It will spread and ruin long before it should is what I was talking about. A really good tattoo that's been done well with good lines and at the right size and at the right skin depth should last and be good for many, many years.

Any tattoo artist will tell you that you have to be careful that details aren't too small and that lines are far enough apart to allow for spread.

That reminds me of a f**kin horrible come-down the following day.

How about the Hebrew "shalom"

Read the wiki, it means more than simply "peace." It carries the idea of completeness, unbrokeness, wellbeing. It is a greeting and a farewell. It can be used as a noun, adjective, verb, or as an adverb. And it looks cool. If I ever get a tat...that is what it will be.

I think first you need to decide on what type of symbols you like. Be it Norse, Druid, Chinese, Hindu, Native American, Egyptian, Celtic, or one the hundreds of other type of symbols.

Research them till you find one that you feel a special connection to. Ultimately, it will be the tattoo itself that will serve as a reminder of the things you stated, not the meaning of the symbol itself.

I'd also say the more simple the design, the better.

Not that it really fits your theme or anything, but I had an English teacher with a tattoo on her wrist — "Nevermore"

Which is kinda a cool concept, when you think about it a bit. Perhaps there is one iconic word you could use in this way?

Om mani padme hum

I want this tattoed on me, for myself.

Meditation, Patience, Discipline, Wisdom, Generosity, and Diligence.

A page with alot more information!

-OM purifies the veils of body;
-MA purifies the veils of speech;
-NI purifies the veils of mind;
-PAD purifies the veils of conflicting emotions;
ME purifies the veils of latent conditioning;
-HUNG purifies the veil that covers knowledge

If you were comfortable putting a reference to the Judeo-Christian Bible on your arm, I would suggest 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. It seems to pretty well include all of the ideas you wanted to represent.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."

I don't really want any words (in any language) tattooed on me though. I want more of a design that will always remind me to be courteous and considerate and understanding and whatnot. I guess it could be a flower or a bird or anything. I guess it could even just be a small black 'X' as long as it reminds me of how I want to be.

Ironically enough, I thought about that passage when I was typing the original post.

You could always get an Adrinka symbol. They're very beautiful west african symbols.


look through some of them there. I think you'll enjoy them. I have this one on my back:

It means "Loves never loses its way home"

You might also check out this site. I own the book, but it's handy to have the online resource as well.

I stumbled upon this site when I mistyped the previous url.

A tattoo of a condom pretty much covers all the items on your list.

Not to threadjack too much but I've been wanting to get a tattoo of the Zelda Sword and Shield for a long time now. Just not sure where I want it. I'm thinking calf area?

Bornbad!

couldn't it simply be a tiny heart?

in a light color....so it would be like your own special thing and not be SUPER visible...Something sort of "ghosty" so when you need to have those virtues the most you'll look down, and it will catch your eye...not something really flashy because if you see it all the time it wont mean as much when you really need it

i dont know...

sorry... am i reading too deep into this?..