Quotes: Words of Inspiration

Some people collect coins or bells or Christmas ornaments.

Me? I’m a quote collector.

To know me is to know that if you place your hands in my pockets, or dig through my wallet and purse you’ll find tiny slips of paper in every nook and cranny. While these scribbled on receipts and papers would look like trash to most, they are my treasures. Those tiny slips (I also keep a running list on my phone) are quotes that have somehow inspired me. Ultimately I transfer them all into a book that sits on my bed stand next to my bible. I flip through its pages typically during tough times when I need a little nudge or knowledge.

This hung on my fridge for years...

Sometimes the quotes give me clarity, sometimes courage and sometimes they help me champion a cause. Sometimes they help me help someone else. And sometimes the quotes have nothing to do with anything but they just stirred something in my soul or made me smile.

That’s the thing about language in general, it’s open to interpretation and we all digest things differently. So, here is a sampling of my quotation collection; the quotes come from everywhere… Famous books and famous Americans… Pop Icons and Reality TV Stars… Fortune Cookies and magazines. You name it, chances are I probably have something from it. Enjoy…

“Every ending is a beginning… we just don’t know it at the time.”
-Mitch Album, Five People You’ll Meet in Heaven

“Sometimes when you lose, you win.”

“When I know better, I do better.”
–Maya Angelou

“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
–Albert Einstein

“You don’t choose love, love chooses you.”

“At almost any moment you have the power to change your destiny.”

“Remember to play after every storm.”
–Mattie Stephanek

“No matter how you feel or what you’ve done, take comfort in knowing that someone, somewhere has been in the same position you’re in and has felt all the same feelings you’re feeling now.”

“Our insecurities are little white lies we tell ourselves. Focus on being yourself. It’s enough. It’s enough.”
–Oprah Winfrey

“Don’t hold a grudge for 30 years. While you’re at home stewing, the other guy is dancing.”

“We don’t love the people we love because they are perfect. We love the people we love because they are.”
-Brothers and Sisters

“Breathe in faith.. Breathe out fear.”

“Leap and let faith be your safety net.”

“Hope dies last.”
-Dawson’s Creek

“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
-Harry in When Harry Met Sally 

“The world belongs not to the one who fits in… but to the one who stands out.”
-Gail Blanke, Real Simple Magazine Feb 2007

“Mediocrity always attacks excellence.”
-The Secret

“We do not get unlimited chances… Nothing is worse than missing an opportunity that could have changed your life.”
-Addison from Grey’s Anatomy 2007

“All glory is fleeting.”
–General George Patton

“Have you had any victories today?”
-Bob Reppe’s Dad

“Not everyone can be famous, but everyone can be great.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Pressure makes Diamonds.”
-Jillian’s Mom, Bachelorette 2009

“Its is much easier to be critical than to be correct.”
-Fortune Cookie

“When you’re prepared… there’s no reason to sweat.”
-Coach Jim Caldwell, Indy Colts Head Coach on Superbowl 2010

“It’s when we deserve to love the least, that we need it the most.”
-Jason & Krissi’s Wedding

“Love is what makes you smile even when you’re tired.”
-Terri, Age 4

“Whatever your reality is… I do believe there are moments when you slip into insanity, and you no longer think rationally. I believe that is what happened.”
-Marie Osmond

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Character is what you really are. Reputation is what people say you are.”
-Wooden

“Stop looking at your feet and start looking at the stars!”
-Diane Sawyer

“Criticism is a really bad way to make a request.”
-Diane Sawyer

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore is not an act, but a habit.”
-Aristotle

“Never let another person’s negativity cloud your own sunshine. Shine on, anyway!”
-The Daily Love

“Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?”
-Oprah

“It doesn’t matter how much we active… if you’re a climber, then there’s always another mountain.”
-Grey’s Anatomy

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”
-Mary Radmacher

“The difference between try and triumph is a little umph!”
-Marvin Philips

“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”
-General George S. Patton

“To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.”
-Giorgio Armani

“Never regret anything because at one time is was exactly what you wanted.”

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
-Maya Angelou

“Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.”

“The way I see it: If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
-Dolly Parton

“Encourage everyone you meet with a smile or a compliment and they will always be glad to see you coming.”
-Joyce Meyer

“Hope is faith in action.”
-Rev. Joseph Tito

“Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is the special occasion.”

“There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be then it will happen in the right time, with the right person and for the best reason.”

“Life is not about getting what you want, its about loving what you got.”

“A leader is a dealer in hope!”
-Napoleon Bonaparte

“Would you rather follow Winnie the Pooh or Eeyore?”

“We can’t all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.”
-Will Rogers

“Let people talk behind your back. They’re in a good place to kiss your butt.”

“God can dream a bigger dream for you than you could ever dream for yourself.”
-Oprah

“Bloom where you are planted.”

“When others speak ill of you, live your life so that no one will believe them.”

Related articles

• Inspirational quotes for women about life: The spoken word of Maya Angelou (msladyg2.wordpress.com)
• Courage of the Heart – Quotes to Inspire and Move through Fear (taniamarieartist.wordpress.com)
• Assessing My Journey: “Quotes I’m Pondering from Maya Angelou” (butterflyjewel.wordpress.com)
• Inspirational quotes for women about life: The spoken word of Maya Angelou (faith-dream.com)

Advertisement