A long long time ago I began collecting inspirational quotes and aphorisms which became my collection of quotes.
That I matter, that my life demands the ceaseless attention I give it, is exactly what those genes would have any organism believeing, if that organism was evolved enough for belief. The will to survive evolves, in a higher creature like us, into the will to matter.
~ Rebecca Goldstein
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Attitude puts apptitude on steroids. Attitude is the soft stuff, but when the chips are down, as they so often are, it’s the soft stuff that often counts.
~ Peter Guber
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Writing itself makes you realize where there are holes in things. I’m never sure what I think until I see what I write. And so I believe that, even though you’re an optimist, the analysis part of you kicks in when you sit down to construct a story or a paragraph or a sentence. You think, ‘Oh, that can’t be right.’ And you have to go back, and you have to rethink it all.
~ Carol Loomis
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If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan your mission properly.
~ David Hackworth
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It would be wrong for anything to stand between you and attaining goodness—as a rational being and a citizen. Anything at all: the applaus of the crowd, high office, wealth, or self-indulgence. All of them might seem to be compatible with it—for a while. But suddenly they control us and sweep us away.
~ Marcus Aurelius
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I took personal, public responsibility. I apologized profusely and repeatedly. I did the best I could to make things right. And most important, I relearned a lesson I thought I already knew: Never compromise your integrity. It’s all you have.
~ Strauss Zelnick
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The great majority of that which gives you angst never happens, so you must evict it. Don’t let it live rent-free in your brain.
~ Peter Guber
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I have often regretted acting impulsively when I am feeling angry or frustrated. Now, when I feel that familiar urge to respond defensively or say things I don’t really mean or bang out a wounded response via email or text, I wait. I force myself to breath, take a step back, and wait to respond. Just an hour or two or an overnight retreat makes a world of difference. And if all else fails, I try to obey this message I got in a fortune cookie: Avoid compulsively making things worse.
~ Debbie Millman
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Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.
~ Fred Rogers
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Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.
~ Mae West
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Always ask: What am I missing?
~ Strauss Zelnick
…and listen to the answer.
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Don’t let the weight of fear weigh down the joy of curiosity. Fear is really false evidence appearing real.
~ Peter Guber
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To resist the influence of others, knowledge of oneself is most important.
~ Teal’c, in Stargate SG-1 (“Stronghold”), (s9e14, 2006 TV series)
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Of the many, many excuses people use to rationalize why they can’t do something, the excuse, “I am too busy,” is not only the most inauthentic, it is also the laziest. I don’t believe in, “too busy.” Busy is a decision. We do things we want to do, period. If we say we are too busy, it is shorthand for, “not important enough.” It means you would rather be doing something else that you consider more important.
~ Debbie Millman
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[…] enter the real world as soon as you can. […] I mean for you to get off of social media, to get out of the big cities, and to re-connect with what’s real: Nature, your soul, your inner child. Respect yourself. Most of the world is asleep today, playing a small role in a gigantic illusion. You don’t have to be. You can choose a different life. It’s all within. You will know the answer when you take the time to find yourself and trust yourself.
~ Jérôme Jarre
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If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.
~ James Cameron
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The things you own end up owning you.
~ Chuck Palahniuk
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Not to live as if you had endless years ahead of you. Death overshadows you. While you’re alive and able—be good.
~ Marcus Aurelius
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Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise, instead, seek what they sought.
~ Matsuo Bashō
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Make yourself proud. I think we spend too much of our time trying to please everyone. And we forget that it’s all already within. Your instinct, your inner child, your soul, all of those know what’s good for you and the world. The public opinion of your friends and strangers online, not so much.
~ Jérôme Jarre
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