Quotes to inspire and reflect

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

Genius is eternal patience.

One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles with it.

Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar.

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.

For any student of history, change is the law of life. Any attempt to contain it guarantees an explosion down the road; the more rigid the adherence to the status quo, the more violent the ultimate outcome will be.

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. 'Which road do I take?' she asked. His response was a question: 'Where do you want to go?' 'I don't know,' Alice answered. 'Then,' said the cat, 'it doesn't matter.'

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over and over again, but expecting a different result.

Timing is everything. There is a tide in the affairs of men which when taken at the flood leads on to fortune.

Do or do not. There is no try.

It is better to believe than to disbelieve, in so doing you bring everything to the realm of possibility.

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.

If you think you can, or you think you can't, you’re right!

An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.

Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate the man then you destroy yourself.

I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.

Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won.

Believe in yourself. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You must do that which you think you cannot do.

Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.

Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors.

Knowledge rests not upon truth alone, but upon error also.

There is no man living who isn't capable of doing more than he thinks he can do.

When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.

In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you somebody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.

I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on I go into another room and read a good book.

I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.

A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

I dream my painting and then paint my dream.

We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Familiarize yourself with the chains of bondage and you prepare your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of others, you have lost the genius of your own independence and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises among you.

The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has.

The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be...The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

Our bodies are our gardens... our wills are gardeners.

To keep our faces toward change, and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate, is strength undefeatable.

When you say that you agree to a thing in principle you mean that you have not the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice.

All glory comes from daring to begin.

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

The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.

The one without dreams is the one without wings.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.

You can do what you think you can do and you cannot do what you think you cannot do.