u have a train of thought on which you ride when you are alone and quietly thinking. The self-worth you feel, as well as the happiness your life brings, depends upon the direction in which this train is moving, the baggage it carries and the emotional space through which it travels. Between life’s stimulus and your reaction is where this space exists; within it is your power to choose how you react, and in your reaction lies your growth, freedom and happiness. If you truly want to change your life, you must first change your mind. You must free it from the restrictive thinking that holds you back. Here are 50 thought-provoking quotes gathered from our sister site, Everyday Life Lessons , and from our blog archive that will help tweak your thinking and set your mind free. 1. You are only destined to become one person – the person you decide to be. 2. Do good and feel good. Do bad and feel bad. It’s that simple. 3. You are what you do today, not what you say you’ll do tomorrow. 4. We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us. 5. Ultimately, it’s not what you do every once in a while; it’s what you dedicate yourself to on a regular basis that makes the difference. 6. Stay true to yourself. Never be ashamed of doing what feels right. Decide what you think is right and stick to it. 7. If you don’t stand for anything, you will remain forever on your knees. 8. No amount of money will make you happy if you aren’t happy with yourself. 9. You know you’ve made the right decision when there is peace in your heart. 10. Don’t worry if your goals seem crazy to other people; oftentimes the crazy ideas are the ones that have the greatest impact. 11. If you’re thinking like everyone else, then you aren’t thinking. (Read Thinking, Fast and Slow .) 12. Control your own destiny or someone else will try for you. 13. Sometimes standing up to your friends can be just as difficult as standing up to your enemies. 14. The unhappiest people in this world are the people who care the most about what everyone else thinks. 15. When people undermine your dreams, predict your doom, or criticize you, remember, they’re telling you their story, not yours. 16. There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally. 17. No one in the world was ever you before, with your particular gifts and abilities and possibilities. 18. Your greatest task isn’t to find love, but to discover and destroy all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. 19. A loving, happy person lives in a loving, happy world. A hateful, miserable person lives in a hateful, miserable world. The world around you reflects YOU. 20. Worry gives small things a big shadow. 21. Focus your conscious mind on things you desire not things you fear. Doing so brings dreams to life. 22. It’s not the mistakes and failures you have to worry about, it’s the opportunities you miss when you don’t even try that hurt the most. 23. It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one over and over again. 24. To get something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done. 25. The harder thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing. 26. Our problems are really our blessings if we use them to grow stronger. (Read 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.) 27. Anyone can run away; it’s super easy. Facing problems and working through them, that’s what makes you strong. 28. When you have two good options, always go with the one that scares you the most, because that’s the one that’s going to help you grow. 29. Courage is being scared to death, and then taking the next step anyway. 30. Sometimes our greatest insight comes from our failure, not from our accomplishments. 31. You need to screw up to learn. You need to experience it all to create greatness. 32. Just because you don’t understand something now doesn’t mean the explanation doesn’t exist. 33. Not knowing everything about your future is a good thing. 34. Don’t worry about what you can’t control and you may liberate yourself. 35. People of average ability often achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most people succeed simply because they are determined to. 36. Temporary happiness isn’t worth long-term pain. 37. Patience can be bitter, but the seeds you plant now will bear sweet fruit. 38. The less you expect, the more pleasant life gets. 39. The more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract things to be grateful for. 40. The things you take for granted, someone else is praying for. 41. It usually isn’t what you have or where you are or what you’re doing that makes you happy. It’s how you think about it all. 42. Do not dwell so much on creating your perfect life that you forget to live. 43. You are not in competition with anybody except yourself; plan to outdo your past not other people. 44. To admit that you were wrong is to declare that you are wiser now than you were before. 45. Humans see what they want to see. 46. If you spend too much time judging yourself, you won’t have any time to love yourself or anyone else. (Read The Mastery of Love .) 47. At the end of the day, you can either focus on what’s tearing you apart or what’s holding you together. 48. Look through the front windshield and not the rearview mirror. 49. You don’t get to choose how you are going to die, or when. But you can choose how you are going to live, right now. 50. Be done with regrets; they are an excuse for people who have failed. You still have a chance. Your turn… What’s one quote or personal thought that has helped free your mind from negativity and restrictive thinking? Please share it with us by leaving a reply below. Photo by: Martin Gommel If you enjoyed this article, check out our new best-selling book . And get inspiring life tips and quotes in your inbox (its free)... Enter your email address to get new articles delivered for free: Sign Me Up! Possibly Related Posts: 9 Lessons from 9 Inspiring Quotes I Live By 50 Quotes to Help You Let Go and Live We Have What It Takes 60 Quotes that Will Change the Way You Think 10 Inspiring Quotes for Uninspiring Times 10 Signs Your Friend is Toxic 8 Effective Ways to Let Go and Move On Kate April 18th, 2013 at 11:12 pm When people show you who they are, believe them. -Maya Angelou Vincent Nguyen April 18th, 2013 at 11:23 pm “‘I’m bored’ is a useless thing to say. I mean, you live in a great, big, vast world that you’ve seen none percent of. Even the inside of your own mind is endless; it goes on forever, inwardly, do you understand? The fact that you’re alive is amazing, so you don’t get to say ‘I’m bored.’” -Louis C.K. Stephanie April 18th, 2013 at 11:31 pm When I was growing up, I was raised Catholic. As a Catholic, one confesses sins. There was this priest who always saw the good in people. I’d go into the booth, confess my sins, and he’d go through the church ritual of absolving me. What mattered was how he ended the confession. He said, “Keep up the Good Work!” I know some people laughed at that. He meant it. Those words today help keep me on a good track. He was a good man, a kind man. J.J. April 18th, 2013 at 11:43 pm I have this tacked to my work bulletin board: It’s your attitude at the beginning of a task that determines success or failure. desakbali April 19th, 2013 at 12:04 am Thank you… that’s all I can say desakbali April 19th, 2013 at 1:44 am You dont have to be perfect to be happy… La April 19th, 2013 at 1:58 am You have brains in your head You have feet in your shoes You can steer yourself any direction you choose. - Dr. Seuss Takis Athanassiou April 19th, 2013 at 3:29 am Excellent insights Marc and Angel. Quotes are powerful motivators for action. I would like to add one more quote by Aristotle, reads: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Thank you for sharing. Dev April 19th, 2013 at 3:30 am I’ve always been a fan of Covey’s “Begin with the end in mind.” Edgar Soto April 19th, 2013 at 3:46 am What you visualize will materialize. Prevention is better than rememedy. Be-YOU-tiful. Thank you , have the best day ever! Helen April 19th, 2013 at 5:56 am Everyday above ground is a great day. Every adversity has a benefit. Esta April 19th, 2013 at 7:41 am A great attitude becomes a great day which becomes a great month which becomes a great year which becomes a great LIFE. Thank you so much for all of your posts! They really are life changing. Heather Assaf April 19th, 2013 at 8:30 am “Life is change. To have lived is to have changed often”. (Goethe) Cindy April 19th, 2013 at 8:31 am I often say/think I don’t regret anything I’ve done. Of course I’ve done plenty of mistakes, but when I did, it was the the best I could do at that moment. The idea always was: “If I’m going to regret something, it’s going to be something I’ve done, not something I haven’t done”. Which is another version of “It’s not the mistakes and failures you have to worry about, it’s the opportunities you miss when you don’t even try that hurt the most.” It gives me incredible peace of mind. And by the way, thank you so very much, again, the “When you have two good options, always go with the one that scares you the most, because that’s the one that’s going to help you grow” just lightened something I’ve been wondering about. “Coming here” in the morning makes me feel like I’m meeting a dear, caring, insightful and wise friend for breakfast, you (readers and their comments included) lighten up my day. Thank you. Jacqueline Farley April 19th, 2013 at 8:46 am “Everything is created by the mind alone” by the Venerable Master Hua “Don’t take it serious, it’s only an experience” by R.D.Laing Thanks to all for the inspirational quotations! Jonathan April 19th, 2013 at 8:46 am A thought that helped me find some peace and comfort was this: ‘It’s not my fault, but it is my problem.’ It occurred to me when I was going through a hard time at university. At that time, I felt burdened by misplaced feelings of guilt and was fighting a sense of blame and persecution that wasn’t founded on anything tangible, but was nevertheless quite tenacious. The words might not sound very positive or inspiring at first, but for me they were empowering: whatever situation we find ourselves in, we have to accept it in order to work on it and eventually change it. But if we’re spending all our energy defending ourselves against imaginary criticism and shadow-boxing our dark side, then there’s no space or energy left to move towards the light. This one sentence helped to give me the space inside myself to begin sizing my situation up objectively by taking blame out of the equation; once blame is gone what is left is responsibility. To me, it means the acceptance of the unfairness of life and the willingness to live it anyway. I hope this means something to someone else, too. Barbara Felix April 19th, 2013 at 9:01 am Hope is not a method. Sara Usher April 19th, 2013 at 9:01 am An important violin teacher of mine, Broadus Erle, said: “We don’t have time for shortcuts.” That thought often gave me just enough time to reconsider an action or impulse! Cynthia April 19th, 2013 at 9:17 am It’s not important how you start, what counts is how you finish. Argenta April 19th, 2013 at 9:25 am I love the quotes but also wonder what the sources are. QT April 19th, 2013 at 9:27 am @Argenta: Seems to me like most of these quotes are not necessarily famous quotes. They are small lines from Marc and Angel’s older blog posts and from user submitted quotes and thoughts from the sister website mentioned. My favorite quote/thought that frees my mind is a line my mother always repeated to me: Letting go doesn’t mean quitting, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot and should not be. Lee April 19th, 2013 at 9:35 am “They can because they think they can” “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight” Balaji April 19th, 2013 at 9:38 am Great thought provoking quotes. I liked the quote 24. To get something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done. It just explains most of the thoughts you have described here. Thanks for compiling these nice quotes and sayings. Pat April 19th, 2013 at 9:49 am You can not change or affect, how people act or react… you only have control over your own thoughts and actions. Understanding this, is a lifelong journey and a process… something that living for 63 years has taught and continues to teach me. Tolerant patience… Nay April 19th, 2013 at 9:51 am This Dr Seuss Quote is one of my favourites: Be who you are and say what you feel because those that matter don’t mind and those that mind don’t matter. Thanks for the ongoing inspiration guys x Caroline Chapman April 19th, 2013 at 9:54 am Live life AS IS not WHAT IF. David Rapp April 19th, 2013 at 9:58 am Lead yourself. A true leader is NOT the one carried on shoulders after victory, he is the first one off his knees in defeat. “Fortune favors the bold” Pliny the Elder You cannot complain your way to happiness. When you hit rock bottom, the shovel is no longer your friend. Marianne Garver April 19th, 2013 at 10:10 am Thanks for another tasty dose of motivation! I have two favorite quotes that I keep close to me in some form in multiple locations (on my bulletin board in my office at home, framed above my desk at work, on slips of paper in my wallet, etc.). The first is from Samuel Beckett: “Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” The second from Emily Dickinson: “Dwell in Possibility.” Elizabeth April 19th, 2013 at 10:29 am Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience. ~ Victoria Holt Our firmest convictions are apt to be the most suspect, they mark our limitations and our bounds. Life is a petty thing unless it is moved by the indomitable urge to extend its boundaries ~ Jose Ortega Y Gasset 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. ~ From “Years of Renewal” by Henry Kissinger Kseniia April 19th, 2013 at 10:50 am Hello Marc and Angel, I’ve been reading your blog for about a year and I am a big fan of yours. I would like to share with you and all readers my favourite strategies which help me to go over the hardest times. 1. One of my favorite motivational strategies is called “The power of “as if”: if you feel really sad, try to change your mood as if you were happy. Try to live as if you had the best family, the best job, the best friends, the best day… It’s like a game you’re playing with yourself. At the end of the day we have only one choice in life: to be or not to be happy, and what we have to do is just to choose! Not to be happy is simple - I don’t know why (there must be a scientific explanation for it), but our brain tends to stick to negative thoughts and to remember bad things rather than good ones. To be happy requires for many people some effort. For me it is really difficult, I have to learn it like a foreign language. I don’t always believe in myself, I judge myself and doubt my choices and constantly put effort to stop doing all these things. At the most difficult moments I apply “as if”- strategy: I act as if everything was great instead of making a drama, and you know, it brings me back to life somehow. “As if”-Strategy originates from a story about one psychologist, who was very unhappy - so one day he decided to end his life. As he was about to commit suicide, he thought: “Before I go, I want to spend one more nice day of my life. I will not think about my problems, I will just live as if I were happy”. An he did. He lived 1 day, 2 days and a long, happy life afterwords. Because he liked living as if he were happy. And - I am deeply convinced of it - this is the only way to live. If you are here, on this planet, enjoy it, make the best out of it! There will be no second today! Every day is a great day, because every day you have air to breathe, light to see, food to it, and may be even someone to kiss, to tell how you love them, to cook a meal for. 2. My second favorite motivational strategy is “If you don’t know what to do, just do something.” I use this strategy when I do not know what to start with, because my tasks seem endless or I cant even define the tasks. Then I decide just to do something, even if it is not the most important thing. To get something small done helps me to begin with more difficult things, I don’t get “stuck”. 3. The most difficult state to deal with I call “The end of the world”. I think that everything is bad, the world is terrible, I am an awful person, I can’t reach my goals, my job is terrible, it will never be better. Nothing helps, nothing motivates, the first 2 strategies are of no use. Then the only way out of it is to accept this mood. OK, it is really the end of the world, everything is bad and probably there is nothing I can do, so I will do something I would do if it actually was the end of the world and I only had one last day to live: call my people and say I love them, watch my favorite movie, cook something special, read a good book, write a letter, take a bath or just go to bed early - in one word, I would just take time to do the things I love. Just do it, and the next day you’ll wake up and see the sun shining, and you’ll understand that the end of the world was a false forecast. But this false forecast was very helpful - you finally had some wonderful time with yourself and did things you usually do not have time for. I hope you all don’t have too many moments when you can make use my strategies!, but hopefully they are helpful. Have a nice weekend! Noah April 19th, 2013 at 10:51 am I always tell myself this: It is my attitude at the beginning of any project that ultimately determines my success or failure. Eva Chebet April 19th, 2013 at 10:53 am Positive thinking and do to people what you would like them to do to you. Thank you so much for the insightful quotes… Landy April 19th, 2013 at 11:12 am Develop an attitude of gratitude - it will change your life. Tom April 19th, 2013 at 11:22 am What you fear you draw near. What you resist persists. We see things not as they are but as we are. Great quotes Angel. Thank you! Dayna Mathews April 19th, 2013 at 11:30 am If you don’t ask, the answer is always “no”. When you have the courage to seek, the next “yes” you receive could be the biggest game changer of your life. So, ask questions. Seek answers. Learn, grow, and succeed because of what YOU sought out to ask. Elizabeth Cottrell April 19th, 2013 at 11:40 am I would love to share some of these individual quotes via tweets and on my Facebook Page, but I want to add proper accreditation. To whom should I give credit for them? Angel April 19th, 2013 at 11:56 am @Elizabeth Cottrell: As QT points out, these sayings and quotes are simply snippets from our older articles, tweets, and FB posts. Several of them also came from our sister site as mentioned above – and those were either a set of the same (snippets from our older articles) or user submitted. In any case, please just reference our @marcandangel Twitter handle or our web address marcandangel when you mention them. @Kseniia: Such wise strategies. Your second strategy is spot on in my book. If you don’t know exactly what to do, make an educated guess and do something – take a step and then adjust as you move forward if necessary. It’s all about momentum. @All: The inspiring sayings and quotes you have shared thus far are incredible. Thank you. Please keep them coming. I can’t wait to check back later and read more. =) Michelle Spence April 19th, 2013 at 11:57 am FANTASTIC!!!! I am grateful for your wisdom with each post that I read! You both are extremely skilled in your writing, delivery, clarity, producing concise, poignant, and relevant information each and every time! A true gift, thank you for sharing with us! Laila April 19th, 2013 at 12:11 pm Just a thank you. Have a great weekend. Jamie B. April 19th, 2013 at 12:20 pm “Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” -Walt Whitman Josiah I April 19th, 2013 at 12:26 pm Thank you Marc and Angel for these great quotes. They are useful for my soul growth. My soul shall grow from strength to strength. greg schenk April 19th, 2013 at 12:44 pm What the mind can perceive and believe it can achieve! Ashley April 19th, 2013 at 1:11 pm Thank you. I shall try one more day…. stephanie April 19th, 2013 at 1:38 pm “Sometimes the wrong choices, bring us to the right places.” Alexis April 19th, 2013 at 1:44 pm “Not all who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien. Every time I read the quote I get the shivers! Izabela April 19th, 2013 at 1:50 pm There is more than one that really inspires me, but if I was to choose just one, it would be: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” by Anaïs Nin eshwar April 19th, 2013 at 1:54 pm “You are what you do today, not what you say you’ll do tomorrow.” This quote has freed my mind…. we have lots to read and learn every day yet I don’t understand that the money I’m spending easily comes from the hard work of my father. There are millions of people who don’t get to eat even one meal per day, yet I’m enjoying my meal three times a day. I have many good things in my life which has been gifted by god, yet I never use. There is ultimately a battle is going on within me… I’m am so determined that one day I’ll make my life worth something good. Marc and Angel you guys are doing really a great job… love you guys. len stevens April 19th, 2013 at 2:24 pm I tell my students: The great, great majority of your limitations, your shortcomings, your inadequacies … are self-imposed … and undeserved! Deone Higgs April 19th, 2013 at 2:30 pm These were each great! It’s pretty challenging to pick which would be a favorite or either, the best one. Each one was full of the most sincerest truth. I will say this though, 20, 31, and 46 was nothing but the capital “T” in truth! Thanks for these gems, mates! They were filled with awesomeness! Well done! kristi April 19th, 2013 at 3:30 pm When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. Maya Angelou Anastasia April 19th, 2013 at 4:53 pm “It’s just a bad day, not a bad life!” on days when it’s hard to hold my head up and not just break down into tears I repeat this over and over in my head. My second favorite is from a small blue fish…..JUST KEEP SWIMMING! ~Dori Finding Nemo when all else fails this quote and visualizing that little fish at least make me smile Your posts have helped me so much since I started following y’all about a year ago. There have been days that I was ready to give in and up and by some coincidence in the universe one of your emails will appear in my inbox and lighten my soul. I sincerely thank you both Mark and Angel! Keep it up and be proud b/c you make a difference to many. ~ Anastasia melanie April 19th, 2013 at 6:57 pm Rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive meaning think for yourself and don’t conform. Chintan April 19th, 2013 at 7:43 pm Thanks all @ simply amazing inspiring quotes. Here is my 2pence worth (less serious ones) - 1) The whole world is a team. Remember there is no ‘I’ in team….but without ‘me’ the team is ‘ta’. 2) Why worry? Why be afraid? This is life. At the end of it no one has ever come out alive. So leave worrying for after you die, but for now - live. Enjoy. Relish and love. Give every moment your best shot. Failure is just an experience. Fight hard. Fall fast, rise faster. Its not about how many times you fell, its about how fast you got back. Let the past be glorious(= cherish the happiness and sweetness of the past). Forgive yourself and others. Blame only ignorance, nothing else. Postpone any suicidal/negative thoughts till after you are 99.364!! Make a worry box and write down your worries in a paper and put it in the box every week. Open to read it only after 10 years, usually makes for a fun/silly evening!! Challenge destiny April 19th, 2013 at 11:45 pm Don’t come to me with problems. Come to me with solutions. Negative comments get no one anywhere. But solution minded people will rule the world. Jules April 20th, 2013 at 12:52 am If we don’t change directions soon, we will end up where we are going. Ines Pintos-Lopez April 20th, 2013 at 1:59 am Most people are good people. Their behaviour is at times unacceptable, irresponsible or inappropriate. People are generally good, their behaviour might be bad. Klara April 20th, 2013 at 3:55 am Time and again you guys have helped me overcome or accept difficult situations. This latest post is another little gem that helps light my path when darkness - read negative thoughts- engulf me. Thanks … Sheila Bergquist April 20th, 2013 at 5:35 am One of my absolute favorite’s is: Your power is your own. I love your site…thanks for all the inspiration and comfort it brings. Diana April 20th, 2013 at 6:45 am For me its realizing you CANNOT please everyone! This totally set me free. Divya April 20th, 2013 at 9:11 am Life is all about balance. Balance between good and bad, right and wrong, fun and work, dreams and reality. Keep everything in balance and presevere, that’s gonna get you through any challenge life offers. Shelly April 20th, 2013 at 12:00 pm We are each made for goodness, love and compassion. Our lives are transformed as much as the world is when we live with these truths. Desmond Tutu Dean April 20th, 2013 at 2:01 pm Setbacks set you up for comebacks…. Sj April 20th, 2013 at 3:01 pm The greatest surprise of my life has been in my endeavour to motivate a class. I gave it all I had, the students loved it, soaked it in. But to my surprise, I ended up having motivated myself the most, I guess! You are always finding a new you. That’s how wonderful life is. Thank you. Sonia April 20th, 2013 at 4:46 pm Thank you Marc, Angel and commenters! I agree with Deone that every one of these quotes are truth with a capital T, especially this one for me right now: 18. “Your greatest task isn’t to find love, but to discover and destroy all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” And here’s one of my personal favorites: “Uncertainty is the fertile ground of pure creativity and freedom” Deepak Chopra Yvonne April 21st, 2013 at 8:04 am God put us here. It’s up to us to happy. Frank Criddle April 21st, 2013 at 11:39 am Remember the past, Live in the present, dream of the future. Bon April 21st, 2013 at 3:53 pm Never give up. And NEVER, under ANY circumstances, face the facts. Ruth Gordon Kate April 21st, 2013 at 4:27 pm I love this one. Printed it out and taped it on my wall. Any plans for an Android phone App for your site? I’d buy it! Jesse Kaellis April 21st, 2013 at 6:49 pm It good to be nice and it’s nice to be good. The Dalai Lama alistair April 21st, 2013 at 8:44 pm 29 is THE one!!! lila April 21st, 2013 at 10:35 pm It’s been my hardest years recently, and still struggling… Thank you for sharing this. It helps. Antaeus April 22nd, 2013 at 12:41 am “I don’t care how rough the water is boys, at the end of the day, you bring the ship in.” Steve Stone Bottom line is no excuses, just get it done. iMan April 22nd, 2013 at 1:31 am Perfect! Angel April 22nd, 2013 at 11:38 am I just wanted to stop in once more and say, “THANK YOU” to all of you. Marc and I spent a pleasant Sunday evening reading and discussing the inspiring quotes and positive sayings you all left here. We are so grateful that you continue to share your insights and ideas with us. Tricia April 22nd, 2013 at 3:40 pm The words “I am” are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to. The thing you’re claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you. -AL Kitselman quotes AJ April 22nd, 2013 at 4:23 pm ‘Well behaved women seldom make history.’ Caroline April 22nd, 2013 at 9:44 pm Got chill bumps multiple times while reading this list (first, second, and third time). So grateful for your website
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 07:59:39 +0000
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