He was always leaning forward, pushing something invisible ahead of him.
—James Thurber
Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.
—James Allen (1864–1912) British Philosophical Writer
If you don’t get everything you want, think of the things you don’t get that you don’t want.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
—Anthony J. D’Angelo
Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
Happy the man who has learned the cause of things and has put under his feet all fear, inexorable fate, and the noisy strife of the hell of greed.
—Virgil (70–19 BCE) Roman Poet
Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
What does not destroy me makes me stronger.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
What’s the good of dragging up sufferings which are over, of being unhappy now just because you were then.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.
—Zig Ziglar (1926–2012) American Author
Why not learn to enjoy the little things—there are so many of them.
—Unknown
Bless a thing and it will bless you. Curse it and it will curse you… If you bless a situation, it has no power to hurt you, and even if it is troublesome for a time, it will gradually fade out, if you sincerely bless it.
—Emmet Fox (1886–1951) Irish-American New Thought Leader
Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping him up.
—Jesse Jackson (b.1941) American Baptist Civil Rights Activist, Minister
Those who believe that they are exclusively in the right are generally those who achieve something.
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) English Humanist, Pacifist, Essayist, Short Story Writer, Satirist
Nothing can go wrong in this world but yourself ; and you can go wrong only by getting into the wrong mental attitude.
—Wallace Wattles (1860–1911) American New Thought Author
The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations. It falls to the level of its unchastened desires – and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.
—James Allen (1864–1912) British Philosophical Writer
Got no checkbooks, got no banks,
Still I’d like to express my thanks –
I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.
—Irving Berlin (1888–1989) American Songwriter, Composer
We go on fancying that each person is thinking of us, but they are not; they are like the rest of us—they are thinking of themselves.
—Charles Reade (1814–84) English Novelist, Playwright
Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.
—Lou Holtz (1893–1980) American Stage Performer
If we shall take the good we find, asking no questions, we shall have heaping measures.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather.
—Washington Irving (1783–1859) American Essayist, Biographer, Historian
I would rather be first in a little Iberian village than second in Rome.
—Julius Caesar (c.100–44BCE) Roman Statesman, Military General
Everyone is given the key to the gates of Heaven. The same key opens the gates of Hell.
—Latin Proverb
Without constancy there is neither love, friendship, nor virtue in the world.
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719) English Essayist, Poet, Playwright, Politician
Happiness doesn’t depend on the actual number of blessings we manage to scratch from life, only our attitude towards them.
—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008) Russian Dissident Novelist
I think luck is the sense to recognize an opportunity and the ability to take advantage of it. Everyone has bad breaks, but everyone also has opportunities. The man who can smile at his breaks and grab his chances gets on.
—Samuel Goldwyn (1879–1974) Polish-born American Film Producer, Businessperson
In all the work we do, our most valuable asset can be the attitude of self-examination. It is forgivable to make mistakes, but to stand fast behind a wall of self-righteousness and make the same mistake twice is not forgivable.
—Dale Turner (1917–2006) American Priest, Columnist, Epigrammist
The place one’s in, though, doesn’t make any contribution to peace of mind: it’s the spirit that makes everything agreeable to oneself.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Your attitude is an expression of your values, beliefs and expectations.
—Brian Tracy (b.1944) American Author, Motivational Speaker
Don’t say, “If I could, I would”. Say, “If I can, I will”.
—Jim Rohn (1930–2009) American Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker