Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Inspirational quotes (Part 10)



“Risk:  give every challenge your best shot.”

“Writing is how I process the world around me.” –Rick McConnell

“Imagination is a poor substitute for experience.”-Havelock Ellis (British psychologist and writer.  1859-1939)

Joanna Slater: “You describe a moment in your life book (Hallucinations) when, in the throes of withdrawal from a sedative called chloral hydrate, you were beset by terrifying hallucinations.  So you sat down with a notebook to literally ‘write for dear life.’  How long have you had that impulse to write?

Oliver Sacks: “From about (the age of) 14.  I’ve had this feeling that I can’t understand or come to terms with things unless I write about them.  Someone did some archiving 10 years ago and they said I had some 640 notebooks.  It was a very special with the choral delirium, in the sense I felt, I have to write for my life.  But also, I love writing.  I once had something  much more painful than a broken hip, I had a spinal operation and I was really in agony.  All I can say about writing is that it’s better than morphine.”

Amy Verner: “Are you thinking about who’s on the other side listening?”

Miguel (singer): No, not really.  It may sound a bit selfish, but the way I see it, art is supposed to be a reflection of your unique perspective.  That is my sanctuary.  I go to my creativity to say the thing that I feel, and that in normal life, I may not say as candidly.  There are so many expectations placed upon you and I have learned that the hard way- that not all forums are built to express your emotions.

But art is the one place where it’s your prerogative to say and whatever the f--- you want.  If people don’t like it, they don’t have to listen.  I think art finds its audience you know?”


“My letters represented a constant in her life.  Something she could rely on, one little thing that would never change.

My mom died a few years ago, and I still can’t help thinking that something valuable lies within my mind, waiting to be said or written on paper and mailed to her, together with whatever is in the “box” (it’s still on my desk).  Another item for her collection.  Another day when her spirit would be lifted by the arrival of the postman.  I miss her.” –Janette Fairclough

“Don’t think of retiring from the world until the world will be sorry that you retire.”-Samuel Johnson (English writer, 1709-84)

“Music is the only sensual gratification which mankind may indulge in to excess without injury to their moral or religious feelings.” –Joseph Addison (English poet and politician. 1672-1719)

“Prosperity does not exalt the wise man, nor does adversity cast him down.”-Seneca the Younger (Roman stoic philosopher.  Circa BC-65 AD)

“You feel as if you could take on the world and win, and no doubt you can, but don’t scatter your energy in a dozen directions when there is one particular target you should be aiming for.  Be selective and you’ll be successful.” –Sally Brompton (horoscopes)

“…you are subconsciously putting obstacles in your path because you are not sure you are doing the right thing.  In which case maybe you should think again about your current plans.”  –Sally Brompton (horoscopes)

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” –G. Moore

“If you love your occupation, you will never work a day in your life.  If your goals don’t scare you a little, they’re not big enough.  Trust yourself.  Smile and laugh everyday.” –Steve Thorp

"Be strong and courageous, Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."- Joshua 1:9

“Out of clutter, find simplicity.  From discord, find harmony.  In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”-Albert Einstein

“Success and failure are greatly overrated.  But failure gives you a whole lot more to talk about.” –Hildegard Knef (German actress and writer.  1925-2002)

“He who gladly does without the praise of the crowd will not miss the opportunity of becoming his own fan.”-Karl Kraus (Austrian writer. 1874-1936)

Part of a holiday letter I wrote to my daughter . . .

If you ever catch yourself feeling blue, as we all sometimes do from time to time, here are ten things that if you do three days in a row (I promise) will make you feel better.

1. In the morning write down five things you are grateful for.
2. Think about a random act of kindness you can do for someone that day.
3. Eat well (you know what that means); drink well (no coffee, soft drinks or alcohol).
4. Exercise hard for 20 minutes.
5. Write an old friend an email or better yet a letter.
6. Actively relax, meditate or pray for 10 minutes.
7. Take a walk in the sun.
8. Watch a John Hughes' movie like "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off" or "The Breakfast Club".
9. Sleep deep and long.
10. Remember that you are loved (I promise).”- Frank Warren (of Post Secret)
"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"I know my purpose in life is to change the way people see the world.  And themselves."  -Post Secret
“I was at the PostSecret Event in London. I didn't find the courage to go up to the microphone, but if I had been able to, this is what I would have said.

I spent so long feeling guilty, feeling ashamed of my sadness, and you know what? It just made me sadder. You are allowed to be sad, you are allowed to be angry, you're allowed to be depressed. We all deserve to feel our own sadness in our own time.

Something you will have heard before - you deserve to be happy. That, of course, is not always easy to hear, especially in the depths of depression - so let me add something. You deserve to be happy - but you don't have to be happy right now or all the time.

It is okay to be sad, it's okay to not be ready to be happy yet. One day you will be ready to recover - that day doesn't have to be today or even tomorrow, as long as you know and trust me that it will come.

It's okay not to be okay.

Thanks for everything Frank,

Holly, London
P.S My secret is that I decided last night that I'm ready to recover and it's going to be incredible.”

“Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.”  -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind.” — Leonardo da Vinci 

“If you know the winner before the start, where’s the fun in the game?” –Tim Brown

“You make people happy doing what you love to do.  That’s awesome.” –movie Get Him to the Greek

“Breaking into the film business is not a problem that resolves itself through a single answer or path. It’s a problem that succumbs only to a process, a series of efforts taken over time. And the worst part of it is, you never know which is the right strategy until it pays off. So you do everything. Whether the odds are with you are not. You do everything." - Ted Rossario

"Write from your heart; rewrite from your head." - Viki Kin

“The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment.” –D. Larson

“His heart was as great as the world, but there was no room in it to hold the memory of a wrong.” --- Ralph Waldo Emerson (on Abraham Lincoln)

“Children are the best excuse in the world not to pursue happiness.  Not to live fully, or take risks or attempt the work one loves.” –Katie Roiphe

“I especially appreciate that Scrooge also gets to ‘see’ his current life.  He’s given a second-person view of his ongoing existence.  Our present-tense self is often the hardest to know and understand.  It’s where the real work should take place.  It requires more effort than going through the motions, making public resolutions or feeling guilt and regret.  Dickens knew this.

When he wakes, Scrooge hasn’t missed Christmas.  ‘Best and happiest of all, the Time before him was his own, to make amends in!’  It is soothingly indefinite future.  This opportunity stays comforting because it requires a change that is attainable.  His life is transformable.  On Christmas morning, in lieu of grim routine, Scrooge just ‘walked about the streets…and found that everything could yield him pleasure.  He had never dreamed that any walk- that anything-could give him so much happiness.’”-Iain Reid

“But if you want to know the truth, the weirdest thing that has happened has been my discovery that people who attend conventions are filled with love.” –William Shatner 

“You don’t loan money- you give it away.  If it comes back, that’s great, but if it doesn’t so be it.  Actually, I probably shouldn’t put that in the paper.” –Rick Mercer

“Gluttony is not a secret vice.”-Orson Welles

“As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big.”-Donald Trump

“What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on.”-Henry David Thoreau

“If you think you can do a thing, or you think you can’t do a thing- you’re right.”-Henry Ford

“For fast- acting relief, try slowing down.”-Lily Tomlin

“Life’s most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”-Martin Luther King Jr.

“I think the worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades, especially if your teammates are bad guessers.” –An Aquarian observation

“Of course I have played outdoor games.  I once played dominoes in an outdoor café in Paris.”- Oscar Wilde

“As you think, so shall you become.”-Bruce Lee

“If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple.  Know what you are doing.  Love what you are doing.  And believe in what you’re doing.” –Will Rogers

“If you have it and you know you have it, then you have it.  If you have it and don’t know you have it, you don’t have it.  If you don’t have it but you think you have it, then you have it.” –Jackie Gleason

“Gossip is the opiate of the oppressed.”- Erica Jong (American author)

“The prospect of a long day at the beach makes me panic.  There is no harder work I can think of than taking myself off to somewhere pleasant, where I am forced to stay for hours and ‘have fun.’” –Phillip Lopate (U.S critic and essayist.)

“He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill.  Our antagonist is our helper.”-Edmund Burke (Irish statesman and author. 1729-97)

“Thought, not money, is the real business capital, and if you know absolutely that what you are doing is right, then you are bound to accomplish it in due season.” –Harvey Firestone (American businessman. 1868-1938)

“It’s not what they take away from you that counts.  It’s what you do with what you have left.  Never give up and never give in.” –Hubert Humphrey (U.S politician.  1911-1978.) 

“I attribute my success to this- that I never gave or took any excuse.”-Florence Nightingale (British nurse and educator.  1820-1910.)

“Those that know how to win are much more numerous than those who know how to make proper use of their victories.” –Polybius (Greek historian, c200-118 BC.)

“Age is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” –Betty Friedan

“In other words, our behaviors become self-fulfilling prophecies.  Change your behavior and change the prophecy.”-Sharon Ryan (she teaches ethics at UCLA Extension.)

“Determination is paramount in what you want to achieve.”-Danny Dichio, TFC

“A half-hearted effort gives you a half-hearted satisfaction.” –David Suzuki 

“I believe that in order to help others, you first must help yourself!  So my New Year’s resolution for 2013 is to love myself for everything that I am, and to stop hating myself for everything that I’m not!” Vanessa Macri

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