I have been a collector of quotes for years. I collect them from books I read, lyrics to songs I listen to, excerpts from articles, or sayings from famous people. To honor the wisdom that many have passed on to us, I am sharing with you some of my personal favorites that I have found particularly comforting. And I hope you will find that some of these can offer reassurance and validation, help amplify joy and excitement, or ignite an inner sense of peace and light.
- “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer) Friendship
- “Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over.” – Gloria Naylor Life
- “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” – Maya Angelou Perseverance
- “One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.” – Lucille Ball Happiness
- “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings."– Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love Making Every Minute Count
- “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.” – Ernest Hemingway Passion
- “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey Humor
- “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” – Charles Chaplin Going For It
- “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 sail. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain Dreams
- “Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.” – Judy Garland, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz Self-Discovery
- “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” – Buddha Strength
- “You feel your strength in the experience of pain.” – Jim Morrison Soul Mates
- “The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.” – Jalal ad-Din Rumi Self-Perception
- “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” – Mahatma Gandhi Beauty
- “I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” – Anne Frank Letting Go
- “Letting go doesn’t mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be.” – Unknown Being Yourself
- “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu Optimism
- “A pessimist sees the difficult in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill Gumption
- “I want to put a ding in the universe.” – Steve Jobs Faith
- “Present time can be hard, but life unfolds as it will and the universe will wait as we make our way into the unknown.” – Unknown What are some of your personal favorites? What words have spoken to you during times of hardship or transition? Is there a quote you keep close to your heart, as a mantra?
