like the stars; never let the opinions of those who hate you dull your shine.
7. Loud critics are silenced by loud success.
8. Great winds only challenge great trees.
9. When your critics raise hell, keep building your heaven.
10. It is in vain to stone the sky, no matter how big the rock is.
11. Only what is below you tries to pull you down.
12. If your critics lack sense, you are steps ahead of them. If you have sense, you are miles ahead of them.
13. You can criticize a star all day, but that won’t dull its shine.
14. Every seed must rise through dirt to enjoy the sunshine.
15. If you tend to a flower, it will bloom, no matter how many weeds surround it.
They fired arrows at me, but I did not fire back.
I picked them up instead to build my castle.
~Matshona Dhliwayo
