Poor people choose to play the role of the victim.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
People will teach you how to sell them if you’ll pay attention to the messages they send you.
—Unknown
I’ve always been interested in people, but I’ve never liked them.
—W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) British Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Playwright
The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) English Novelist
Your life is not just about you. It’s also about contributing to others. It’s about living true to your mission and reason for being here on this earth at this time. It’s about adding your piece of the puzzle to the world. Most people are so stuck in their egos that everything revolves around me, me, and more me. But if you want to be rich in the truest sense of the word, it can’t only be about you. It has to include adding value to other people’s lives.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, “All right, then, have it your way.”
—C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) Irish-born British Academic, Author, Literary Scholar
I am convinced we do not only love ourselves in others but hate ourselves in others too.
—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–99) German Philosopher, Physicist
Arrogant S.O.B.s run the world. A performer can never have too much self-confidence. The best in every field are likely to strike most people as irrationally confident, but that’s how they got to the top.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
Most people fail in life because they major in minor things.
—Tony Robbins (b.1960) American Self-Help Author, Entrepreneur
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
The world may be divided into people that read, people that write, people that think, and fox-hunters.
—William Shenstone (1714–63) British Poet, Landscape Gardener
Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.
—William Feather (1889–1981) American Publisher, Author
If all power is in the people, if there is no higher law than their will, and if by counting their votes, their will may be ascertained—then the people may entrust all their power to anyone, and the power of the pretender and the usurper is then legitimate. It is not to be challenged since it came originally from the sovereign people.
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974) American Journalist, Political Commentator, Writer
Those who are quite satisfied sit still and do nothing; those who are not quite satisfied are the sole benefactors of the world.
—Walter Savage Landor (1775–1864) English Writer, Poet
The fishing is best where the fewest go, and the collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone else is aiming for base hits. There is just less competition for bigger goals.
—Tim Ferriss (b.1977) American Self-help Author
For a warrior, to be inaccessible means that he touches the world around him sparingly. And above all, he deliberately avoids exhausting himself and others. He doesn’t use and squeeze people until they have shriveled to nothing, especially the people he loves.
—Carlos Castaneda (1925–98) Peruvian-born American Anthropologist, Author
An average man is too concerned with liking people or with being liked himself. A warrior likes, that’s all. He likes whatever or whomever he wants, for the hell of it.
—Carlos Castaneda (1925–98) Peruvian-born American Anthropologist, Author
The purpose of our lives is to add value to the people of this generation and those that follow.
—Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) American Inventor, Philosopher
When two or more people coordinate in a spirit of harmony and work toward a definite objective or purpose, they place themselves in a position, through the alliance, to absorb the power directly from the great storehouse of Infinite Intelligence.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven.
—Yiddish Proverb
We are the people our parents warned us about.
—Unknown
Look at the word responsibility—“response-ability”—the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.
—Stephen Covey (1932–2012) American Self-help Author
Effective people stay out of Quadrants III and IV because, urgent or not, they aren’t important. They also shrink Quadrant I down to size by spending more time in Quadrant II…Quadrant II is the heart of effective personal management.
—Stephen Covey (1932–2012) American Self-help Author
I do not care to belong to a club that accepts people like me.
—Groucho Marx (1890–1977) American Actor, Comedian, Singer
Overachievement is aimed at people who want to maximize their potential. And to do that, I insist you throw caution to the wind, ignore the pleas of parents, coaches, spouses, and bosses to be “realistic”. Realistic people do not accomplish extraordinary things because the odds against success stymie them. The best performers ignore the odds. I will show you that instead of limiting themselves to what’s probable, the best will pursue the heart-pounding, exciting, really big, difference-making dreams—so long as catching them might be possible.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
It is against the law to permit weak people to steal your strength. Never permit it.
—Vernon Howard (1918–92) American Spiritual Teacher, Philosopher
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
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. Give your dreams all you’ve got and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
People who refuse to take risks live with a feeling of dread that is far more severe than what they would feel if they took the risks necessary to make them less helpless—only they don’t know it!
—Susan Jeffers (1938–2012) American Psychologist, Self-Help Author
If you are discouraged it is a sign of pride, because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about other people’s opinions. Be humble and you will never be disturbed. Remember St. Aloysius, who said he would continue to play billiards even if he knew he was going to die. Do you play well? Sleep well? Eat well? These are duties. Nothing is small for God.
—Mother Teresa (1910–97) Roman Catholic Missionary, Nun
Some of the world’s greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible.
—Doug Larson (1926–2017) American Columnist
Rich people play the money game to win. Poor people play the money game to not lose.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
The people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history.
—Mao Zedong (1893–1976) Chinese Statesman
Poor and most middle-class people believe “If I have a lot of money, I could do what I want and I’d be a success”. Rich people understand, “If I become a successful person, I will be able to do what I need to do to have what I want, including a lot of money”.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
I love not rushing the process. Mind doesn’t shift until it does, and when it does shift, it’s right on time, not one second too late or too soon. People are like seeds waiting to sprout. We can’t be pushed ahead of our own understanding.
—Byron Katie (b.1942) American Speaker, Author
Getting people to like you is merely the other side of liking them.
—Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993) American Clergyman, Self-Help Author
Rich people believe in themselves. They believe in their value and in their ability to deliver it. Poor people don’t. That’s why they need “guarantees”.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
Rich people focus on what they want, while poor people focus on what they don’t want.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.
—Alice Walker (b.1944) American Novelist, Activist
I know some people say “Keep your eyes on the prize,” but I disagree. When your eyes are stuck on the prize, you’re going to keep stumbling and crashing into things. If you really want to get ahead, you’ve got to keep your eyes focused on the path.
—Russell Simmons (b.1957) American Music Promoter
Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Self-actualizing people have a deep feeling of identification, sympathy, and affection for human beings in general. They feel kinship and connection, as if all people were members of a single family.
—Abraham Maslow (1908–70) American Psychologist, Academic, Humanist
Are you willing to work sixteen hours a day? Rich people are. Are you willing to work seven days a week and five up most of your weekends? Rich people are. Are you willing to sacrifice seeing your family, your friends, and give up your recreations and hobbies? Rich people are. Are you willing to risk all your time, energy and start-up capital with no guarantee of returns? Rich people are.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
From now on, I want you to practice reframing other people’s negativity as a reminder of how not to be.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life.
—Steve Jobs (1955–2011) American Entrepreneur, Businessperson
It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
I hate the irreverent rabble and keep them far from me.
—Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BCE) Roman Poet
Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.
—Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–81) Russian Novelist, Essayist, Writer
Sad people dislike the happy, and the happy the sad; the quick thinking the sedate, and the careless the busy and industrious.
—Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BCE) Roman Poet