I unashamedly love quotes!
Plus, I love the pics creative people do with quotes on them. You can google pretty much any quote you like and you’ll most likely find a great corresponding image. (many are copyright so be mindful of this if you intend sharing and credit the creator when possible).
I love quotes, obviously because there’s some age old wisdoms in them, but also because they’re a quick and simple way to remind me of my daily intentions.
I keep my favourites in Photos on my phone and iPad for quick reference (I click on one that catches my eye each morning) but if you were to get creative you could make a great collage for your wall with your favourites.
Some quotes are timeless classics from long ago, passed down through the ages and used by who knows how many people to inspire, educate and bring wisdom to daily lives. Some are from relative newcomers with messages more particular to the modern times we live in. They can be a valuable tool for helping to live with more peace and happiness in your days.
Here’s a few of my all time favourites.
“Wherever you go, there you are”. I first heard this quote sometime in the early 80’s when listening to a recording of US Counsellor Earnie Larsen and I found it quite enlightening. Mindfulness expert, John Kabat-Zinn, wrote a book with the same title. I love the quote because it reminds me that no matter what we change in our outer life, if we don’t change our thinking, attitudes and behaviours, we’ll stay the same.
“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn”. Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (amongst many others) was a strong, compassionate woman who stood up for women’s rights and took action against slavery, amongst other injustices of the time. The book reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the US and Great Britain. Her quote reminds me to never give up on what I deem my worthwhile projects and goals, while remaining true to my values, no matter what. What you’re pursuing could be just about to come to fruition!
“Set peace of mind as your highest goal and organise your life around it”. This quote from Brian Tracey always reminds me to consciously choose peace. Peace in my thinking, peace in my surroundings and peace in my daily work and recreation activities. It’s not always possible to have peaceful surroundings, particularly if you live or work in a busy, crowded area, but peace of mind is always possible. When I began meditating daily in the 1970’s I started to realise I wanted to move somewhere quieter and I wanted to work peacefully from, or close to my home so I set my goals accordingly and achieved both a few years later. I became a Meditation teacher to help others but also to do peaceful work myself. As I taught, I was meditating myself and in peaceful surroundings.
‘What you think of me is none of my business’.
Quoted first (I think) by Eleanor Roosevelt. It doesn’t matter one bit what others think of you – it’s how you think of yourself that’s important. If you live your life constantly trying to impress others and get everyone to like you, you’ll most likely be feeling pretty exhausted and frustrated because some people will like you, some won’t and some won’t care either way. That’s a given.
“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while”. From Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and other best sellers. This quote reminds me to be consistent. In life and in business it’s wise to form a habit of doing things consistently rather than a flurry of activity for awhile, then nothing. Little and often is something I pay attention to, as even doing a little of the specific actions towards what you’re aiming for each day will bring the desired result. Of course if you want to make more speedy progress, do more – but do it daily, not just every now and again.
“It’s not a matter of letting go – you would if you could. Instead of ‘let it go’, we should probably say ‘let it be”. This quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn makes total sense to me. For years I couldn’t understand how to ‘let it go’ as I kept thinking but where does ‘it’ go. No matter how much I tried to deal with it, let it go, not dwell on it, forget it etc ‘it’ kept coming back. I ended up thinking I was doing something wrong because I couldn’t totally let it go. When I read Jon Kabat-Zinn’s writings, it made perfect sense to ‘let it be’. In other words (mine, not his), don’t dwell on it. Recognise it, accept it without judgement and move on. A much more peaceful way to live.
“I welcome wholeheartedly, whatever arises, having given up the idea that things should be other than what they are”.
This quote is following up on ‘let it be’. I heard it first from Kadampa Melbourne’s Gen Kelsang Dornying but I think it was originally coined by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, the founder of the New Kadampa Tradition International.
This quote brings me a great deal of peace as I’m no longer ‘fighting’ with myself over what I think should or shouldn’t be, or happen. What a relief it is to know I can choose to ‘let it be’. If someone says or does something I don’t like, I notice that if I accept it, as it is, (I don’t have to like it, just accept it) I can then decide calmly, if I want to say something – or not. I used to re-act and now I respond if I want to, but since paying attention to this quote, I’ve noticed there’s so many things that don’t really require my input and the things that do, I go about it calmly, peacefully and more clearly focussed, without hurting myself or others. A particularly helpful skill to have on social media!
“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”
I’ve learnt so much from Buddhist Monk and Teacher Thich Nhat Hahn and those teachings have made an enormous positive difference to my life and well-being. I use the first part of the quote as a mantra when starting my daily meditations. As we learn to practice coming back to the breath and grounding, anchoring ourselves right in this moment, life becomes so much simpler and easier. Pent up anger starts to melt away and we become more at peace with ourselves and our circumstances and the situations around us. Being fully present in the moment also brings more joy and happiness as we worry less and appreciate this precious life more.
“True commitment begins when we reach the point of not knowing how we can possibly go on, and decide to do it anyway”.
I’ve no idea who quoted this but I found it on a little business card about 30 years ago. There was no name on it, just the quote and I’ve kept it ever since and used it often.
I’ve learnt that if it’s in line with my values (good for humans, animals and the earth) and something I truly believe in – I don’t give up. Even when things have been really difficult, I’ve managed to hang in there and keep making progress, one day at a time. Ask yourself ‘is it a worthwhile goal?’ If yes, don’t give up and if no, find something else that is.
‘Progress, Not Perfection’.
Winston Churchill quoted something similar but many have adapted it ever since. This was a huge lesson for me and still is at times. Take time each day to acknowledge and recognised your progress, even if it’s only small. Because I was often in a state of over excitement to get ‘there’, I used to push myself too hard (that’s self bullying!) and beat myself up for not being good enough by my standards. I measured my success against other people’s achievements and that’s deadly as I often felt inadequate. Needless to say, I experienced burn out many times throughout the years. These days I set goals and gently work on them enthusiastically but calmly, without bossing myself around and guess what – it’s now much a more fun and way more enjoyable process.
“All That You Used to Avoid Will Bring You Great Sweetness and Exceeding Joy”
I don’t know who coined this actual quote but it was kindly sent to my husband from a colleague in USA via old fashioned mail system in the early 90’s. (so nice!) Humans are great at avoiding pain and uncomfortable feelings, but if we learn to accept this as part of life, we find more suitable ways to continue to choose the type of life we want to live and gently move through our fears. Avoid and it rarely happens – accept and embrace all feelings and states of being and great joy will more than likely follow.
“This Too Shall Pass”.
What a wonderful phrase to remember, especially when we’re facing difficult situations. Slow your breathing and calmly repeat this to yourself regularly. Having experienced a great deal of pain and illness (mental and physical) in my life, this phrase has been invaluable. If you’d like to know where or who started it, google it – it’s been used by many through the ages.
And of course, the quote below from C. S. Lewis pretty much says it all. 😀❤️
Find your favourite meaningful quotes (or make up your own) and start your day with the intention of the quote and Every Day Gets Better.
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