What words inspire you?

[yAyA]

What poem, quote, thought inspires you to be the best person you can be?

This is one that helps me face possible success when I want to shrink. I know it sound strange for someone to be afraid of success but sometimes I am. I feel that if I shine at this I have to keep shining or what will I do to top this

Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'who am I to be so brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Actually, who are we not to be? You are a child of God: Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
~Marianne Williamson
Widely mis-attributed to Nelson Mandela

 

[yakers]

Marianne is a neat person, I actually knew her earlier in her/my life, and I like her philosophy. I find a lot of inspirational words mainly from the Bible & other wisdom books. This could get long so I'll just pick the chapter on the prodigal son as one that opens me up. (Luke 15:11-32)

 

[retire@40]

What poem, quote, thought inspires you to be the best person you can be?

IF
by Rudyard Kipling​

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

 

[kz]

I have this saying handpainted on my bedroom walls. I don't know who the author is.

"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye"

 

[retire@40]

Another one that explains part of my life...

the final verse of Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken

I shall be telling this with a sigh 
Somewhere ages and ages hence: 
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— 
I took the one less traveled by, 
And that has made all the difference.

 

[uncledrz]

The bumblebee is unable to fly.
This is because the weight, shape and size
of the body in relation to the total wingspan
makes flight impossible.
The bumblebee, however,
being ignorant of these facts,
and possessing considerable determination
does fly...
and makes a little honey too!

Author unknown

 

[brewer12345]

Not just some words: a whole book. In "The Good Soldier Svejk", Svejk is an infantryman in WWI, a Czech serving in the Austrian army. Despite being the low man on the totem pole and constantly getting pushed around, Svejk manages to do exactly what he pleases simply by doing whatever the hell he wants and having a plausible excuse when called on it.

It is a very good reminder that despite all of the currents in life buffetting me around, I am ultimately the master of my own destiny if only I will take up the reins and do what I want. It is also a hysterical bit of comedy.

 

[tryan]

Posted this on another thread ... seems appropriate here.

THE COMFORT ZONE

I used to have a comfort zone
Where I knew I couldn't fail.
The same four walls of busy work
Were really like a jail.

I longed so much to do the things
I'd never done before.
But stayed inside my comfort zone
And paced the same old floor.

I claimed to be so busy
With the things inside my zone.
But deep inside I longed for
Something special of my own

I couldn't let my life go by
Just watching others win.
I held my breath and stepped outside
To let the change begin.

I took a step and with new strength
I'd never felt before,
I kissed my comfort zone goodbye
And closed and locked the door.

If you are in a comfort zone,
Afraid to venture out,
Remember that all winners were
At one time filled with doubt.

A step or two and words of praise,
Can make your dreams come true.
Greet your future with a smile,
Success is there for you!

Author Unknown

 

[Ginger]

Here is what I keep up on my space at work:

"The best way to help other people is to keep doing my own work."

 

[Sheryl]

"I have no particular talent, I am merely extremely inquisitive."
Albert Einstein.

I bought a poster illustrating this in the 5th grade, and in the 35 years since, it has been on my wall wherever I lived. Somewhat tattered, by now.

 

[Nords]

We don't really have anything posted around the house, but at the end of a particularly frustrating or exhausting evolution we'll look at each other and one of us will say:

"Hey. Waddya DO all day?"

 

[acg]

One that hit home for me was:

                "If you are living in the past, you're life is history"

I also like, "Feal the Fear and DO IT ANYWAY".

 

[acg]

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, rather
spiritual beings having a human experience.

 

[sgeeeee]

Life sucks. Then you die.

An oldy but a goody.

 

[yAyA]

These are great

One of my long time mottos has been:

"Don't start none, won't be none" and I mean it

I also like what Suzy Orman said on a recent show:

"FICO first, then Sex"...hehehehehehe

 

[Zorba]

"The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth."

..or on a more positive note, this is said to be Jack London's credo.

I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out
in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom
of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.

 

[Eagle43]

I like these...

Political Science
By RANDY NEWMAN
No one likes us -- I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens

We gave them money -- But are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us -- so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them

Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hot
And Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name

Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us
We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo

We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin too

Boom goes London and boom Paree
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town

Oh how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono
And there'll be Italian shoes for me

They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now

Courtesy of Randy Newman....

 

[F M All]

We saw Randy recently with the Symphony - he said he is worried when people say they like that song - many don't get the irony

I wonder if JG likes it.................

 

[haha]

I want your body you cutie-pie! 

Ha

 

[sgeeeee]

I want your body you cutie-pie! 

Ha

But not if a big, burley trucker is saying it. Or maybe that's your preference.

 

[laurence]

"I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts!"

-Right Said Fred

 

[wabmester]

I thought Ha was hitting on F M All.

I get my inspiration from Howard Dean's great "I Have a Scream" speech:  "Aaaahhhh!"

 

[sgeeeee]

I thought Ha was hitting on F M All.

That's a good point, Wab. Is F M All a big, burley trucker?

 

[Ol_Rancher]

Seen on a bumper sticker:
I want to be the person my dog thinks I am


(yeah i know, the source is not from the 'Great Books' shelf)

 

[ellenjoan]

From William Blake:
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom