Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Quotable quotes…1



Sometimes I see a quote from someone and I sit back and think “What in the world are they saying or meaning by that?” or “Why would that quote be published?” There are quotable quotes that are worth repeating and some that are an utter waste of time. 
We won’t all agree on what quotes are important, in life, but when I see one that I like, I copy it and save it to a list of quotes that I have found over the last 15 years or so. I don’t have many, but here are a few that I thought might make you think…

I’ve added some thoughts behind each one that tell you why I think they are important...you may have your own good quotes, that are better than these, but I’ve found these helpful along the way, for me. I don’t know all of these people, or their backgrounds, but I found that the quote I took from them helped me along the way.
Hope they help you too...

"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." – Isaac Asimov, author, professor (1920-1992) - I love to gain knowledge. I’m a Discovery Channel kind of guy, but “wisdom is the principal thing” and we forget to apply the knowledge we learn...a lot.
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better." —Samuel Beckett - My favorite quote on failure. These are not questions, but statements. We will fail, but we should not give up. We should fail some more and get better. Don’t expect life without failure.
"Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting." Brian Tracy - Being grateful is so important and we need to make sure we don’t focus on the rewards that come from giving, but just give to be a blessing.
"Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are." - Dale Carnegie - If your character is strong, then your reputation will follow and your character is what’s deep down inside of you, and it’s the true you, not what others think or what you caused them to think.
"Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grows."—Henry Ward Beecher - Again, a focus on being thankful. As a family, during our evening devotions, we have a time of “Thankful for’s.” That’s bad grammar, but when one of our children was small, that’s what they called it and it stuck. If your focused on you, hen you are often not very thankful.
"It has been said that the greatness of a man is not what keeps him going but what it takes to stop him." Unknown - What stops you? Do the little things slow you down? Do you give up easily? Are you going to quite or become great?
"Most of us like and admire people who are genuine, even if we disagree with them. In contrast, an insincere person is like a broken watch. It may tell the time accurately twice a day, but no one relies on it."
— Michael Josephson - I need to be reliable. You need to be reliable. Not just sometimes, but all the time. Fantastic thought.
“Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” – Art Linkletter - Lemonade from lemons. Go with what you get. Simple, but great thought nohow to manage what has come your way. BTW - why isn’t there “Orangeade” or “Grapade” or “Pomagranitade” or...you get the picture?
“Excellence begins by doing something you have a natural talent for and enjoy. You become totally absorbed in the work. Attention and involvement in all the details lead to success.” - Edward C. Johnson III  - Use what God has given you and go forward with hard work and effort with the skill-set you have. Don’t worry about other’s abilities, just use yours.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill - Difficulties come, but they always give more opportunities, if you look hard.
Lessons Learned: Pay attention to what people say. It could help you.
Thoughts: Do you have any motivating quotes to share?

3 comments:

  1. There is a saying, I don't know who wrote it, but it goes like this. "Don't be sad things are over, be glad they happened." If you are leaving from visiting family, or maybe a grind moves away, don't be sad that it's over, be glad you were able to spend time with family, or be friends in the other case. It could also apply to many other situations as well.

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  2. These are some great quotes, I really like the Samuel Beckett one about failing.  Thank you for sharing them.

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  3. Thanks, Dan...you picked my all time favorite.

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Comments always welcome...