Even though I lived but a few paltry decades, I believe everyone encounters life-changing wisdom in their life. This is my collection: Wisdom that will give insight and perspective, as well as help us all get along a little better. Many thoughts are quotes from others which have been acknowledged, many I have written, and still others were distilled within my mind, but probably taken from sources unknown. If I have failed to attribute correctly, please let me know.
If something has touched you, please let me know.
If you have a short phrase or saying that has changed your life, PLEASE let me know.
1. “When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” -Indian Proverb
2. “If evil be said of thee, and if it be true, correct thyself; if it be a lie, laugh at it.” -Epictetus
3. “The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.” – Luminita Saviuc
4. “Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner” -Lao Tzu
5. “A fool despises good counsel, but a wise man takes it to heart.” – Confucius. [All the greatest people I know—no exceptions—regularly ask the question, of themselves and of their associates, “How can I do better?” All the people I pity the most ardently avoid or deny the idea that they could improve.] “The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others.” – Don Shula
6. A shortcut to happiness: Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out. -KC
7. Give up your sense of “what’s fair.” Rather, treat people better than they deserve. Most of the best things in your life are a result of others doing this toward you. -KC
8. “Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.” -Storm Jameson
9. The moment you think, “I’ll be happy when…” Imagine being born 400 years ago with no legs. It’s done wonders for me. -KC
10. “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
11. Don’t “hope for the best”—rather, learn to let go of your expectations and be truly grateful for any good that happens. -KC
12. Scrupulously search for, and readily admit fault. This will solve half of your “communication problems.” -KC
13. Try to plan more. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” is too often true for most of us. -KC
14. Try to memorize at least some long quotes or passages that speak to you. You will be amazed at how much comfort they bring and how circumstances will require them. -KC
15. Stop labeling people. Like you, they are probably different in different contexts. -KC
16. Travel. Seriously, as much as you can. Especially to conferences. “To travel is to live.” -Hans Christian Andersen
17. “Every man is my superior in some way, and in that, I learn of him.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson [Has helped me markedly in my quest to judge people less often.]
18. “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” –Epictetus
19. “Do not forget small kindnesses and do not remember small faults.” -Chinese Proverb
20. “You are more likely to act yourself into feelings, than feel yourself into action.” – Dr. Jerome Brunner [this quote is dual-handedly responsible for my exercising regularly]
21. Discover yourself. Challenge yourself. But, in the end, accept and—especially—love yourself. -KC
22. “Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it’s cracked up to be. That’s why people are so cynical about it. . . . It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.” -Anonymous
23. “Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.” Socrates
24. “The words of the tongue should have three gatekeepers: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?” -Arabian Proverb
25. Worry is the great waste of energy and imagination. -KC
26. “A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.” – Arnold Glasow
27. “You can never get ahead of anyone if you try to get even with them.” -Unknown
28. “Do not mistake activity for achievement.” -Mabel Newcomer
29. “Don’t let success go to your head and failure to your heart.” -Will Smith
30. Do things you are afraid of. Regularly. The best and happiest people do this. One’s strength is in direct proportion to one’s propensity to learn and grow despite fear. -KC
31. Stop believing that your worth comes from your financial statement, from your friends, your accomplishments, or even your talents. Your worth was set, by God, in the beginning: Infinite. -KC
32. What we don’t understand, we tend to dismiss, or at least be skeptical of. Therefore, someone’s “dumb idea” is often more a reflection of me than them. -KC
33. “Don’t choose the one who is beautiful to the world; choose the one who makes your world beautiful.” –Marcandangel.com
34. “Do what you love, love what you do, and deliver more than you promise.” – Harvey Mackay
35. “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.” -Colin Powell. Even something that is perfect won’t be perfect to everyone. Also, even if it isn’t personal, some will take it personally anyway. Expect it.
36. Be a fighter, a doer, someone that other people look up to. -KC
37. “Never suppress a generous thought.” – Bonnie D. Parkin
38. Be humble. If you truly were aware of how much you don’t know, you would be. “True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” -Socrates
39. “Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.” – Regina Brett
40. With very few exceptions, prioritize the people closer to you. Don’t allow the phone to interrupt important moments. “We do not remember days; we remember moments.” -Cesare Pavese
41. “Living well is the best revenge.” -George Herbert
42. “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expect of you.” – Henry Ward Beecher
43. “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway
44. Resist thinking that you “don’t have time.” You have the same number of hours in a day that were given to Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Tesla, Galileo and Newton. If you were honest, you’d say, “It’s not a priority.”
45. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain
46. Resist the almost-universal tendency to treat small, unimportant things as big, important things. Again, remember that you have legs. -KC
47. Frugality. Learn it early in life. If you can honestly distinguish wants from needs, you will be ahead of, and happier than, the great majority of mankind. By the same token, learn to distinguish cost from value. -KC
48. “Bitterness is the poison you swallow, hoping your enemy will die.” -Unknown
49. Self-respect can’t be fully obtained until you have taken responsibility for your present life and forgive all past wrongs. Everything. -KC
50. If you seek a meaningful life, ask yourself how your activities can help fulfill others. -KC
51. “Don’t burn bridges. You’ll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
52. Stay involved, busy, active. Life is too short to waste time doing things that won’t create lasting memories. -KC
53. “The best rules to form a young [person] are: to talk little, to hear much, to reflect alone upon what has passed in company, to distrust one’s own opinions, and value others that deserve it.” -Sir William Temple
54. People generally rise or fall to the level expected of them.
55. Some people will never “get it,” and no amount of convincing will change their mind.
56. Don’t let your present be held captive by past pain or future fear.
57. “Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.” –Regina Brett
58. “People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.” -Mother Teresa
59. “Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time.” – Goethe
If something has touched you, please let me know.
If you have a short phrase or saying that has changed your life, PLEASE let me know.
1. “When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” -Indian Proverb
2. “If evil be said of thee, and if it be true, correct thyself; if it be a lie, laugh at it.” -Epictetus
3. “The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.” – Luminita Saviuc
4. “Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner” -Lao Tzu
5. “A fool despises good counsel, but a wise man takes it to heart.” – Confucius. [All the greatest people I know—no exceptions—regularly ask the question, of themselves and of their associates, “How can I do better?” All the people I pity the most ardently avoid or deny the idea that they could improve.] “The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others.” – Don Shula
6. A shortcut to happiness: Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out. -KC
7. Give up your sense of “what’s fair.” Rather, treat people better than they deserve. Most of the best things in your life are a result of others doing this toward you. -KC
8. “Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.” -Storm Jameson
9. The moment you think, “I’ll be happy when…” Imagine being born 400 years ago with no legs. It’s done wonders for me. -KC
10. “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
11. Don’t “hope for the best”—rather, learn to let go of your expectations and be truly grateful for any good that happens. -KC
12. Scrupulously search for, and readily admit fault. This will solve half of your “communication problems.” -KC
13. Try to plan more. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” is too often true for most of us. -KC
14. Try to memorize at least some long quotes or passages that speak to you. You will be amazed at how much comfort they bring and how circumstances will require them. -KC
15. Stop labeling people. Like you, they are probably different in different contexts. -KC
16. Travel. Seriously, as much as you can. Especially to conferences. “To travel is to live.” -Hans Christian Andersen
17. “Every man is my superior in some way, and in that, I learn of him.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson [Has helped me markedly in my quest to judge people less often.]
18. “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” –Epictetus
19. “Do not forget small kindnesses and do not remember small faults.” -Chinese Proverb
20. “You are more likely to act yourself into feelings, than feel yourself into action.” – Dr. Jerome Brunner [this quote is dual-handedly responsible for my exercising regularly]
21. Discover yourself. Challenge yourself. But, in the end, accept and—especially—love yourself. -KC
22. “Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it’s cracked up to be. That’s why people are so cynical about it. . . . It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.” -Anonymous
23. “Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.” Socrates
24. “The words of the tongue should have three gatekeepers: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?” -Arabian Proverb
25. Worry is the great waste of energy and imagination. -KC
26. “A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.” – Arnold Glasow
27. “You can never get ahead of anyone if you try to get even with them.” -Unknown
28. “Do not mistake activity for achievement.” -Mabel Newcomer
29. “Don’t let success go to your head and failure to your heart.” -Will Smith
30. Do things you are afraid of. Regularly. The best and happiest people do this. One’s strength is in direct proportion to one’s propensity to learn and grow despite fear. -KC
31. Stop believing that your worth comes from your financial statement, from your friends, your accomplishments, or even your talents. Your worth was set, by God, in the beginning: Infinite. -KC
32. What we don’t understand, we tend to dismiss, or at least be skeptical of. Therefore, someone’s “dumb idea” is often more a reflection of me than them. -KC
33. “Don’t choose the one who is beautiful to the world; choose the one who makes your world beautiful.” –Marcandangel.com
34. “Do what you love, love what you do, and deliver more than you promise.” – Harvey Mackay
35. “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.” -Colin Powell. Even something that is perfect won’t be perfect to everyone. Also, even if it isn’t personal, some will take it personally anyway. Expect it.
36. Be a fighter, a doer, someone that other people look up to. -KC
37. “Never suppress a generous thought.” – Bonnie D. Parkin
38. Be humble. If you truly were aware of how much you don’t know, you would be. “True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” -Socrates
39. “Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.” – Regina Brett
40. With very few exceptions, prioritize the people closer to you. Don’t allow the phone to interrupt important moments. “We do not remember days; we remember moments.” -Cesare Pavese
41. “Living well is the best revenge.” -George Herbert
42. “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expect of you.” – Henry Ward Beecher
43. “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway
44. Resist thinking that you “don’t have time.” You have the same number of hours in a day that were given to Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Tesla, Galileo and Newton. If you were honest, you’d say, “It’s not a priority.”
45. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain
46. Resist the almost-universal tendency to treat small, unimportant things as big, important things. Again, remember that you have legs. -KC
47. Frugality. Learn it early in life. If you can honestly distinguish wants from needs, you will be ahead of, and happier than, the great majority of mankind. By the same token, learn to distinguish cost from value. -KC
48. “Bitterness is the poison you swallow, hoping your enemy will die.” -Unknown
49. Self-respect can’t be fully obtained until you have taken responsibility for your present life and forgive all past wrongs. Everything. -KC
50. If you seek a meaningful life, ask yourself how your activities can help fulfill others. -KC
51. “Don’t burn bridges. You’ll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
52. Stay involved, busy, active. Life is too short to waste time doing things that won’t create lasting memories. -KC
53. “The best rules to form a young [person] are: to talk little, to hear much, to reflect alone upon what has passed in company, to distrust one’s own opinions, and value others that deserve it.” -Sir William Temple
54. People generally rise or fall to the level expected of them.
55. Some people will never “get it,” and no amount of convincing will change their mind.
56. Don’t let your present be held captive by past pain or future fear.
57. “Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.” –Regina Brett
58. “People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.” -Mother Teresa
59. “Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time.” – Goethe
60. Want a measure of your life? Measure how many people say, “I’m glad we’re friends.” -KC
61. They say happiness is a choice. I now know the choice: we extract sight from misfortune, beauty from the everyday, and awe from beauty. -KC
Inspired by Regina Brett’s 45 Life Lessons
http://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/index.ssf/2006/05/regina_bretts_45_life_lessons.html
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