People who can’t see without glasses should wear them.
—Malcolm S. Forbes (1919–1990) American Publisher, Businessperson
Each person must live their life as a model for others.
—Rosa Parks (1913–2005) American Civil Rights Leader
I learned the most important lesson of my life: that the extraordinary is not the birthright of a chosen and privileged few, but of all people, even the humblest. That is my one certainty: we are all the manifestation of the divinity of God.
—Paulo Coelho (b.1947) Brazilian Songwriter, Novelist
Life is a shit sandwich. But if you’ve got enough bread, you don’t taste the shit.
—Jonathan Winters (b.1925) American Comedian, Film Personality, TV Personality
‘Tis very certain the desire of life prolongs it.
—Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron) (1788–1824) English Romantic Poet
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
—Unknown
You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American First Lady, Diplomat, Humanitarian
Hold on to the center and make up your mind to rejoice in this paradise called life.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard. But if you’re willing to do what’s hard, life will be easy.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
There is a life that is worth living now as it was worth living in the former days, and that is the honest life, the useful life, the unselfish life, cleansed by devotion to an ideal. There is a battle worth fighting now as it was worth fighting then, and that is the battle for justice and equality: to make our city and our state free in fact as well as in name; to break the rings that strangle real liberty, and to keep them broken; to cleanse, so far as in our power lies, the fountains of our national life from political, commercial, and social corruption; to teach our sons and daughters, by precept and example, the honor of serving such a country as America. That is work worthy of the finest manhood and womanhood.
—Henry van Dyke Jr. (1852–1933) American Author, Educator, Clergyman
If I tell you that I would be disobeying the god and on that account it is impossible for me to keep quiet, you won’t be persuaded by me, taking it that I am ionizing. And if I tell you that it is the greatest good for a human being to have discussions every day about virtue and the other things you hear me talking about, examining myself and others, and that the unexamined life is not livable for a human being, you will be even less persuaded.
—Socrates (469BCE–399BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher
Fortune leaves always some door open to come at a remedy.
—Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) Spanish Novelist
The dream crossed twilight between birth and dying.
—T. S. Eliot (1888–1965) American-born British Poet, Dramatist, Literary Critic
We feel in one world, we think and name in another. Between the two we can set up a system of references, but we cannot fill the gap.
—Marcel Proust (1871–1922) French Novelist
We automatically give to each person we meet, but we choose what we give. Our words, our actions, must consciously set the stage for the life we wish to lead.
—Marlo Morgan (1937–98) American Novelist, Author
Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men-above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received. My peace of mind is often troubled by the depressing sense that I have borrowed too heavily from the work of other men.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
God writes a lot of comedy… the trouble is, he’s stuck with so many bad actors who don’t know how to play funny.
—Garrison Keillor (b.1942) American Author, Humorist, Radio Personality
I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot…And I missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is precisely…Why I succeed.
—Michael Jordan (b.1963) American Sportsperson, Businessperson
When you cling, life is destroyed; when you hold on to anything, you cease to live.
—Anthony de Mello (1931–87) Indian-born American Theologian
Great merit, or great failings, will make you respected or despised; but trifles, little attentions, mere nothings, either done or neglected, will make you either liked or disliked in the general run of the world.
—Earl of Chesterfield (1694–1773) English Statesman, Man of Letters
I wanted to live deep and suck out all he marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swatch and shave close, to drive life into a corner and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it or if it were sublime to know it by experience and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
Whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich.
—Wallace Wattles (1860–1911) American New Thought Author
This is what is sad when one contemplates human life, that so many live out their lives in quiet lostness… they live, as it were, away from themselves and vanish like shadows. Their immortal souls are blown away, and they are not disquieted by the question of its immortality, because they are already disintegrated before they die.
—Soren Kierkegaard (1813–55) Danish Philosopher, Theologian
Take Time
Take time to work … it is the price of success.
Take time to think … it is the source of power.
Take time to play, … it is the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to read, … it is the foundation of wisdom.
Take time to be friendly, … it is the road to happiness.
Take time to dream, … it is hitching your wagon to a star.
Take time to love & be loved, … it is the privilege of the Gods.
Take time to look around … it is too short a day to be selfish.
Take time to laugh … it is the music of the soul.
—English Prayer
The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth. To make a goal of comfort or happiness has never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy, I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.
—Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) Bengali Poet, Polymath
Let’s set the record straight. Money is important! To say that it’s not as important as any other things in life is ludicrous. What’s more important, your arm or your leg? Could it be that both are important?
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
When life hands you a lemon, squeeze it and make lemonade.
—W. Clement Stone (1902–2002) American Self-help Guru, Entrepreneur
The powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.
—Walt Whitman (1819–92) American Poet, Essayist, Journalist, American, Poet, Essayist, Journalist
Everything I need to know is revealed to me. Everything I need comes to me. All is well in my life.
—Louise Hay (b.1926) American Author