Celebrating Quotes
A few thoughts about how words others have spoken can inspire, challenge, and encourage, and five of my all-time favorites.
“I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself.”
—Marlene Dietrich
During graduate school, I started collecting quotes. When I came across one that resonated with me, I jotted it down in a journal kept for that purpose. Over time the collection expanded as I copied lists of quotes from various places and stuck them in the back of the journal.
I loved quotes because they challenged my thinking, they inspired me when I needed a nudge to get back on the right track, and served as conversation starters during those moments when we’d set our research aside and head out for some casual conversation (and perhaps an adult beverage or three).
Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash
It intrigued me how often the quote I most needed always seemed to arrive just when I needed it — like a sign to redirect my thinking.
When I joined the faculty of the University of Illinois and started teaching, I decided to start every class with an opening quote. I’d spend hours searching my collection for just the right one to set the tone for the day’s lecture. Then I’d show it on the screen as the students entered the classroom.
I’d open with the quote and share how it related to the topic we were discussing that day, and if I’d been able to locate it, a bit of background regarding the person to whom it was attributed. My goal was to expand the minds of my students while setting up the lesson for the day.
I still have that collection of quotes, and they continue to serve me well in managing my mindset.
Here are 5 of my all-time favorites.
Einstein reminds me we’re here to serve.
“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
―Albert Einstein
Lincoln encourages me not to worry about what others think or say about because I can’t change it and it's not what matters most.
"If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference."
—Abraham Lincoln
Nightingale affirms the power of the mind and why we need to be intentional in choosing what we think.
“You are now, and you do become, what you think about.”
― Earl Nightingale
Eisenhower confirms the value created by committing to the process.
“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”
—Dwight D. Eisenhower
Tzu reveals the need to grow and continuosly improve myself.
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
― Lao Tzu
Truth be told, I could probably list another 100 quotes I’ve found valuable at one time or another, but these seem to cycle back frequently and are today’s top 5.
Today’s Action Advice
Invest 5 minutes in an online search (or maybe a book if you want to go old school) to find a quote that resonates with you at this moment. Write it down or type it out, maybe make an image meme and make it your computer’s desktop.
Own it. Act upon it. Allow it to push you to become the person you are here to be. And while you’re at it, please take a second, hit reply, and share the quote you select with me.
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P.S. If you’re finding value in these posts, please take a moment to share them with someone you know who needs to be inspired to think differently and become the person they are capable of becoming. You might be able to help them take the most critical step — the first one.