The talented SueReu put together this beautiful article.  After I read it, I asked her if I could post it on CANN.  Filled with wonderful quotes, the article reflects  Sue’s thoughts about the quotes as they relate to Clay Aiken.  Simply amazing!  Many thanks, Sue!!

Confucius Says

Lately there have been many in the Clay Nation who have suffered personal losses in their lives and it has gotten me reevaluating what is truly important. There was a time when what all I wanted for Clay was success – which I still want, but I now have a much more balanced view of exactly what defines success.

Not having the right words, I reached out to Confucius

A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions

My wish for Clay is that when he wakes up in the morning, he loves who he sees. Not the outside, the superficial, but the core of his being – his soul. I wish for Clay a lifetime of doing what is right, of making a difference, of staying modest in a world full of egotism. I hope that, at the end of the day, he feels he has done what is right and not what is popular.

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life

My wish for Clay is much joy in everything that he does. Without joy, any success is shallow. Fame is fleeting, happiness is forever.

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it

Every moment we have on this earth is a miracle, my wish for Clay is that he embraces the beauty that surrounds him every day.

I want you to be everything that’s you, deep at the center of your being

My wish for Clay is that he continues to just be Clay – what’s that old saying? That’s right, let Clay be Clay.

If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?

My wish for Clay is that he continues to follow his heart, without fear of the future – that at the end of the day he is content with a life well lived.

Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors

My wish for Clay is that he is wrapped in the love of his friends and his family. I also wish that he can come to understand and accept the love of his fans – it is genuine and it is so deserved.

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated

My wish for Clay is that he revels in the simple things in life. Taking a walk, holding hands, reading a good book, or just sitting in a comfortable silence. At the end of the day, it’s the simple things that we hold most dear.

The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell

My wish for Clay is that he continues to make the music he loves, the music that feeds his soul and makes him happy – irregardless of where it lands on the charts.

Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without

My wish for Clay is that his life is a diamond, even if it may have a few flaws. A life of clarity, brilliance and color, with a cut that is not too deep, or too shallow, but ideal.

Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance

Sorry, just had to throw that one in