I’ve always been a quote lover and sharer. There’s something wonderful about a powerful sentence or paragraph that succinctly describes a feeling, experience, or thought.
Over the past few months, I have found them even more helpful in my shelter-at-home routine. Just a line or comment from someone else provides a new perspective when faced with difficult or trying times, and I’m pretty sure we can all agree that a global pandemic qualifies.
Based on recent conversations with family, friends, and clients, people are dealing with a vast array of emotions right now, ranging from isolation, loneliness, and frustration, to feeling overwhelmed, antsy, confused, fearful, and unsure. You name it, someone is going through it.
That’s why I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes that may offer a pick-me-up for the day, no matter the mood. They address topics like friendship, perseverance, connection, and life, in general. Hang in there. We’re going to be okay.
“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” – Nido Qubein
“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” – Richard Bach
“People are full of great advice… Professors, parents, friends mean well… But in the end, the person driving this thing called life is you. Listen to you. Spend time being alone. Learn your worth. Dream. And never forget where you came from. – Brooke Baldwin
“I think the idea that you know who your inner self is on a daily basis, because… you know. What’s good for you 25 years ago may not be good for you now. So, to keep in touch with that, I think that’s the first ingredient for success. Because if you’re a successful human being, everything else is gravy, I think.” – Whoopi Goldberg
“Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“People think being alone is a luxury, but it’s crucial: Whatever you’re not down with about yourself gets loud and in your face.” – Earl Sweatshirt
“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe
“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.” – John Wayne
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Desmond Tutu
“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” – Georgia O’Keeffe
“The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” – Bertrand Russell
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” – Martin Luther
“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.” – Anais Nin
“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.” – Ben Okri
“If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet. There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and thus they bless.” – James E. Faust
“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” – Marie Curie
“We all like to believe we are completely self-sufficient, but at the end of it all, we’re all searching for a human connection, something to make it all feel a bit more worthwhile.” – Lauren Mayberry
“We never know who we are going to be until we are tested, but perhaps we can test ourselves without going to the extremes of war. Perhaps we can be kinder now, live with less now, reach out to others now – and build an inner reserve of a strong identity that will hold us up even when everything else falls away.” – Deborah Ellis
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu
“Make space in your life for the things that matter, for family and friends, love and generosity, fun and joy. Without this, you will burn out in mid-career and wonder where your life went.” – Jonathan Sacks
Deseri Garcia
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