Our moments of inspiration are not lost though we have no particular poem to show for them; for those experiences have left an indelible impression, and we are ever and anon reminded of them.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.
—Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803) German Critic, Poet, Philosopher
Example is not the main thing in influencing others—it’s the only thing.
—Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) French Theologian, Philosopher, Musician, Physician
No leader can be too far ahead of his followers.
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American First Lady, Diplomat, Humanitarian
Set Your Goals High Enough To Inspire You And Low Enough To Encourage You.
—Unknown
The greatest inspiration is often born of desperation.
—Comer Cottrell (1931–2014) American Entrepreneur
The inspiration of the almighty gives man understanding.
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith
Great men are the guideposts and landmarks in the state.
—Edmund Burke (1729–97) British Philosopher, Statesman
The best way to inspire fresh thoughts is to seal the envelope.
—Indian Proverb
While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.
—Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) American Head of State
I learned that a great leader is a man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don’t want to do and like it.
—Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) American Head of State
A man is not as big as his belief in himself;
he is as big as the number of persons who believe in him.
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) American Head of State
Inspiration: There is no man upon the earth, no foolish man or wise, No man of high or humble birth but somewhere in the skies Can find a star to lead him on if he will lift his eyes.
—Unknown
Had it not been for you, I should have remained what I was when we first met, a prejudiced, narrow-minded being, with contracted sympathies and false knowledge, wasting my life on obsolete trifles, and utterly insensible to the privilege of living in this wondrous age of change and progress.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
Whatever a poet writes with enthusiasm and a divine inspiration is very fine. Earliest reference to the madness or divine inspiration of poets.
—Democritus (c.460–c.370 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher
The glow of inspiration warms us; it is a holy rapture.
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) (c.43 BCE–c.18 CE) Roman Poet
There is new strength, repose of mind, and inspiration in fresh apparel.
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919) American Poet, Journalist
In life you need either inspiration or desperation.
—Tony Robbins (b.1960) American Self-Help Author, Entrepreneur
An idea ran back and forward in his head like a blind man, knocking over the solid furniture.
—Unknown
Inspiration is needed in geometry, just as much as in poetry.
—Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) Russian Poet
Human affairs inspire in noble hearts only two feelings—admiration or pity.
—Anatole France (1844–1924) French Novelist
Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with. He cannot inflame the minds of his audience.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
Inspiration never arrived when you were searching for it.
—Lisa Alther (b.1944) American Novelist, Short Story Writer
Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
When I’m inspired, I get excited because I can’t wait to see what I’ll come up with next.
—Dolly Parton (b.1946) American Musician, Actress
The Past: Our cradle, not our prison; there s danger as well as appeal in its glamour. The past is for inspiration, not imitation, for continuation, not repetition.
—Israel Zangwill (1864–1926) English Playwright, Novelist, Zionist Activist
I know the Bible is inspired, because it finds me at greater depths of my being than any other book.
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) English Poet, Literary Critic, Philosopher
To the artist is sometimes granted a sudden, transient insight which serves in this matter for experience. A flash, and where previously the brain held a dead fact, the soul grasps a living truth! At moments we are all artists.
—Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) British Novelist, Playwright, Critic
In such a regime, I say, you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murderer in the chest—without asking to be paid.
—Chinua Achebe (1930–2013) Nigerian Novelist, Poet
Clear writers, like clear fountains, do not seem so deep as they are; the turbid seem the most profound.
—Walter Savage Landor (1775–1864) English Writer, Poet
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