What Are Your Top 10 Favorite Quotes? December 10, 2012

If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter and have perused my book and site, you will notice that I adore quotes of all shapes and sizes. I mean, REALLY adore. One of my favorite parts of writing my book was coming up with the quotes that titled the epiphanies and asking everyone about how they would summarize the wisdom gained or lesson learned in one or two sentences. (The one above that the people from www.simplereminders.com so graciously made up for me is how I summarize what is now my greatest epiphany in life.)

Quotes can be such powerful, bite-size pieces of great wisdom or even hilarity that we can easily carry around in our hearts and minds to grab onto when we really need some great advice or inspiration in a moment.

The other day I decided I wanted to start asking people about their favorite quotes – you can learn about a person by knowing this bit of information as well as gain some great quotes for your own repertoire! So, I started thinking about which quotes would go on my list at this time in my life. There are definitely more than 10 – I actually got the list down to 17 (a random number, I know, but who’s counting?) Here they are in no particular order or preference:

1.)  This too shall pass. ~ Anonymous

2.)  To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson or Bessie Stanley – you can read my short blog on this here.

3.) “You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

4.) Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

5.) Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower, we will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind… ~ William Wordsworth

6.) If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.
~ Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

7.)  We are loved by Love itself. There is nothing good that we can’t do. ~ Maya Angelou, Epiphany

8.)  Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~ Jesus

9.) “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
~ Albert Einstein

10.) “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”  ~ J.M. Barrie (a little personal history about this quote)

11.) There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them. ~ Sylvia Plath

12.) When asked what surprised him most about humanity, the Dalai Lama answered, “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived. ~ The Dalai Lama

13.) “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world…as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson

14.) Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much. ~ Oscar Wilde

15.) No man/woman is worth your tears, but once you find one that is, he/she won’t make you cry. ~ Anonymous

16.) Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined! ~ Henry David Thoreau

17.) The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds. ~ The Dalai Lama

What are your favorite quotes? Share with us here or on Facebook or Twitter. #favquotes