Quote that changed your life?

[PollyOR]

Is there a quote that has changed your life?

 

In one of the recent threads a poster paraphrased a quote that made a difference in the direction that her life took. I'm kicking myself for not writing it down. I may not come across it, but now I'm curious which quotes others have found motivational, etc.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share. :)

[milovany]

I'd have to go search for the exact wording, and author, but yes. It had to do with the Bible existing as a result of the Holy Spirit's working in the Church, not the Church existing as a result of the Bible's words. Not sure if I'm getting that down exactly right, but it pressed us into studying church history -- something we'd never done before and the nine of us converted from Protestantism to Orthodoxy last month because of what we believe now about the church. Our faith has become so rooted and rich as a result, and I'm so thankful for that.

Edited February 4, 2010 by milovaný

[3littlekeets]

Two for me

 

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. -- Joseph Campbell and

 

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. -- Roald Dahl

[MariannNOVA]

I wish she had told it to me years before that.

 

 

'the best you can hope for is ambivalence'

 

Opened my eyes.

[HerdingCats]

A bumper sticker on the back of a paralyzed woman's motorized wheelchair: "Misery is Optional"

[Heather in Neverland]

Something my mom gave me when I graduated high school....

 

"A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for."

[helena]

"The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time."

Abraham Lincoln

 

"Trust in Allah but tie up your camel"

Here is one of many explanations:

http://www.tomthumb.org/trustgod.shtml

[Rich with Kids]

Faith is a choice not a feeling.

 

It's changed my life. :)

[Tree House Academy]

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take; but by the moments that take your breath away."

 

I don't even know who the quote is by...but it really speaks to me, for many, many reasons.

[Carol in Cal.]

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" Gal 5:28, I think.

 

Babies want milk. Mature people want solid food. Children want presents (the gifts of the Spirit). Mature people want fruit.

 

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Death is swallowed up in victory. (ICor.15)

God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. (From "I Heard the Bells...)

 

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Build thee more stately mansions, oh my soul... (from The Chambered Nautilus)

OK, take me and let her go. (the noblest thought, from The Diamond in the Window)

 

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The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time. The hand of force can destroy them, but cannot disjoin them.

 

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I would rather be ashes than dust.

I would rather my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze

Than that it should be stifled in dry rot.

Man's chief purpose is not to exist, but to life.

I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.

I shall use my time.

 

(Jack London. NLA, but it meant a lot to me in my 20's)

 

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[milovany]

My good friend at the time's mother used to often say, when she overheard words criticizing someone

else (or gossiping), "Are you perfect? Then you have nothing to say about that until you are."

[lllll]

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

[HerdingCats]

Oooh, another one I hear in my head from time to time:

 

"Think of me what you will, I've got a little space to fill."

~Tom Petty

 

(not so much the next line though:lol:)

[Hedgehogs4]

A friend of mine said to me once,

 

"We have no right to expect that things are going to go our way."

 

that was a watershed moment for me. Thanks Sue.

[Laurie4b]

Well, it's not a quote that changed my life, but it's one that I just read today that I think is right on:

 

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

 

-Abraham Lincoln

 

And another from years ago, that I read in a popular women's magazine:

At your wedding, say good-bye to your best friend--unless your best friend is the opposite sex: in which case you're marrying the wrong person.

 

I've always thought that was very wise: marry someone who is your best friend. Best friends last. Crushes don't.

[6packofun]

"Don't worry about what you do not understand... Worry

about what you do understand in the Bible but do not

live by." ~Corrie ten Boom

[kalanamak]

"Few can afford the luxury of being shy."

[creekland]

"Learn from other people's mistakes. Life is way to short to make them all on your own."

 

I don't even remember where I first heard it, much less who said it, but it's always spoken volumes to me.

[MamaSheep]

This is one that sure helped me during a difficult time:

 

" 40 Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.

 

41 Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;

 

42 And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost." (D&C 50:40-42)

 

Also,

 

"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord." (From Psalm 113)

 

And this Persian proverb:

 

"He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool; shun him.

He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is a child; teach him.

He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep; wake him.

He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise; follow him."

[cin]

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

 

Robert Frost

[Corraleno]

Worry is not preparation.

 

 

 

Jackie

[littlebug42]

Mine is from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.

 

I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference.

[MamaSheep]

Worry is not preparation.

 

 

 

Jackie

 

Oh! I like that one!

[Needleroozer]

I have a few good ones.

 

"Creativity is a celebration of one's grandeur, one's sense of making anything possible. Creativity is a celebration of life- my celebration of life. It is a bold statement: I am here! I love life! I love me! I can be anything! I can do anything!"

Joseph Zinker

 

 

"We have art in order not to die of the truth."

Friedrich Nietzsche

 

 

And although this one could be thought of as just for fun, it helps me every day.....

"Just keep swimming,just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming."

Ellen DeGeneres as Dory in Finding Nemo

[Just Another Jen]

"What if I allow myself to put the outcome in God’s hands and just live intensely in the present, absorbing and embracing life as it happens?"

-Emilie Lemmons

 

Written on Emilie's blog just a little while before she passed away.

[Scarlett]

I like this one

 

 

"Grief, with his pick, mines the heart. But he is a cunning worker, hollowing out new caverns where hope can dwell, and deepening the channels whereby joy rushes in."

 

But not sure it has been life changing...not yet anyway.

 

One that I cannot for the life of me locate says something about 'the things that await us on the other side of the door...but we have to pass through the door first..' I think it was Rumi or some such poet, I don't know. Sure wish I could find it.

[jensway]

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself... Serve and thou shall be served." Ralph Waldo Emerson

[MamaT]

Mine is from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.

 

I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference.

 

I love Robert Frost. I don't know if it's changed my life, but this quote of his comes to mind very often.

 

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

[specialmama]

 

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

 

-Abraham Lincoln

 

 

That's one of my faves. :001_smile:

 

I also like "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human traditon and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Col 2:8

 

And for those dieting: "a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" :lol:

 

BUT... my ALL TIME favourite quote is from my daughter, when she was 3 years old. She came running into the room with her index finger extended, and excitedly announced, "mommy! Look! It's a burger! I found it in my nose!" :lol:

 

ETA: okay the booger one was not life changing LOL... but man, I love it!

[MSNative]

Life presents lessons til learned - no idea who originally said it but I heard it all the time growing up when I did something stupid (which was quite often.)

[Joy at Home]

A little long, but spoke to me immediately:

 

 

 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.â€

[Caitilin]

This is one I really like, and try to live by:

 

"One mustn't lose sight of the hard core, which is, do this, do that, love your friends and like your neighbors, be just, be extravagantly generous, be honest, be tolerant, have courage, have compassion, use your wits and your imagination, understand the world you live in and be on terms with it, don't dramatize and dream and escape."

--Rose Macauley

[LibraryLover]

Oh! This is something I think about almost daily. My most life-changing, profound, and sustaining words are from Emily in the play Our Town. Every single word out of Emily's mouth is held deep within my heart. I first saw Our Town when I was 14, and I cried with understanding and gratitude throughout the entire performance. My oldest was recently in a production of OT, and it was amazing. I felt blessed to have had Wilder's words with me all of these years. My son played the dead boy...and that was nearly too much to bear.

 

"Mama! For just one moment, let's really look at each other!" but there are many.

Edited February 5, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Christy B]

"And I was much further out than you thought, and not waving but drowning. "

 

It was a powerful reminder to me not to assume that everyone is really "fine" just because they say they are. And it was strangely comforting to know that I was not the only person much too far out.

 

 

from this poem:

 

Not Waving but Drowning

 

Nobody heard him, the dead man,

But still he lay moaning:

I was much further out than you thought

And not waving but drowning.

 

Poor chap, he always loved larking

And now he's dead

It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,

They said.

 

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always

(Still the dead one lay moaning)

I was much too far out all my life

And not waving but drowning.

 

Stevie Smith

[Jenny in Atl]

My favorite for the last eight years is the quote in my siggy... see below.

It still makes me cry.

[specialmama]

Oh! This is something I think about almost daily. My most life-changing, profound, and sustaining words are from Emily in the play Our Town. Every single word out of Emily's mouth is held deep within my heart. I first saw Our Town when I was 14, and I cried with understanding and gratitude throughout the entire performance. My oldest was recently in a production of OT, and it was amazing. I felt blessed to have had Wilder's words with me all of these years. My son played the dead boy...and that was nearly too much to bear.

 

Wow. I've never met another OT lover! This book had the biggest impact on me as a teen! I even dreamed of calling my son Thornton! LOL! Many good quotes in OT!

[MamaT]

A little long, but spoke to me immediately:

 

 

 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.â€

 

This is dh's favorite of all time.

[Guest janainaz]

I love this quote.

 

I think a man and a woman should choose each other for life, for the simple reason that a long life with all its accidents is barely enough time for a man and a woman to understand each other and. . . to understand - is to love."

 

William Butler Yeats

[FriedClams]

From my mom...

 

You know what the answer is if you don't ask.

(Helped me to try anything - apply to great colleges, put in for great jobs, etc...)

 

If you can fix it with money its not important.

 

Don't cry ovwr anything that won't cry over you.

[GnomeyNewt]

My daily quote to read:

 

We live full lives only when dreams and being awake are one. ~ Casey Kochmer

 

 

Not really a quote but still very inspiring!

 

My friends and relatives think I'm poor or stingy because I drive a clunker and own old appliances. Ha! I've given 400g to charities, helping restore sight to thousands. And I can keep doing it! ~ Annon Postcard

[Kate in VA]

Mine is from a movie (cheesy- I know) but I always go back to it:001_smile:

 

"Beginnings are scary, ending are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. You need to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up... and it will too!"

- Hope floats

 

also I love the simple "Let go and let God"

 

:D

[katemary63]

Something my mom gave me when I graduated high school....

 

"A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for."

 

Fantastic!

[texasmama]

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some sort of battle.

[newbie]

Be the change that you want to see in the world.

[AmeliaBinMO]

This is a neat thread! Here are a few that come to mind:

 

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.â€

Albert Einstein

 

“You must do the thing you think you cannot doâ€

Eleanor Roosevelt

 

"What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it."

(I don't know who said this one!)

 

BTW - I believe that Creekland's quote regarding learning from other's mistakes is also attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt

 

AmeliaBinMO

[6packofun]

That's beautiful. Love it!

[katemary63]

Psalm 40 1-3

 

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

 

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the LORD.

 

I think about this daily. I am not in a pit. I am standing on a rock! And I will sing my new song as loudly as I can for as long as I can! I have gained a lot of courage and strength from this verse.

[Heather in OK]

This scripture helped me through several difficult years of my dh being unemployed:

"I was young and now I am old. I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread." Psalm 37:25

 

I've never thought my children were an inconvenience..;)..but as a young mother it really made me stop and realize the importance of how I parent.

You are not managing an inconvenience, you are raising a human being. - Kittie Frantz

 

 

"....Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes." - Maggie Kuhn

 

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

[funschooler5]

A simple one from my grandpa: "It's nice to be nice."

[LibraryLover]

Wow. I've never met another OT lover! This book had the biggest impact on me as a teen! I even dreamed of calling my son Thornton! LOL! Many good quotes in OT!

 

 

:001_smile:Seriously. Our Town was the most pivotal literature of my youth. Nothing touches it. Even today those words have a profound impact on my daily life.

 

Sounds corny, but there you go.