The Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

This has always been a favourite of mine:

"Gilgamesh, what you seek you will never find. For when the Gods created Man they let death be his lot, eternal life they withheld. Let your every day be full of joy, love the child that holds your hand, let your wife delight in your embrace, for these alone are the concerns of humanity"

Epic of Gilgamesh - 2000BC

I ran across this thought recently and could have used it when I was having so much trouble trying to pump & breastfeed: "this is only a moment; it's not the rest of your life" (from Oprah magazine).

"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children." Mohandas Gandhi

"A sense of humor is essential for raising children. Without it there can be no good-natured teasing."

My mom gave me a little notebook of advice when my oldest was born. Part of it was serious, part of it was inside jokes from when I was growing up.

“Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories.” - John Wilmot