Inspirational. Motivational. Captivating. Whether you’re looking for some inspiration, comfort, or motivation, you’ll find just what you’re looking for. Enjoy!
*Please Note: The following quotations are not my own, but rather a collection of my favorite quotes that I’ve gathered over the years. *This post will be updated regularly.
Inspiration
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Babe Ruth
“Beginnings are usually scary. Endings are usually sad. But, it’s everything in between that makes life worthwhile.”
“There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So, love the people who treat you right. Think good thoughts for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy.”
“We worry about tomorrow like its promised.”
“Take time to do what makes your soul happy.”
“The past can hurt. But, the way I see it is, you can either run from it or learn from it.” – Lion King
“People are going to judge you whether you do what you want or what they want. Live for yourself.”
“Let your smile change the world, but don’t let the world change your smile.”
“Never let the things you want, make you forget the things you have.”
“Things To Remember:
Kindness is free.
Everyone’s journey is different.
Gossiping is toxic.
Nothing ever stays the same.
Alone time is good for the soul.”
“Never get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life.”
“Those who can’t change their minds, can’t change anything.”
“A beautiful day, begins with a beautiful mindset.”
“Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.”
“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. Ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” – Winston Churchill
“I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things.” – Mother Theresa
“Let your faith be bigger than your fear.”
“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” – F.S. Fitzgerald
“God’s 3 answers to prayer: yes, not yet, I have something better in mind.”
“Don’t worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright.” – Bob Marley
“Once upon a time you were a little girl with big dreams that you promised you’d make real one day. Don’t disappoint yourself.”
“You often feel tired, not because you’ve done too much, but because you’ve done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
“Everything’s a risk. Not doing anything is a risk. It’s up to you.”
“Trust God even when you don’t understand His timing. Everything happens for a reason. Everything works out the way it is meant to.”
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent
“Many people think patience is a sign of weakness. I think that is a mistake. It is anger that is a sign of weakness whereas patience is a sign of strength.”
21 Suggestions for Success By H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
- Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
- Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.
- Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
- Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
- Be forgiving of yourself and others.
- Be generous.
- Have a grateful heart.
- Persistence, persistence, persistence.
- Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
- Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
- Commit yourself to constant improvement.
- Commit yourself to quality.
- Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
- Be loyal.
- Be honest.
- Be a self-starter.
- Be decisive even if it means you’ll sometimes be wrong.
- Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
- Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
- Take good care of those you love.
- Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud.
Character & Integrity
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Dr. Suess
“Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody.”
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
“The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character.”
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain
“Treat people the way you want to be treated. Respect is earned, not given.”
“Integrity: Choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.”
“The way people treat you is a statement of who they are as a human being. It’s not a statement about you.”
“Confidence is not ‘they’ll like me’. Confidence is ‘I’ll be fine if they don’t’.”
“Stand up for what is right, even if you stand alone.”
“Life is very short. Insecurity is a waste of time.”
“Open minded people embrace being wrong, are free of illusions, don’t mind what people think of them and question everything, even themselves.”
“Judging a person doesn’t define who they are. It defines who you are.”
Love
“Our job is to love people. When it hurts. When it’s awkward. When it’s uncool and embarrassing. Our job is to stand together, to carry the burdens of one another and to meet each other in our questions.”
“Love doesn’t make the world go round. It’s what makes the ride worthwhile.”
“Marriage is about becoming a team. You’re going to spend the rest of your life learning about each other, and every now and then, things blow up. But the beauty of marriage is that if you picked the right person and you both love each other, you’ll always figure out a way to get through it” – Nicholas Sparks
“He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can. He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect for more than he can give. Don’t analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.” – Bob Marley
“You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She’s not perfect—you aren’t either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break—her heart. So don’t hurt her, don’t change her, don’t analyze and don’t expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there.” – Bob Marley
“They didn’t agree on much. In fact, they didn’t agree on anything. They fought all the time and challenged each other ever day. But despite their differences, they had one important thing in common. They were crazy about each other.” – Nicholas Sparks
“What’s a soul mate? Well, it’s like a best friend, but more. It’s the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else. It’s someone who makes you a better person. Actually, they don’t make you a better person, you do that yourself because they inspire you. A soul mate is someone who you carry with you forever. It’s the one person who knew you and accepted you and believed in you before anyone else did or when no one else would. And no matter what happens, you’ll always love her.” – Dawson’s Creek
“We accept the love we think we deserve. Just remember that.”
The Journey
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” – Maya Angelou
“If you don’t have time for the things that matter, stop doing the things that don’t.”
“We’re all just walking each other home.”
“The winds that sometimes take something we love, are the same that bring us something we learn to love. Therefore we should not cry about something that was taken from us, but, yes, love what we have been given. Because what is really ours is never gone forever.”
“An amazing thing happens when you get honest with yourself and start doing what you love, what makes you happy. Your life literally slows down. You stop wishing for the weekend. You stop merely looking forward to special events. You begin to live in each moment and you start feeling like a human being. You just ride the wave that is life, with this feeling of contentment and joy. You move fluidly, steadily, calm and graceful. A veil is lifted, and a whole new perspective is born.”
“No one is going to stand up at your funeral and say, ‘she had a really expensive couch and great shoes’. Don’t make life about stuff.”
“What you give on earth is what you take in heaven.”
“I didn’t realize we were making memories, I just knew we were having fun.”
Understanding People
“If we judge people, we have no time to love them.” – Mother Theresa
“Forgiveness doesn’t excuse their behavior. Forgiveness prevents their behavior from destroying your heart.”
“The people in your life should be a source of reducing stress, not causing it.”
“You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter.” – Nicholas Sparks
“Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.”
“It happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you’ve known forever don’t see things the way you do. So you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.” – Nicholas Sparks
“Understand this: You can sound confident and have anxiety. You can look healthy, but feel like shit. You can look happy and be miserable inside. You can be good looking and feel ugly. So be kind, because every person is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”
“You can’t control how other people receive your energy. Anything you do or say gets filtered through the lens of whatever they are going through at that moment, which is not about you. Just keep doing your thing with as much integrity and love as possible.”
“Stop crossing oceans for people who wouldn’t even jump in puddles for you.”
“Can we please stop associating being a good person with how much you’re willing to suffer in silence for other people? You can be a kind person and still say “no, I don’t have the time/energy to help you with that.” You can be a kind person and still say “this makes me uncomfortable, please stop.” You can be a kind person and still say “I disagree and here’s why.” You can be kind and still say “I’m not okay with this.” Being kind is about treating people with kindness and respect, not about being the human equivalent of a doormat.”
“Don’t be impressed by money, followers, degrees, and titles. Be impressed by kindness, integrity, humility, and generosity.”
“If they don’t want you, you don’t need them.”
“When a person tells you that you hurt them, you don’t get to decide that you didn’t.”
“When other people treat you poorly, keep being you. Don’t ever let someone else’s bitterness change who you are.”
Our Earth
“I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.” – Mother Teresa
“The greatest threat to our planet is that someone else will save it.” – Robert Swan
“We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
Beauty
“Beauty isn’t about having a pretty face. It is about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart, and most importantly, a beautiful soul.”
“Beautiful people are not always good, but good people are always beautiful.”
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
“Beauty is being the best possible version of yourself.”
“Every woman is beautiful, it just takes the right man to see it.”
Parenting & Children
“Your influence as a mother is powerful. Little eyes are watching you. Don’t waste it.”
“Yelling silences the message. Speak quietly so children can hear your words, not just your voice.”
“Love your parents. We are so busy growing up, we often forget they are also growing old.”
“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” – Margaret Mead
“If I Had To Raise My Child Over Again” by Diana Loomans
If I had my child to raise over again,
I’d finger paint more, and point the finger less.
I’d do less correcting, and more connecting.
I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.
I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I’d run through more fields, and gaze at more stars.
I’d do more hugging, and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I’d teach less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love.
It matters not whether my child is big or small,
From this day forth, I’ll cherish it all.
“Children Learn What They Live” by Dorothy Law Nolte
If children live with criticism, They learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, They learn to fight.
If children live with ridicule, They learn to be shy.
If children live with shame, They learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, They learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, They learn to be patient.
If children live with praise, They learn to appreciate.
If children live with acceptance, They learn to love.
If children live with approval, They learn to like themselves.
If children live with honesty, They learn truthfulness.
If children live with security, They learn to have faith in themselves and others.
If children live with friendliness, They learn the world is a nice place in which to live.”
A Letter to Daughter (A letter everyone needs to read now)
Dear Cutie-Pie,
Recently, your mother and I were searching for an answer on Google. Halfway through entering the question, Google returned a list of the most popular searches in the world. Perched at the top of the list was “How to keep him interested.” It startled me. I scanned several of the countless articles about how to be sexy and sexual, when to bring him a beer versus a sandwich, and the ways to make him feel smart and superior. And I got angry.
Little One, it is not, has never been, and never will be your job to “keep him interested.” Little One, your only task is to know deeply in your soul — in that unshakeable place that isn’t rattled by rejection and loss and ego — that you are worthy of interest. (If you can remember that everyone else is worthy of interest also, the battle of your life will be mostly won. But that is a letter for another day.)
If you can trust your worth in this way, you will be attractive in the most important sense of the word: you will attract a boy who is both capable of interest and who wants to spend his one life investing all of his interest in you.
Little One, I want to tell you about the boy who doesn’t need to be kept interested, because he knows you are interesting:
I don’t care if he puts his elbows on the dinner table — as long as he puts his eyes on the way your nose scrunches when you smile. And then can’t stop looking.
I don’t care if he can’t play a bit of golf with me — as long as he can play with the children you give him and revel in all the glorious and frustrating ways they are just like you.
I don’t care if he doesn’t follow his wallet — as long as he follows his heart and it always leads him back to you.
I don’t care if he is strong — as long as he gives you the space to exercise the strength that is in your heart.
I couldn’t care less how he votes — as long as he wakes up every morning and daily elects you to a place of honor in your home and a place of reverence in his heart.
I don’t care about the color of his skin — as long as he paints the canvas of your lives with brushstrokes of patience, and sacrifice, and vulnerability, and tenderness.
I don’t care if he was raised in this religion or that religion or no religion — as long as he was raised to value the sacred and to know every moment of life, and every moment of life with you, is deeply sacred.
In the end, Little One, if you stumble across a man like that and he and I have nothing else in common, we will have the most important thing in common:
You.
Because in the end, Little One, the only thing you should have to do to “keep him interested” is to be you.
Your eternally interested guy,
Daddy
And a few last words for now…
Love your life. Take too many pictures, but don’t miss the moment. Run through the rain. Hug people. Tell them how much you love them. Better yet, show them how much you love them. Never stop smiling. Smile at random people on the street. Say hello. Forgo the gossip. Leave the judging to God. Do the right thing. Be kind. Begin your book today and don’t waste your life. You’ve only got one shot.