15 Quotes That Breathe Life Into Me

This may be the only blog post I ever write that doesn’t start with a quote. Because, why would I start with a quote when in mere moments I am going to share with you lots of quotes?!

If you have been reading any of my other posts, or if you follow me at all, it should be quite obvious that I love quotes. (I have so, so many of them on a quote board on Pinterest..although, who doesn’t?!) I love quotes that embody my life. That tell me-at that given moment-what I should be doing, or feeling, or thinking. Quotes for me help put things into perspective. They help to qualify my life-as in, where I am now and where I want to be. I always have so many things swirling in my mind and it is incredible that more often than not, I come across something that someone has already said and it nails that instance for me. I mean, how do they do that?!

The other day a friend of mine sent me quote. She said she thought of me when she saw it and knew that I would appreciate it. It is actually going to be the first quote that I offer you and it is now, currently, saved in my images on my cellphone (where the rest of my life is saved in still moments).

I am really hoping that by sharing all of these quotes with you-and putting them all in one place-that you will find great inspiration from reading them. I also hope that you save some of these quotes when they speak to you, and that this article will be a place that you come back to again and again when you need to remind yourself of all that you are capable of and how magical you are as a human being.

1. “Each person has a uniqueness, a divine spark, a masterpiece within. Our job in life is to find what that uniqueness is and share it with the world.”

-George Mumford

So this is what she sent me. (And if it isn’t the truth!) I think we get so stuck in the mire and the muck of day-to-day living that we forget that we really CAN do anything we put our minds to. Haven’t you felt like you were made for something more? And it doesn’t just have to be what you have deemed is your money maker, or our career. You can have that and show some other facet of your being. OR, you can work until you are able to use that “other side” AS your money maker. The choice of how you live is yours to make.

2. “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in your way of your doing it.

The time will pass anyway.”

-Earl Nightingale

Here is an example of a quote that feels like it was written for me. I still struggle with this one. I don’t know how many times I have sabotaged myself (often when it comes to my eating or exercise routine) because “something” wasn’t happening fast enough. I wasn’t down enough pounds in the “allotted time”, or I still couldn’t run a complete 5k. SO, I might as well just stop. Becaaauuse, stopping was going to make me achieve it any faster?! Umm, no. Or because I had something better to do or implement? I mean, hello?! I am trying really hard to fix this element about myself. It is slow progress, but again, ‘the time will pass anyway’.

3. “The book to read is not the one that thinks for you, but the one that makes you think.”

-Harper Lee

Ohhhh the illustrious Harper Lee; I had to have a quote of hers on this list (as well as Roald Dahl, but we will get to him in a bit). Harper Lee and her text To Kill a Mockingbird has changed my life more times than I can count. It has changed my students’ lives, too. I teach this book every year, which means it is one of the only books that I continue to reread. If there is a soul on this planet that doesn’t know this story (first of all, shame on you!) and second of all, please read it. But let it suffice to say that it is a life-changing book about Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s and the racism that the deep south felt during that time. It is the perfect example of her quote, and her quote is absolutely something that I try to embody whenever it is time for my next book choice.

4. “You are under no obligation to be the same person you were a year, month, or even 15 minutes ago. You have the right to grow. No apologize.”

-Alan Watts

This should be obvious, but surprisingly I don’t think it is. Often times we feel bad for being “different” or representing ourselves differently than we have in the past. This especially happens if we begin to grow and change our circumstances for the better. Many times people don’t understand that (or want to understand that) because they are still stuck in the same spot they have been in. But you need to remember that you live for YOU, not them. So don’t apologize; instead, just grow.

5. “Do things that make you happy, within the confines of the legal system.”

-Ellen DeGeneres

I write a lot about happiness (I mean, the tagline for this blog is Health and Happiness), and this is another lesson that I am slowly learning. I really greatly care about being judged or having people think poorly of me-so much so that as a child I shied away from anything that made me stand out. That meant that if all my friends weren’t playing the sport, then I wasn’t going to either. And if it wasn’t the “popular” thing to do, then I would probably not do it. I look back now and scoff at myself, but at the same time, I still harbor some of those feelings now and I am much older than I was then. But I am trying to remember that it is my life and it is up to me how I live it (as long as it is done kindly). So, if I want to be a blogger and people raise an eyebrow at me, so be it!

6. “Be a girl with a mind, a woman with attitude, and a lady with class.”

-Anonymous

I suppose this is not very helpful for my male readers-I am sorry for that-but this is too good not to share. Raising two daughters makes me very cognizant of who I hope they will be later in life and the messages I am sending as they grow. I want my daughters to think; be independent and reliant on themselves; and to trust their own judgements. I want them to have an attitude if needed. But ONLY if needed. I am not raising my girls to second guess themselves or to lay down for someone else because they are sure that someone else must be better or know more. I want them to be strong. But here is the capstone to all of this-I want them to have class. Be appropriate, be professional, and for goodness sake, be respectful.

7. “I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life .. if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it, and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.”

-Roald Dahl

I told you he would appear! I use Roald Dahl often in my daily life. Being an English teacher I am in-love with works written by him. He actually graces my syllabus for my students every year. This quote is just one example of profound thinking that I love to mull around in. I also feel there is a secondary piece to his quote which is to remember that it is okay to plow full steam ahead. Being excited about life and your passions and your desires is the only way to be.

8. “I’m sorry if you don’t like my honesty. But to be fair, I don’t like your lies.”

-Unknown

I cannot, cannot, cannot stand people who are fake. It is a very large pet peeve of mine. Most often-once I realize that is who they are-I don’t have anything to do with them anymore. That is how strongly I feel about this negative trait. I don’t need someone to be cruel, but I certainly need someone who is truthful. The people in my life need to be people who will say things to my face as opposed to behind my back. Those people I have no use for. I can remember my mom always telling me that the one thing she disliked more than anything was lying, and that seems to have been passed down to me. So I make a special point to say only things that I would if you were standing in front of me; things that I will stand behind, and things that are always truthful. That means that I expect the same from anyone else that is in my life.

9. “I literally have to remind myself all the time, that being afraid of things going wrong isn’t the way to make things go right.”

-Reachel Raxy

Ohhhh yes, speak to me Ms. Raxy. I am a worrywart. I am certain that if something is going wrong, then it is catastrophically going wrong. I am also certain that it probably will go wrong (because why wouldn’t it) or at least the likelihood is much greater than it going right. This is especially true with my kids. I try to keep my demons away regarding them but it is really hard! I worry horribly about them-both about made-up threats and threats that are real. And sometimes it really does feel like if I worry things won’t go well, then hopefully the opposite will happen. Kind of like if you are too cocky and too sure then the universe will shut you down for it. So I spend my time being pessimistic or worried so that it won’t think I am egotistical. (Because this makes any sense at all.) However, the sentiment is true-just because you are worried it won’t go right, won’t make the end result positive. Instead, leave the worrying for someone else and for some other time. It doesn’t do you a bit of good.

10. “No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.”

-Confucius

Books are my passion and love of life. They always have been. When I find out that someone doesn’t like to read, it legitimately hurts my soul and also begs the question, how?! It befuddles me to no end and makes me beyond sad for them and all that they are missing. Of course they don’t understand any of that and they simply think I am nutty. But I know better. I truly do feel that someone who doesn’t read or acquire knowledge in some way [from written words] has simply opted for ‘self-chosen ignorance’. I can’t help it. However, I at least know that will never be me.

11. “Do not chase people. Work hard and be you. The right people who belong in your life will come find you and stay. Do your thing.”

-Will Smith

I’ve had a lot of turnover in my life, as I am sure most of us have. Some people who were my best friends for periods of time, I am no longer in contact with. The same is true for some family who I don’t speak to often (if at all) anymore. Some of this comes from my family being relatively large and spread out in location as well as age. We aren’t a close family (never really have been) although my mom tried awfully hard when she was alive to get us to be. But once she passed away, the glue that she provided passed away with her. I was also that kid who moved around a lot when she was young. Never out of the state I still currently reside in, but I went to a different school in the middle of second grade, the middle of seventh grade, and the middle of my junior year of high school. That meant that keeping friends was challenging, so this quote really speaks truth for me. The friends and family that were always meant to stay, have, and those that weren’t, didn’t. And both of those sentiments are okay.

12. “Being a geek means never having to play it cool about how much you like something.”

-Simon Pegg

YES! This is me! I love the genre science fiction; I love shows like Veronica Mars, Chuck, and Firefly; I like to spend hours reading; I married someone who is [in some ways] a bigger geek than me; I love to color code things..I can continue here if you like..This quote is just so fun and it gives you “permission” to like what you like with no justification needed. Just be you!

13. “Allow yourself to be a beginner. No one starts off being excellent.”

-Wendy Flynn

I would wager a guess that this is close to the number one reason why people quit things that they have started. Not because those things are hard, or because they are different, but because they feel like they should already know what they are doing. So they don’t ever allow for that down moment of learning the new task or the new skill. It is embarrassing if people don’t immediately see them doing it well, and they certainly wouldn’t want to be embarrassed. Even though this sentiment is normal, it’s just silly! Of course you are BAD at it! (Whatever ‘it’, is.) You have barely just begun. Give yourself some time. You won’t be Tiger Woods when you step on the green for the first time; you are allowed some grace for that. And NO it doesn’t mean that you should quit or give up before you even really get started. It means you should try harder and give yourself some time. In time, you may become better than Tiger Woods.

14. “Don’t underestimate the seductive power of a decent vocabulary.”

-Uknown

Oh yes. Speak loud, speak often, but speak well. Present yourself maturely and professionally and so many things will fall into place for you. (That’s it. That’s all I’ve got for you here.)

15. “A strong person is not the one who doesn’t cry. A strong person is one who is quiet and sheds tears for a moment, and then picks up her sword and fights again.”

-Missi Voltz

And last but not least, something that I think we can all relate to. The strong among us are the ones who continue to fight, who refuse to back down, and who show everyone what true power and strength is. It is only when we refuse to get back up that we truly fail and demonstrate weakness.

So what are you going to do with all of this? Are you going to use it to power your life for greater good? I certainly hope so! I hope you are the one who gets back up and starts fighting again. I hope you are the one who will take a quote or two from here and use it as a springboard, and put it into practice in your own life. And I hope that you work to make your life all that it is meant to be. Because I have no doubt, that it is supposed to be something wonderful.