faith

Every Monday At Manlihood.com – we celebrate men of courage, valor, creativity, innovation, and honor. We celebrate men who have accomplished great things, that have set good examples, and then have made the world a better place. This is #mancrushmonday

Pro-wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson isn’t just a larger than life entertainer – he’s truly an inspirational man, who works hard to be a man with character and to make life better for the men around him.

Here’s his story according to Wikipedia:

Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is a Canadian-American actor, producer, and professional wrestler currently signed to WWE.

Johnson was a college football player for the University of Miami, winning a national championship on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes football team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, and was cut two months into the 1995 season. This led him to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia, and his father, Rocky Johnson (from whom he also inherited his Canadian citizenship).[8]

Johnson gained mainstream fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF/E) from 1996 to 2004 as a major figure in the company’s Attitude Era, and was the first third-generation wrestler in the company’s history. He returned to wrestling part-time for WWE from 2011 to 2013 and continues to make sporadic non-wrestling appearances for the company. As of November 2016, Johnson has had 17 championship reigns in WWE, including 10 as a world champion, winning the WWF/E Championship eight times (seventh reign was as WWE Undisputed Champion) and the WCW/World Championship twice. He won the Intercontinental Championship twice and the WWF Tag Team Championship five times. Johnson is the sixth Triple Crown Champion in WWE history, and won the 2000 Royal Rumble. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time.[9]

Johnson’s autobiography The Rock Says…, co-written with Joe Layden, was published in 2000. It debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, spent 20 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list and sold 720,000 copies in hardcover alone.[10][11] Johnson’s first leading film role was in The Scorpion King in 2002. For this role, he was paid US $5.5 million, a world record for an actor in his first starring role.[12] He has since appeared in various films, and become known for his ability to reinvigorate film franchises. Perhaps his greatest success in his acting career can be sourced to his role as Luke Hobbs in The Fast and the Furious franchise. He hosted and produced The Hero, a reality competition series; and has since continued to produce TV series and films through his production company Seven Bucks Productions, each of which he also stars in. Forbes listed Dwayne Johnson #25 in the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities in 2013.[13] He is the world’s highest-paid actor of 2016.[14] Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016.[15] In 2015, Muscle & Fitness named Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as their “Man of the Century.”[16]

Check out these amazing motivational quotes from “The Rock”

“All successes begin with Self-Discipline. It starts with you.”

“Don’t be afraid to be ambitious about your goals. Hard work never stops. Neither should your dreams.”

“Grind Hard, Shine Hard.”

“I like to use the hard times of the past to motivate me today.”

“Not only do I think being nice and kind is easy, but being kind, in my opinion is important.”

“One of the most important things you can accomplish is just being yourself.”

“The first step to achieving your goal, is to take a moment to respect your goal. Know what it means to you to achieve it.”

“The wall! Your success is on the other side. Can’t jump over it or go around it. You know what to do.”

“There is no substitute for hardwork. Always be humble and hungry.”

“Wake up determined. Go to bed satisfied.”

“We do today what they won’t, so tomorrow we accomplish what they can’t.”

When life puts you in touch situations, don’t say “Why Me?” Just say “Try Me.”

“When you walk up to opportunities door, don’t knock it… Kick that b!tch in, smile and introduce yourself.” – Dwayne Johnson

“With drive and a bit of talent, you can move mountains.” – Dwayne Johnson

“You don’t need directions, just point yourself to the top and go!” – Dwayne Johnson

“Be the person that when your feet touch the floor in the morning the devil says, “awe s***.. they’re up”. – Dwayne Johnson

“If something stands between you and your success – move it. Never be denied.” – Dwayne Johnson

“In 1995 I had $7 bucks in my pocket and knew two things: I’m broke as hell and one day I won’t be.” – Dwayne Johnson

“Success at anything will always come down to this: focus & effort. And we control both.” – Dwayne Johnson

“Success isn’t always about ‘Greatness’, it’s about consistency. Consistent, hard work gains success. Greatness will come.” – Dwayne Johnson

“Success isn’t overnight. It’s when everyday you get a little better than the day before. It all adds up.” – Dwayne Johnson

“Think back 5 yrs ago. Think of where you’re at today. Think ahead 5 yrs and what you want to accomplish. Be Unstoppable.” – Dwayne Johnson

Every Monday At Manlihood.com – we celebrate men of courage, valor, creativity, innovation, and honor. We celebrate men who have accomplished great things, that have set good examples, and then have made the world a better place. This is #mancrushmonday

We all know Patrick Henry’s most famous quote:
“Give me Liberty or give me death!”

But there’s much more to this American hero, and this week’s Manlihood.com #ManCrushMonday selection.

According to History.com

Virginia lawyer and politician Patrick Henry (1736-1799) was one of the leading figures of the American Revolutionary period. An outspoken opponent of the Stamp and Townshend Acts levied by England, he stirred the seeds of discord with his famous Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death speech to the Virginia Assembly in 1775. Henry served a crucial role in the overthrow of the royally appointed Virginia leadership and was elected governor multiple times. Although he opposed the formation of the U.S. Constitution as a threat to the liberties of the people and the rights of the states, his criticisms helped bring about the amendments that became the bill of rights.

Quotes from Patrick Henry:

I know of no way of judging the future but by the past

Perfect freedom is as necessary to the health and vigor of commerce as it is to the health and vigor of citizenship.

Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense?

When the American spirit was in its youth, the language of America was different: Liberty, sir, was the primary object.

The great object is that every man be armed.

The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.

For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst and provide for it.

This is all the inheritance I give to my dear family. The religion of Christ will give them one which will make them rich indeed.

Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.

The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian but an American.

We are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of Nature has placed in our power… the battle, sir, is not to the strong alone it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.

Fear is the passion of slaves.

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!

Every Monday At Manlihood.com – we celebrate men of courage, valor, creativity, innovation, and honor. We celebrate men who have accomplished great things, that have set good examples, and then have made the world a better place. This is #mancrushmonday

Our Man Crush Monday is truly a man of honor…  “Stormin’ Norman” was a hero during the first Gulf War, and as a kid, we would see him resolutely representing the military on national television frequently, informing the public of the mission progress, and relating so well the public.

Here’s a little more about Schawrzkopf.

From Wikipedia

Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. (/ˈʃwɔːrtskɒf/; August 22, 1934 – December 27, 2012) was a United States Army general. While serving as Commander-in-chief, United States Central Command, he led all coalition forces in the Gulf War.

Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Schwarzkopf grew up in the United States and later in Iran. He was accepted into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army in 1956. After a number of initial training programs, Schwarzkopf interrupted a stint as an academy teacher, and served in the Vietnam War first as an adviser to the South Vietnamese Army and later as a battalion commander. Schwarzkopf was highly decorated in Vietnam, being awarded three Silver Star Medals, two Purple Hearts, and the Legion of Merit. Rising through the ranks after the conflict, he later commanded the U.S. 24th Infantry Division and was one of the commanders of the Invasion of Grenada in 1983.

Assuming command of United States Central Command in 1988, Schwarzkopf was called on to respond to the Invasion of Kuwait in 1990 by the forces of Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Initially tasked with defending Saudi Arabia from Iraqi aggression, Schwarzkopf’s command eventually grew to an international force of over 750,000 troops. After diplomatic relations broke down, he planned and led Operation Desert Storm—an extended air campaign followed by a highly successful 100-hour ground offensive—which defeated the Iraqi Army and liberated Kuwait in early 1991. Schwarzkopf was presented with military honors.

Schwarzkopf retired shortly after the end of the war and undertook a number of philanthropic ventures, only occasionally stepping into the political spotlight before his death from complications of pneumonia in late 2012. Known for being a hard-driving military commander with a strong temper, Schwarzkopf was nonetheless considered an exceptional leader by biographers and was noted for his abilities as a military diplomat and in dealing with the press.

Check out these quotes from “Stormin’ Norman”

“It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.”

“You should never forget that the airplanes don’t fly, the tanks don’t run, the ships don’t sail, the missiles don’t fire unless the sons and daughters of America make them do it.”

“True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job anyhow, that’s what courage is.”

“I’ve managed to convince my wife that somewhere in the Bible it says, ‘Man cannot have too many shotguns and fishing poles.’”

Every Monday At Manlihood.com – we celebrate men of courage, valor, creativity, innovation, and honor. We celebrate men who have accomplished great things, that have set good examples, and then have made the world a better place. This is #mancrushmonday

Rudyard Kipling

Kipling wasn’t a man of strength, or even valor in the sense that he wasn’t a warrior. No, he was a thinker, and skilled with the pen. He used his pen to inspire greatness and inject values into folk tales, legends, and poems. 
According to Wikipedia:

Kipling’s works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including “The Man Who Would Be King” (1888).[2] His poems include “Mandalay” (1890), “Gunga Din” (1890), “The Gods of the Copybook Headings” (1919), “The White Man’s Burden” (1899), and “If—” (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story;[3] his children’s books are classics of children’s literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting “a versatile and luminous narrative gift”.[4][5]

Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[3] Henry James said: “Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius, as distinct from fine intelligence, that I have ever known.”[3] In 1907, at the age of 42, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date.[6] He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.[7]

Kipling’s subsequent reputation has changed according to the political and social climate of the age[8][9] and the resulting contrasting views about him continued for much of the 20th century.[10][11] George Orwell called him a “prophet of British imperialism“.[12] Literary critic Douglas Kerr wrote: “[Kipling] is still an author who can inspire passionate disagreement and his place in literary and cultural history is far from settled. But as the age of the European empires recedes, he is recognised as an incomparable, if controversial, interpreter of how empire was experienced. That, and an increasing recognition of his extraordinary narrative gifts, make him a force to be reckoned with.”[13]

Check out what Stephen Mansfield says about Kipling’s poem “If”
“This brilliant articulation of vital manhood came from the pen of a small, unathletic, bespectacled, bookish, bullied, insecure man whom friend expected would become almost anything other than the prophet of manhood for his time. How we need men like him today – men who refuse to let biology define their destiny and who live inspired by a fiery inner vision of the masculine life.”


And here is the poem!

IF
By Rudyard Kilpling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,

If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!