Oct 22, 2014

Inspirational Quotations

Do you have a favourite quotation? One that struck you with particular meaning when you read it and has stuck in your head ever since?

I do. It’s this one:



For me, this quotation can stop me procrastinating and motivate me to Just. Get. Started. I remind myself of it whenever I’m faced with an overwhelming task. Getting started is by far the hardest part, but once I’ve taken that first step it doesn’t seem so daunting.

No matter how big the task seems, no matter how insurmountable it appears, we have to make a start and continue from there. Writing a book, losing weight, gaining a qualification, breaking a habit, getting fit - most things in life are accomplished in small stages, not in huge giant steps. Any task, broken down into small pieces, seems much easier. Without the first step, the journey will never happen. Somebody who dreams big but never acts will never make their dream come true.

Other quotations that I like include:

"Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." - Carrie Fisher

"If you want the rainbow you have to put up with the rain." - Dolly Parton

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." - Joseph Campbell


What about you? Do you have a favourite quotation? Any that resonate strongly?

11 comments:

  1. Ooh, great minds, Claire…I was just thinking the other day about doing a post on quotations I love. :-) One of my fave pieces at the moment (it's on a sticky note above my computer) is from the Persian poet Hafiz and it's from the poem Several Times in the Last Week (the entire poem is glorious):

    Ever since happiness heard your name,
    It has been running through the streets
    Trying to find you.

    It reminds me to live in the moment…and to choose happiness. :-)

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    1. Oh, I love that, Michelle. I can see why it's a favourite.

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  2. Ooh - great topic, Claire!

    As far as inspirational goes, my favourite Dalai Lama quote is -
    If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito :-)

    Two of my favourite all time quotes are -

    It takes a whole village to raise a good child. (which I think is African)
    and
    Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money. (I think this is native American)

    Both soooo wise!

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  3. Oh, yes. They all make me wish I'd written them!

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  4. Wonderful post, Claire. Love those quotes.

    The one I often say to myself during the writing process, 'if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.'

    Before exercise it's: ' just @#$%%#@$ do it'

    And I've always liked: “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” – George Elliot

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    1. All good choices, Jen. I especially like the third.

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  5. Claire

    They are lovely quotes and there are so many good ones around I read the ones on the desk calander I have at work eveyday some are good some not so good and I have a really bad memory LOL so I can't help with anymore just one that I believe in Treat everyone the way you would like to be treated yourself

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Well, Helen, the world would be a better place if we all lived by that maxim, that's for sure.

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  6. Great quote, Claire - I love that one!

    My fave is by Anais Nin: “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” I like this because it reminds me that we all put our own lens on things and that two people will see the same thing from totally different angles :)

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    1. What a good one to remember, Stefanie! Certainly helps to understand other people's reactions.

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  7. Oh, I love your quotes, Claire! In fact everyone's quotes are fab!

    I'm having a bit of a blank moment but there is one saying that has really stayed with me for years and years...

    "Pleasure is yours only if you choose to be pleased"

    - which reminds me that happiness is a choice. Someone can have all the good fortune in the world and still be miserable.

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