Favorite Quotes I've Been Collecting

Being righteous and being self-righteous are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. It’s the difference between people who are full of themselves versus people who do the right thing. Who do you choose? How do you want to be perceived? A life well lived is a life where being right is not the be-all end-all. The be-all end-all is a life well lived.

This is the true joy of life....being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one....being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy....I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work the more I live.

'What if today is the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?'

The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk.

Action is the foundation of success.

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

"What you do speaks so loudly I can't hear what you say".

What you get in life is what you have the courage to ask for.

The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just
make the best of everything.

If you could kick the person responsible for most of your troubles, you would not be able to sit down for six months.

We are where we are because of the choices that we make for ourselves.

Life is what happens while you're busy making excuses.

It is amazing what can be accomplished,
When you don't care who gets the credit.

The only person you need to prove anything to
is yourself.

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

While it is wise to learn from experience it is wiser to learn from the experience of others.

Life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain.

Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.

All my growth and development led me to believe that if you really do the right thing, and if you play by the rules, and if you've got good enough, solid judgment and common sense, that you're going to be able to do whatever you want to do with your life.

My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny.

Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.

The best sermon is a good example.

We must live what we want others to learn.

If you don't like something change it.
If you can't change it change your attitude.
Don't complain.

When I die I want people to be able to tell the difference.

If others can do such wonderful things why can't I?

It doesn't matter how long you have forgotten only how soon you remember.

Happiness hates the timid.

Leadership is doing what is right when nobody is watching.

Too many people don't care what happens so long as it doesn't happen to them.

Stop wishing for fewer problems and start searching for greater wisdom.

Don't be so busy striving to make a living that you forget to live a life.

"The definition of success--To laugh much; to win respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one's self; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition.; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived--this is to have succeeded." -

"You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now."

The best things in life aren't things.

Happiness comes not from getting what you want but wanting what you have.

...lived as an ordinary man willing to say extraordinary things and then, with the highest amount of integrity, live the principles he prescribed, to walk his talk with humility and grace.

You are what you do. First do good, then feel good.

The more you behave in certain ways the more it comes to define you, not only to others but to yourself.

I have changed my life from talking, whining, rehashing, complaining and suffering into a life of doing and enduring because I got tired. I got tired of MAKING THE CHOICE to have a bad attitude. I realized that I alone am responsible for my behaviours and moods and whining and the rest of that nonsense is futile to resolution and problem solving.

When he was growing up my son constantly asked for piggyback rides. Though I knew how much he loved them, I was always too busy to play with him. I had reports to read or meetings to attend or calls to make. Now that he has grown up and left home, I have realized one thing: I would give anything in the world to give that boy a piggyback ride.

If it's going to be it's up to me.

The more you are as a person, the less you need to prove yourself to others.

If you don't learn the first time you're given another opportunity.

Success is wonderful but significance is even better.

Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.

If you can...you should.

For peace of mind, we need to resign as general manager of the universe.

The purpose of life is a life of purpose.

Life will bring you pain all by itself. Your responsibility is to create joy.

I am only one, but I still am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.

Some goals are so worthy, it's glorious even to fail.

There is no experience better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.

When we direct our thoughts properly, we can control our emotions.

All I want to do is change the world.

You have not done enough, you have never done enough so long as it is possible that you have something of value to contribute.

First, it is probably best to define what I mean when I say “integrity.” It means: “No smoke‚ no mirrors, no tricks … straight down the middle.” It means no exaggerations, no dissembling; just the “real deal.”

You're not supposed to tell your children what to do. You're supposed to let them watch you do it.

It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.

No man resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention.

Anger is the poorest counsellor.

Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something.

We need to reconcile our differences through reason, debate and compromise.

If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.

We see the world not as it is....but as we are.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why.

I will not surrender responsibility for my life and my actions.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where the stand in times of challenge and controversy.

The secret of being miserable is to have the leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure is occupation.

Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you.

Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways.

Men of genius are admired, men of wealth are envied, men of power are feared; but only men of character are trusted.

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.

Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not.

If you have integrity, nothing else matters.

One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.

Those who know don't talk. Those who talk don't know.

Never talk when you could nod.

It occurs to me, that you spend too much time trying to be interesting,” he said. “Why don’t you invest more time being interested.”

For people to be true leaders, they have to first see things as they are, not worse. Then see it better than it is, and then make it the way you see it.

It has done me good to be somewhat parched by the sun and drenched by the rain of life.

Every year of my life, I grow more convinced that it is wisest and best to fix our attention on the beautiful and the good and dwell as little as possible on the evil and false.

If we don't have a silver bullet, relentless incrementalism is the least we can do.

Most of us miss out on life's big prizes. The Pulitzer, the Nobel, Oscars, Tonys, Emmys. But we are all eligible for life's small pleasures. A pat on the back. A kiss behind the ear. A four pound bass. A full moon. An empty parking space. A crackling fire. A great meal. A glorious sunset. Hot soup. Cold beer. Don't fret about life's grand awards. Enjoys it's tiny delights. There are plenty for all of us.

Most people try to get more everyday while I strive to grow simpler and more uncomplicated everyday.

I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.

Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are.

.Let his Air, his Manner, and Behaviour, be easy, courteous and Affable, void of every Thing haughty or assuming; his Words few, express’d with Modesty, and a Respect for those he talks to. Be he ever ready to hear what others say; let him interrupt no Body, nor intrude with his Advice unask’d. Let him never trouble other People about his own Affairs, nor concern himself with theirs. Let him avoid Disputes; and when he dissents from others propose his Reasons with Calmness and Complaisance. Be his Wit ever guided by Discretion and Good Nature, nor let him sacrifice a Friend to raise a Laugh. Let him not censure others, nor expose their Failings, but kindly excuse or hide them. Let him neither raise nor propagate a Story to the Prejudice of any Body. In short, be his Study to command his own Temper, to learn the Humours of Mankind, and to conform himself accordingly.Benjamin Franklin

Six essential qualities that are the key to success: Sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom, charity.

I appreciate people who are civil, whether they mean it or not. I think: Be civil. Do not cherish your opinion over my feelings. There's a vanity to candor that isn't really worth it. Be kind.

Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections.

The person I have to beat is the guy I was last week.

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.

The only thing you will take to the grave is that which you've given away.

Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.

Be cheerful, also, and seek not external help, nor the peace which others give. A man must stand straight, and not be kept straight by others.

Most people rush after pleasure so fast that they rush right past it.

Happiness comes by giving it away.

Be a person of depth and insight in a world filled with so many conversations that say a lot about nothing.

Your daily actions broadcast your deepest beliefs.

I am going to concentrate on what's important in life. I'm going to strive everyday to be a kind and generous and loving person. I'm going to keep death right here, so that anytime I even think about getting angry at you or anybody else, I'll see death and I'll remember.

"To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others, use your heart."

It is not giving children more that spoils them; it is giving them more to avoid confrontation.

There is only one success. To be able to spend your life in your own way.

You only get to be the best if you're the one with the clearest vision.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

If you're going to be able to look back on something and laugh why not laugh about it now?

Listen or your tongue will make you deaf.

Forget about the brick you laid before. Forget about the next brick. Focus on the brink in your hand that you're laying right now