Quotes to inspire and reflect

Tom, Tom, the piper’s son, He learned to play when he was young. But all the tune that he could play Was “Over the hills and far away.”

Tom, Tom, the piper’s son, Stole a pig, and away he run; The pig was eat, and Tom was beat, And Tom went howling down the street.

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, She had so many children she didn’t know what to do; She gave them some broth without any bread, She whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

Ride a cockhorse to Banbury Cross, To see a fine lady upon a white horse; Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, She shall have music wherever she goes.

Sing a song of sixpence, A pocket full of rye, Four and twenty blackbirds, Baked in a pie; When the pie was opened, The birds began to sing; Wasn’t that a dainty dish To set before a king? The king was in his countinghouse Counting out his money; The queen was in the parlor Eating bread and honey; The maid was in the garden Hanging out the clothes, Along came a blackbird, And snipped off her nose.

Goosey goosey gander, Whither shall I wander? Upstairs and downstairs, And in my lady’s chamber; There I met an old man who wouldn’t say his prayers; I took him by the left leg And threw him down the stairs.

Four and twenty tailors went to kill a snail, The best man among them durst not touch her tail. She put out her horns like a little Kyloe cow, Run, tailors, run, or she’ll kill you all e’en now.

Come, let’s to bed, Says Sleepyhead; Tarry awhile, says Slow; Put on the pot, Says Greedy-gut, We’ll sup before we go.

Bye baby bunting, Daddy’s gone a-hunting. Gone to get a rabbit skin To wrap the baby bunting in.

The Queen of Hearts She made some tarts, All on a summer’s day; The Knave of Hearts He stole the tarts, And took them clean away.

Seesaw, Margery Daw, Jacky shall have a new master; Jacky must have but a penny a day, Because he can work no faster.

Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief; Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef. I went to Taffy’s house, Taffy wasn’t in; Taffy came to my house and stole a silver pin. I went to Taffy’s house; Taffy wasn’t home. Taffy came to my house and stole a marrow bone. I went to Taffy’s house and Taffy was in bed; So I picked up the poker and hit him in the head.

Three wise men of Gotham Went to sea in a bowl: And if the bowl had been stronger, My song had been longer.

Jack and Jill went up the hill To fetch a pail of water; Jack fell down and broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after.

High diddle diddle The cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon; The little dog laughed To see such craft And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Crosspatch, draw the latch, Set by the fire and spin: Take a cup and drink it up, Then call your neighbors in.

Little Tom Tucker Sings for his supper; What shall he eat? White bread and butter. How will he cut it Without e’er a knife? How will he be married Without e’er a wife?

Ding dong bell, Pussy’s in the well. Who put her in? Little Johnny Green.

Little boy blue, come blow your horn, The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn; But where is the boy who looks after the sheep? He’s under the haystack fast asleep. Will you wake him? No, not I, For if I do, he’ll be sure to cry.

Simple Simon met a pieman Going to the fair: Says Simple Simon to the pieman, “Let me taste your ware.”

“Who saw him die?” “I,” said the fly, “With my little eye, I saw him die.”

This little pig went to market; This little pig stayed home; This little pig had roast beef; This little pig had none; And this little pig cried, Wee, wee, wee! All the way home.

“Who killed Cock Robin?” “I,” said the sparrow, “With my bow and arrow, I killed Cock Robin.”

Here comes a candle to light you to bed, Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.

Oranges and lemons, Say the bells of St. Clement’s. You owe me five farthings, Say the bells of St. Martin’s. When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey. When I grow rich, Say the bells of Shoreditch.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockleshells, And pretty maids all in a row.

Baa, baa, black sheep, Have you any wool? Yes, sir, yes, sir, Three bags full: One for my master, And one for my dame, And one for the little boy Who lives down the lane.

Hickory dickory dock, The mouse ran up the clock, The clock struck one, The mouse ran down; Hickory dickory dock.

Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home, Your house is on fire, and your children will burn.

The man in the wilderness asked of me How many strawberries grew in the sea. I answered him as I thought good, “As many as red herrings grow in the wood.”

As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives, Each wife had seven sacks, Each sack had seven cats, Each cat had seven kits: Kits, cats, sacks, and wives, How many were there going to St. Ives?

Tell tale tit, Your tongue shall be slit, And all the dogs in our town Shall have a bit.

Little Jack Horner sat in the corner, Eating a Christmas pie. He put in his thumb, and pulled out a plum, And said, “What a good boy am I!”

London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady.

The lion and the unicorn Were fighting for the crown; The lion beat the unicorn All round about the town. Some gave them white bread, And some gave them brown; Some gave them plum cake, And sent them out of town.

Rain, rain, go away, Come again another day.

Jack Sprat could eat no fat, His wife could eat no lean; And so betwixt them both, They licked the platter clean.

The King of France went up the hill With forty thousand men; The King of France came down the hill And ne’er went up again.

With a rowley powley gammon and spinach, Heigh-ho says Anthony Rowley.

Old King Cole Was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he, He called for his pipe, And he called for his bowl, And he called for his fiddlers three.

A frog he would a-wooing go. Sing heigh-ho says Rowley.

Three blind mice, see how they run! They all ran after the farmer’s wife, She cut off their tails with a carving knife, Did you ever see such a sight in your life, As three blind mice?

It’s like a lion at the door; And when the door begins to crack, It’s like a stick across your back; And when your back begins to smart, It’s like a penknife in your heart; And when your heart begins to bleed, You’re dead, and dead, and dead, indeed.

Cock a doodle doo! My dame has lost her shoe; My master’s lost his fiddle stick, And knows not what to do.

A man of words and not of deeds Is like a garden full of weeds.

Every day a wilderness—no shade in sight. Beulah patient among knickknacks, the solarium a rage of light, a grainstorm as her gray cloth brings dark wood to life.

SPIRIT RULES SECRETLY ALONE THE BODY ACHIEVES NOTHING is something you know instinctively at fourteen and can still remember even with hell in your head at sixteen.

You start out with one thing, end up with another, and nothing’s like it used to be, not even the future.