Cole Ryan Quotes

Notice that "love thy neighbor" - a wildly popular piece of wisdom found in the Bible - is a command. Jesus is commanding us to love. Now, Jesus understood that emotions and feelings cannot be commanded; they cannot be controlled. He must be saying that love isn't the way you feel about someone, it's the way your treat someone. Love isn't something that happens to you, it's something that you make happen. It's a choice. ~ Cole Ryan

I believe being a 'gentleman' goes well beyond holding the door for a girl and letting her go before you. It's about being vulnerable for her. I think that when it comes to the way we treat women, it's a good idea to look to the way Jesus treated women.

He laid His life down for His bride,

He sacrificed for her,

He lowered Himself for her,

He was vulnerable for her.

We must love women vulnerably in the same way that Jesus loved His bride vulnerably. Being a gentleman is far more than being caring and thoughtful, it's about possessing sacrificial and vulnerable Christ-like characteristics. I don't know if it's possible to be a gentleman without knowing and representing the character of Jesus. ~ Cole Ryan

Love is often confused with attraction. Love is an action, it's a choice. We can choose to love someone. Attraction, however, is a feeling, it's an emotion, it's temporary. ~ Cole Ryan

And for another person to come along side us on our journey - for two messy, broken people to come together and say "I know your faults, I know you're going to do some things I hate, I know the person you are now is not the person you want to be. However, I know the person you could become and I want to help you get there."
That's what it's all about. ~ Cole Ryan

Dating is never mentioned in the Bible, not once.
I'm not saying that dating's a sin or that dating's evil. That's not what this book is about. What I am saying is that if we look to Scripture for specific answers on dating we're not going to find any. That's not a problem, though, because it has a lot to say about marriage, and when we figure out why God created marriage, we will figure out a lot about dating in return. ~ Cole Ryan

Let me paraphrase what Paul is saying here: Jesus married the Church - Christians, you and me, us. The Church is His literal bride. He laid His life down for the Church. And Paul writes that husbands should love their wives in the same way that Jesus loved The Church, and vice-versa.
What a daunting task.
But what is made clear in this passage is that marriage was designed to display the love that Jesus has for the Church, His bride. It's the closest thing we can get to tasting the kind of love that He has for us - a sacrificing love, a serving love, a selfless love.
Do you see what this means?
Marriage isn't really about us.
It's not.
It's about God.
It's about the Gospel. ~ Cole Ryan

We're in an a bit of an awkward situation.
When the institution of marriage first came about, people commonly got married at around the same age that they began to develop feelings for the opposite sex.
This is no longer the case.
13, 14 - these are no longer appropriate ages to be getting married. Now, you do not get married until you're out of college, at least. If you get married any earlier, you're looked down upon.
So, what we have is a gap.
A gap between when we begin to be attracted to the opposite sex, and when we're allowed to give into that attraction. A gap between now and then. A fairly large gap, I might add. About a 10 or 12 year gap.
I believe that dating was designed to bridge that gap. ~ Cole Ryan

You might have good, moral efforts of working hard and earning money in order to help feed the poor or something along those lines - and then you get the money you've been seeking and you see and feel and taste how sweet it is and you only want more and more and more for ... yourself.
Money corrupts its own intentions. ~ Cole Ryan

We always want what is not ours. It's intriguing. We think if we can just get that, we'll finally be happy. The lure of what we do not have is deceptive.
True freedom, however, is found in being content with what we already have.
Can you imagine it?
Can you imagine being whole, complete, fulfilled - content with what you already have? It sounds too good to be true.
Utter satisfaction?
That is freedom.
That is what everyone is searching for.
Where, though, can you find this kind of contentment?
I've noticed that the more I've come to know Jesus, the less I've desired material things.
Materialism is what happens when you find your joy in things. Contentment is what happens when you find your joy in Jesus. They're complete opposites. You can easily differentiate a materialistic person from a content person. ~ Cole Ryan

Do we run from money in fear of being a slave to it? I know I did that for a while.

I don't think that's the answer, though.

I think the answer is our mission.

Are you on a mission?

Not only with your money, but with your life – are you on a mission?

I have a feeling that if we were on a mission, if we were working towards something - whether it be the end of human trafficking or abortion or poverty - if we were on a mission, we would do what ever it took. We would sell everything if it meant furthering the mission.

Money's not the problem. The problem is our heart. Money only reveals it.

Money reveals what our mission really is.

Money reveals if we care for ourselves more than we care for our neighbors. ~ Cole Ryan

Active love doesn't ask: 'What does this person have to offer me?' Rather: 'What do I have to offer this person? ~ Cole Ryan

Why does Jesus love us?
Do you ever think about that?
Why does Jesus, content and whole and complete and satisfied, love us?
I don't see how this would benefit Jesus. He has nothing to gain from us; we have nothing to offer Him.
There's nothing in this for Jesus.
His love for us must not be driven by what He can get - but what He can give. Jesus is aware that by loving us we might become like Him - content and whole and complete and satisfied. We must not miss this: Jesus does not love us in order to get something from us in return. Jesus loves us simply to give us all that He has to offer - Himself. ~ Cole Ryan

There's a beautiful poem at the beginning of a collection of books we call the Bible. In that poem, it is written: "Then God said, 'Let us make man.'"

God then recognized that it was not good for man to be alone.

We can all agree on that one, I think. Loneliness is one of the most excruciating pains that the human heart, or any heart, has to go through.

What did God do about it?

What was His remedy?

What was His answer?

He created marriage. He didn't create dating, He didn't create courting - He created marriage. ~ Cole Ryan

There's a certain worth that can only be given to us by God. You see, if you think about it, worth has nothing to do with the object. Worth has everything to do with how much someone is willing to pay for the object. God paid for each and every one of us with His son's life. That gives me chills. That makes us worth a lot. ~ Cole Ryan

God's priorities may be a bit different than ours.
Have you ever thought about that?
Have you ever considered that while you've been working on getting a promotion and moving to a safer neighborhood - God's been working on something else entirely? God's had something else planned? ~ Cole Ryan

Here's the thing: You can be materialistic and poor. You can also be content and rich. It has nothing to do with your income and it has everything to do with your heart. You don't need to earn more money in order to be generous with your money. Some people use that as an excuse to be greedy. Jesus seemed to believe that the key to generosity wasn't having more, but being content with what you already have. ~ Cole Ryan

Wait," Fin said, puzzling through the words. "That was a seed, not a secret."
"Of course it was." It sounded annoyed, at least for a tree. "Here, secrets turn to seed, good secrets take root, and the vines that grow bloom into rumors. They do that, you know," it said, as much to itself as to Fin. "Once planted, they grow. And start new rumors all their own. ~ Carrie Ryan

I was always a fan of horror films as a kid. ~ Jeri Ryan

You know that first night when we stayed together here in the cabin? As sick as we were, there was no place on earth I would have rather been then here with you. ~ Tina Reber

But when you're already swimming in a sea of humiliation deep enough to drown you, it doesn't matter much if somebody throws in another bucketful. It's not worth it to stop and pay attention to that when you need to keep paddling. ~ Catherine Ryan Hyde

When I was 5 years old, hanging out with my friends who were all older than me, like 8 or 9, I was joking around like, 'Yeah, when I'm 20 that's a perfect age to go pro.' That's what I had in my head. Then I turn pro at 13. It's all been a mystery and its all been awesome. ~ Ryan Sheckler

Lothaire Konstantin Daciano, Sovereign of Dacia, the Realm of Blood and Mist. ~ Kresley Cole

I never knew I could hate someone as deeply as I do you."
"I often help others discover the outer limits of their hatred. It's a talent of mine. ~ Kresley Cole

It somehow seemed right that he'd never loved before her. That she simply was the emotion for him, the two equaling each other. ~ Kresley Cole

Beware the seduction of the quick conclusion. Do not indulge in the answer you desire until you know all you need to know. ~ Anthony Ryan

Lothiare, "I feel like killing something!"
Lizvetta, "Come on baby, let's go kill time. ~ Kresley Cole

I feel it's important to show that one thing that you do doesn't define you as a human being. It doesn't mean there aren't ramifications or you shouldn't pay for that but its not who you are. ~ Ryan Gosling

We're all doomed to be adults. ~ Ryan Gebhart

I want to be as honest as I can about the things I've been through - the sorrows and joys, victories and defeats - and to use those experiences as a well to draw from. Hopefully, the songs that result from that kind of writing will be songs that mean something to others. ~ Jim Cole

I don't know how it happened, and I don't know why, but this
what she and I have
it's solid. You don't need to worry about her. I'd rather cut off my own arms than hurt a single purple hair on her head. I'll look after her. ~ Ella Frank

It was nice to meet you, Mila. Thank you for saving my life. ~ Courtney Cole

The whole Kardashian family, they have a bunch of energy. ~ Ryan Lochte

Luca scoffed. "Wolves never change."
"Excuse me?" Ryan demanded.
"All about instant gratification. Reacting purely on instinct and engaging in mindless acts of violence and sex."
"Like vampires are any different. Oh, accept for the fact that my boys don't kill those they fuck. Vampires get off on having a life in their hands, the power of draining their victim's life force. Wolves revel in life. You are death and you breed only death. ~ Franca Storm

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) the President of the United States is authorized to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal of appropriate design to the family of the late Honorable Leo J. Ryan in recognition of his distinguished service as a Member of Congress and the fact of his untimely death by assassination while performing his responsibilities as a Member of the United States House of Representatives. ~ Leo Ryan

I keep in too many of the words I need to let out. And then I let out too many of the words I need to keep in. ~ Cole Harmonson

The ultimate 20-year plan is to be living in the Caribbean, writing, living off the land, eating from the ocean and probably smoking herb. ~ Ryan Phillippe

How could I close you out when I never let you in? ~ Kresley Cole

I thought I heard Delia calling for help.Once I stepped inside,I was able to follow the sound of her voice."
"Apparently you had some angels on your side,Delia."
"Angels? More like demons,sending me flying like this. ~ R.C. Ryan

I don't know how to let go of the woman she used to be, and I'm not sure I want to. The crazy truth is, I'm in love with them both, and I'm slowly losing my mind trying to make sense of it. ~ Carian Cole

Life changes. It's usually in the blink of an eye. One minute everything's fine, if not stagnant; then, it's not. But your character's not defined by what happens to you but by how you respond to those emotionally significant events. Who will you become when your life turns on a dime? ~ Bobby Cole

I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I've dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate. ~ Kenneth Cole

It's not just the players, it's the culture. Sometimes it's the people around them; the people who are looking after them - the money they're given. Some of the families give up their jobs and live off their sons. That would never have happened 10 years ago. ~ Ryan Giggs

There are just some things that you can't deny. ~ Zachary Cole Smith

You don't have to submerge. Just take a D.I.P. in Daily Incremental Progress. ~ Ryan Lilly

I am the way I am. We all are the way we are and I'm not sure any of us really knows why. ~ Catherine Ryan Hyde

He jerked back. "What is this? Be like you were with me the other times! When you melted for me."
"That was before I fully understood what a nasty piece of work you are."
"Because of a few shifter beheadings? Come on, Lizvetta, it's not as if I went around cock-slapping gnomes."
Her jaw dropped. ~ Kresley Cole

There's more to the world than logic. ~ Olivia A. Cole

But as always he didn't want to burden any of them with his shit. He'd hidden his real feelings about just about everything for as long as he could remember. ~ Scarlett Cole

I speculate that the genesis of the chicken-joke lies in some situation such as the one illustrated above, but over time the original context of the joke was lost, which left the chicken sadly decontextualized. ~ Ryan North

Come on," he said, and then dragged me toward the house.
I stopped when we got to the porch. "What is that smell?"
Ryan sniffed his shirt and with a smile said, "Armani. You like it?"
"Not you," I said. "It smells like someone is frying up dog vomit in your house." This took Ryan by surprise. I guess it was pretty random. "You're
really sick sometimes, Baker," Ryan said. "You know that? ~ Kelly Oram

How does it feel when I kiss you?" he asked.
"It feels like I have everything I need, everything I ever desired. Your touch awakens me, your warmth protects me, because you, Ryan Lawson, are my haven," I said, looking him straight in his alluring, hypnotizing eyes. ~ Sana Khatri

When I ride a horse, it just makes my blood wiggle! [Cole, age 5] ~ Kim Meeder