Quotes
The Quotes (Updated Periodically):
Genius begins great works; labor alone finishes them.
–Joseph Joubert,
French essayist
A man who lives right, and is right, has more power in his silence than another has by his words.
–Phillips Brooks,
American clergyman and writer
Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.
–Neil Armstrong,
American astronaut, quoted for his birthday, Aug. 5, 1930
If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.
–Frank Lloyd Wright,
American architect
You leave home to seek your fortune and, when you get it, you go home and share it with your family.
–Anita Baker,
American R&B and soul singer-songwriter
Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them.
–Orison Swett Marden,
American author
Beware of undertaking too much at the start. Be content with quite a little. Allow for accidents. Allow for human nature, especially your own.
–Arnold Bennett,
British writer
Cynicism is not realistic and tough. It’s unrealistic and kind of cowardly because it means you don’t have to try.
–Peggy Noonan,
U.S. presidential speechwriter
As a cure for worrying, work is better than whiskey.
–Thomas Alva Edison,
American inventor
It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.
–William James,
American philosopher
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
–Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss,
American author
The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.
–Aristotle,
Greek philosopher
Indecision and delays are the parents of failure.
–George Canning,
British statesman and politician
The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.
–W.E.B. Du Bois,
American scholar and civil rights leader
There is no power on earth that can neutralize the influence of a high, simple and useful life.
–Booker T. Washington,
American political leader and educator
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
–Abraham Lincoln,
16th U.S. president
Mere precedent is a dangerous source of authority.
–Andrew Jackson,
7th U.S. president
Three o’clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do.
–Jean-Paul Sartre,
novelist
A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.
–Cicero,
Roman orator
A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory.
–Arthur Golden,
author, from “Memoirs of a Geisha
A human being’s first responsibility is to shake hands with himself.
–Henry Winkler,
American actor
Laugh and the world laughs with you; snore and you sleep alone.
–Anthony Burgess,
English writer and composer
The world stands aside to let anyone pass who knows where he is going.
–David Starr Jordan,
ichthyologist and peace activist
A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.
–Phyllis Diller,
American comedian
Depend not on fortune, but on conduct.
–Publilius Syrus,
Syrian writer of maxims
Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.
–René Descartes,
French philosopher, mathematician
In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.
–Louis Pasteur,
French scientist
How can you say luck and chance are the same thing? Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterwards.
–Amy Tan,
American writer
Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.
–William James,
American psychologist and philosopher
Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another.
–Jacques Anatole Thibault/Anatole France,
Nobel Prize-winning novelist, from ‘The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard’
Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
–Judy Garland,
American actress and singer
Nothing can come of nothing: speak again.
–William Shakespeare,
English playwright, from ‘King Lear’
Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music — the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.
–Henry Miller,
American writer
Insist upon yourself. Be original.
–Ralph Waldo Emerson,
American transcendentalist poet, philosopher, essayist
You can do anything — but not everything.
–David Allen,
productivity consultant
The most effective way to do it is to do it.
–Amelia Earhart,
American aviation pioneer
Be a friend to thyself, and others will be so, too.
–Thomas Fuller,
English clergyman and historian
If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.
–Nora Roberts,
American author
I couldn’t wait for success, so I went ahead without it.
–Jonathan Winters,
American comedian and author
All intellectual improvement arises from leisure.
–Samuel Johnson,
English writer
If there’s a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.
–Toni Morrison,
Nobel Prize-winning American author
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
–Mother Teresa,
Nobel Peace Prize-winning humanitarian
There is only one happiness in life — to love and be loved.
–George Sand,
French novelist
The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.
–Robert Frost,
Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet
An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
–Benjamin Franklin,
American inventor, statesman
Opportunities multiply as they are seized.
–Sun Tzu,
Chinese general, author of ‘The Art of War’
When ideas fail, words come in very handy.
–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
poet, playwright, novelist and statesman
They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.
–Andy Warhol,
American artist
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.
–Willa Cather,
American author, from ‘The Song of the Lark’
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.
–Samuel ‘Mark Twain’ Clemens,
American author
It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.
–Albert Einstein,
Nobel Prize-winning physicist
When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.
–W. Clement Stone,
businessman and philanthropist
You can’t stay mad at somebody who makes you laugh.
–Jay Leno,
comedian
Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.
–Steve Jobs,
CEO of Apple
Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.
–William Shakespeare,
English playwright
Man becomes man only by his intelligence, but he is man only by his heart.
–Henri Frederic Amiel,
Swiss philosopher
Fortune befriends the bold.
–John Dryden,
English poet, literary critic and playwright
Patience is the companion of wisdom.
–St. Augustine,
philosopher and theologian
I dream a lot. I do more painting when I’m not painting. It’s in the subconscious.
–Andrew Wyeth,
American painter
Think calmly and well, upon this whole subject. Nothing valuable can be lost by taking time. If there be an object to hurry any of you, in hot haste, to a step which you would never take deliberately, that object will be frustrated by taking time; but no good object can be frustrated by it.
–Abraham Lincoln,
US President
Man shapes himself through decisions that shape his environment.
–Rene Dubos,
French-American microbiologist
Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
–Henry David Thoreau,
author and transcendentalist
Arriving at one point is the starting point to another.
–John Dewey,
philosopher, psychologist
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
–Aristotle,
ancient Greek philosopher
Enthusiasm moves the world.
–Arthur James Balfour,
former British prime minister
To me, success means effectiveness in the world, that I am able to carry my ideas and values into the world, that I am able to change it in positive ways.
–Maxine Hong Kingston,
American novelist
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
–George Bernard Shaw,
Nobel laureate in literature
Careers, like rockets, don’t always take off on schedule. The key is to keep working the engines.
–Gary Sinise,
actor
A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.
–Jeff Bezos,
founder and CEO of Amazon.com
If you’re not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business.
–Ray Kroc,
founder of McDonald’s Corp.
It’s not your salary that makes you rich, it’s your spending habits.
–Charles A. Jaffe,
author and columnist
Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
–Charles Dickens,
English novelist
Cherish forever what makes you unique, because you’re really a yawn if it goes.
–Bette Midler,
actress and singer
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
–Margaret Mead,
American cultural anthropologist
The man who does not make any mistakes does not usually make anything.
–William Connor Magee,
Irish clergyman
Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.
–Muhammad Ali,
boxing legend
The final purpose of art is to intensify, even, if necessary, to exacerbate, the moral consciousness of people.
–Norman Mailer,
American novelist
The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.
–Kenneth Blanchard,
trainer and author
We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse.
–Anne-Sophie Swetchine,
Russian-French writer
Others live on in a careless and lukewarm state — not appearing to fill Longfellow’s measure: Into each life, some rain must fall.
–Mary Todd Lincoln,
Former first lady of the U.S.
Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.
–Benjamin Disraeli,
Former British prime minister
It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.
–John Steinbeck,
American writer
You can tell how far your life and career will go based on the 5 people you spend the most time with.
– Unknown
But to be the best, you must face the best. And to overcome your fear, you must deal with the best.
–Barry Bonds,
American baseball player
What is the single most important quality in a tennis champion? I would have to say desire, staying in there and winning matches when you are not playing that well.
–John McEnroe,
American tennis champion
You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him.
–Booker T. Washington,
educator and author
The main thing is to care. Care very hard, even if it is only a game you are playing.
–Billie Jean King,
American tennis player
You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy.
–Arthur Ashe,
American tennis player
Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.
–Zora Neale Hurston,
American novelist
A light heart lives long.
–William Shakespeare,
English playwright
Celebrate what you want to see more of.
–Thomas J. Peters,
writer and business management expert
The willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life is the source from which self-respect springs.
–Joan Didion,
journalist, essayist and novelist
Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we often might win, by fearing to attempt.
–Jane Addams,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient
If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.
–Lucy Larcom,
poet
First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.
–Epictetus ,
Greek philosopher
Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Don’t just stand there, make it happen.
–Lee Iacocca,
industrialist
When you’re angry, never put it in writing. It’s like carving your anger in stone. That makes implacable enemies.
–Estee Lauder,
founder of Estee Lauder Inc.
Fortune befriends the bold.
–John Dryden,
English poet, literary critic and playwright
You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.
–James A. Froude,
English historian
Paradise is here or nowhere: You must take your joy with you, or you will never find it.
– O.S. Marden,
founder of Success Magazine
When you set goals, something inside of you starts saying, ‘Let’s go, let’s go,’ and ceilings start to move up.
–Zig Ziglar,
self-help author
Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
–Dwight D. Eisenhower,
thirty-fourth U.S. president
Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?
–Frank Scully,
writer and columnist
The things you fear are undefeatable not by their nature but by your approach.
–Jewel,
singer-songwriter
There’s no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.
–Ronald Reagan,
fortieth U.S. president
Without labor nothing prospers.
–Sophocles,
Greek tragedian and philosopher
To win, you must have talent and desire — but desire first.
–Sam Snead,
legendary professional golfer
If you’re strong enough, there are no precedents.
–F. Scott Fitzgerald,
novelist and short-story writer
In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.
–Robert Frost,
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
Failure is not the only punishment for laziness; there is also the success of others.
–Jules Renard,
French author
Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.
–Lorraine Hansberry,
writer and playwright
The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear.
–Herbert Agar,
Pulitzer Prize-winning author
I’ve learned that failure preceded success, and the right decisions are an extension of the wrong ones.
–Alex Spanos,
founder of A.G. Spanos Cos.
If you’re not nervous about your passion, you’re not passionate about it.
–Bobby Flay,
chef/restaurateur and TV personality
The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
–Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain,
writer
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
–Mahatma Gandhi,
Indian spiritual and political leader
Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.
–Percy Bysshe Shelley,
English poet
I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.
–Frederick Douglass,
abolitionist, writer and speaker
Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’
–Mary Kay Ash,
founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
–Jack London,
writer
Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.
–Coretta Scott King,
civil rights activist
You don’t have to drink or swear or hit people in the face when they’re not looking, but you do have to be tough to win.
–Tom Landry,
former National Football League head coach
It is never too late — in fiction or in life — to revise.
–Nancy Thayer,
novelist
Be big: Think big. Act big. Dream big.
–Conrad Hilton,
hotelier
Life is not life unless you make mistakes.
–Joan Collins,
British actress and author
It takes 20 years of hard work to become an overnight success.
–Diana Rankin,
writer and public speaker
It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you’ve wanted to do so badly.
–Charles Lindbergh,
pioneering aviator
