FAVORITE QUOTES

It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.
~ Ursula K. Le Guin

Do or do not. There is no try.
~Yoda

What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within out into the world, miracles happen. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Never be afraid of making mistakes; be afraid of not learning from your mistakes!
~ Unknown author

Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn't, it is of no use.
~Carlos Castaneda

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by frost.
~Tolkien

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.
~ Paulo Coelho

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; in fact, it is the only thing that ever has.
~Margaret Mead

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
~Henry David Thoreau

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
~Mark Twain

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

In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
~Abraham Lincoln

Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.” ~Henry Miller

Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.
~Chuck Palahniuk

Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.
~Zen proverb

When sitting, sit; when standing, stand. Above all, don't wobble.
~Zen Proverb

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
~ Lao Tzu

Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
~Albert Einstein

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
~Confucius

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
~Benjamin Franklin

Listen to your own truth.
~Ram Dass

Waste not fresh tears over old griefs.
~Euripides


The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.
~Buddha

Fall seven times, stand up eight.
~Japanese proverb

Happiness is not a goal. It's a by-product.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt



And then there is this. I came across this recently in my bookmarks, little bits of wisdom from many places -- I still like it:
Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on
Originally published in The Plain Dealer on Sunday, May 28, 2006

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.