Quotes to inspire and reflect

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.

What would life be like if we had no courage to attempt anything?

Difficulty attracts the man of character because it is in embracing it that he realizes himself.

We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.

All living souls welcome whatever they are ready to cope with; all else they ignore, or pronounce to be monstrous and wrong, or deny to be possible.

All pain is either severe or slight, if slight, it is easily endured; if severe, it will without doubt be brief.

If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.

He, who moves not forward, goes backward.

Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark thing seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilities, always see them for they are always there.

All things are difficult before they are easy.

It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.

We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields, and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!

Learn to self conquest, persevere thus for a time, and you will perceive very clearly the advantage which you gain from it.

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.

How many people live on the reputation of the reputation they might have made!

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are.

The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results.

Mediocre minds usually dismiss anything which reaches beyond their own understanding.

Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts.

Do not be embarrassed by your mistakes. Nothing can teach us better than our understanding of them. This is one of the best ways of self-education.

A great many people think they are thinking when they are rearranging their prejudices.

Bad habits are like chains that are too light to feel until they are too heavy to carry.

Genius means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.

Habit is stronger than reason.

Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.

As for myself, I always willingly acknowledge my own self as the principal cause of every good and of every evil which may befall me; therefore I have always found myself capable of being my own pupil, and ready to love my teacher.

DifficuIties mastered are opportunities won.

You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.

When the water starts boiling,it is foolish to turn off the heat.

What I am looking for is not out there … it’s in me.

When you jump for joy, beware that no one moves the ground from beneath your feet.

Whatever you have, you must either use or lose.

There is no passion to be found playing small.

They can because they think they can.

Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live, as well as strong to think.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.

If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.

I deny nothing, but doubt everything.

The best motivating is self-motivating. The guy says, ‘I wish someone would come by and turn me on.’ What if they don’t show up? You’ve got to have a better plan for your life.

The wisest is he that knows only that he knows nothing.

You can never plan the future by the past.

Language is the armory of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquests.

I came upstairs into the world; for I was born in a cellar.

My first act of free will shall be to believe in free will.

There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment . . . It gives warmth and good feeling to all your personal relationships.