What Gems of Wisdom Inspire Your Life?

When I was 14 years old, my maternal grandfather passed. I have to admit that I shed more than a few tears. I admired my smart and kind grandpa. He worked as an engineer for the government. Later, I learned that he worked on what are referred to as “black projects.” I often wonder if the stress produced by all he knew—and all the secrecy that was required—led to his early demise…

My grandmother gave me some of my grandfather’s earthly possessions—art supplies, drafting equipment, and a number of books and notebooks. One of those notebooks—a well-worn, leather, six-ring binder—was to shape my life in a profound way. I remember the first time I opened it and discovered that it contained a collection of poems and inspirational thoughts that had been neatly typed on the small pages.

I also remember the day I sat down and actually read the contents of that small notebook. Because it didn’t contain a large number of pages, it didn’t take very long to read. However, I would have to say that I have rarely been so powerfully moved by a reading experience. I laughed and I cried. I was motivated and inspired. In short, I wanted to be the kind of person, and live the kind of life, the poems and thoughts in that notebook described. That little book changed my life. It started my lifelong love affair with great human thought.

As I searched out and read more poems, quotes, and biographies, I became a collector of the wisdom of the ages. I also began writing my favorite quotes down on cards and hanging them around my living space. When I graduated from university and started working full time, I “decorated” my office with my favorite quotes. I used my artistic and calligraphic skills to make my quotes pleasing little works of art. In fact, my colleagues would often stop by my office to read and reread my quotes and check for any new ones.

Recently, a friend noticed some of my quotes in a picture of my office he saw on line (they were too small to actually read). He asked me if I would mind sharing the quotes I have displayed around my office. As a “collector,” I understood, and related to, his request.

So, here are some of the many quotes and thoughts that I have displayed in my office. Some of them have been around for many years. I hope you find a few to inspire you on your journey. I would love to see the quotes that motivate and inspire you, if you’d like to share them.

"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." -Rumi

“Light yourself with the fire of enthusiasm and people will stand in line to watch you burn.” -Unknown

“Feel the fear and do it anyway!” -Dr. Susan Jeffers

“Action is the antidote for despair.” -Mark Swain

“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought again.” -Unknown

“Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself.”  -Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.” -Rumi

Are my excuses more important than my dreams? NO! No excuses! 

“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare think.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Stop perfectionism—STOP IT!

“Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” -Horace Mann

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” -Robert Frost

I refuse to adopt a victim mentality!

“I have been a seeker and still am, but I stopped asking books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my soul.” -Rumi

“He went about doing good.” Acts 10:38 (speaking of Jesus)

What am I especially grateful for today?

“The way to know life is to love many things.” -Vincent van Gogh

Do something creative every day (write, compose music, draw/paint, etc.).

“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor.” -Ecclesiastes 10:1

“I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life.” -Louise Hay

“It’s easier to see the truth when you stop assuming you already have it.” -Unknown

“I spent my whole life trying to run away from Reg Dwight…When I got too far from him…things went horribly wrong.”  -Elton John

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” -Henry David Thoreau

“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.” -Richard Bach

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” -Albert Pike