There have been times in my life when I have heard, or read, a quote and it has come just at the right time or spoken into my life so directly. It gave me the idea to create a quote journal ideas book to refer to when I need a shot of inspiration.
I first heard ‘Fortune favours the brave’ when I was leaving university and had this idea of going to work for myself and start a couture dress company.
When I first heard the John Donne poem, No Man is an island, it was the line,
“…never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee”.
I was intrigued. I thought, ‘Does someone know that someone else is going to die and so tells them that the bell tolling is for their death? It sounded a bit unusual, so I searched the poem out. It is so beautiful. It really spoke to me about how interconnected we all are. You may know it, or know of it,
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man
John Donne
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of they friends or of thine
own were; any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never sent to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
In light of events in our modern history, to feel that any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind is really so beautiful, and I love the phrase, “No man is an island, entire of itself”. I often feel like I might be an island, maybe Antartica, all on my own. But Donne reminds us that the human condition is interconnectivity, and that is so beautiful.
The other quote that I love which is also quite long is the Theodore Roosevelt ‘Man in the Arena’ speech.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Theodore Roosevelt
I hope I can live up to this quote in my life. I hope I can dare to try and not be downcast when I fail, but get up again, repeatedly.
How quotes help me and can help you too
The reason that quotes help me so much is that they are prompts which remind me not to give up, not to take myself too seriously, that there are others out there who feel the same as I do, that we all struggle, in short that the human condition applies to us all!
For example, “Discipline is remembering what you want.” (David Campbell)
If ever I don’t want to get out of bed to go running or write a blog post or do weights or whatever it is that is the step to getting where I want to go, then this quote pulls me right back, to this question: Am I willing to do what it takes to get what I want?
A quote journal or a quote page
Keeping a list of quotes, or a quote journal ideas book is a great idea and a great way to remember what your ‘why’ is. So here are some ‘Why’ quotes to give you a dollop of inspiration or encouragement to keep going.
You could keep a quote journal of all your favourite ideas and then maybe print out a few and keep them in your bag, or on your desk, or the fridge, to remind you to keep going, that good things come to people with small or great ideas who are willing to remember their why and keep going.
Your Why
The first quotes go to Simon Sinek, author of “Find your Why”
Fulfilment is a right and not a privilege. Every single one of us is entitled to feel fulfilled by the work we do, to wake up feeling inspired to go to work, to feel safe when we’re there and to return home with a sense that we contributed to something larger than ourselves.
Before we can stand out, we must first get clear on what we stand for.
The two most important days in life are the day you born and the day you discover the reason why.
Mark Twain
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Proverbs 29:18
Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.
Les Brown
You have a masterpiece inside you, you know. One unlike any that has ever been created, or ever will be. If you go to your grave without painting your masterpiece, it will not get painted. No one else can paint it. Only you.
Gordon Mackenzie
Great quotes about motivation
I love a good motivation quote. For years in my office I had a photocopied piece of paper that said, “Exercise is hard. Being overweight is hard. Choose your hard.” That is such a good quote. I wasn’t overweight at the time, but it reminded me of one of those useful life lessons, that neither the thing you want, nor the thing you don’t want is easy.
If you are using your journal writing to reach a goal or achieve something you haven’t achieved before then why not print or write an inspiring quote at the top of each blank page? Remind yourself that you are in the company of others who have gone before you and achieved difficult or new dreams for themselves.
You could also use them as journal prompts if you want to do some journaling around keeping yours inspired as you journey towards your goal. How do these quotes make you feel, how can you adopt them for yourself?
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston Churchill
Other Winston Churchill quotes
You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.
Oprah Winfrey
Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.
Dale Carnegie
Journaling quotes
Journaling is such a personal journey that when other people talk about it, it feels like they are ‘in’ on the ‘secret’! Here are some quotes about journaling, some from famous writers, actors and well known people, to inspire you and remind you who else is in the club!
Use these quotes in creative ways in order to really take them into your heart and mind so that they stay there, ingrained and ready to be used as prompts. If you’re typing, you could used different fonts for the quotes, print them out quite large and put them in your journal or frame them and have them nearby so that you look at them.
Keeping a journal of what’s going on in your life is a good way to help you distill what’s important and what’s not.
Martina Navratilova
― Martina Navratilova, Shape Your Self: My 6-Step Diet and Fitness Plan to Achieve the Best Shape of Your Life
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.
William Wordsworth
I have really benefitted from other peoples’ encouragement and most of these people do not know me personally. A good motivational quote can carry you a long way as you do the hard work necessary to live the life you want.
Try and read one positive quote each day. Fill your mind with what is possible. Like Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t – you’re right.” Here are great quotes that could help carry you to your future self.
Remember this: You are the benchmark of your success – you define it. Don’t let anyone else define it because if you do, you will fail. Appreciate those who support you and challenge those who don’t.
Martina Navratilova
― Martina Navratilova, Shape Your Self: My 6-Step Diet and Fitness Plan to Achieve the Best Shape of Your Life
Once you start believing in yourself, anything is possible. Once you start believing in yourself, your dreams take shape. The more you believe, the more you achieve.
Martina Navratiloa
Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.
Maya Angelou
Self Belief
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
Oscar Wilde
The true test of a character is to face hard conditions with the determination to make them better.
Helen Keller
If you can dream it, you can do it.
Walt Disney
Some of my favorite quotes about humanity
I love quotes that inspire me to be a better person. They are one of the favorite things in my life. If you have any form of journal where you are striving to do something, strive also to be a better human.
You will be journeying with great people. Here are some quotes to get you inspired to engage with the human race. Remember, no man (or woman) is an island!
If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.
Maya Angelou
We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends, and living our lives.
Maya Angelou
The best portion of a good man’s life: his little, nameless unremembered acts of kindness and love.
William Wordsworth
― William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads
In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.
Anne Frank
The likelihood that your acts of resistance cannot stop the injustice does not exempt you from acting in what you sincerely and reflectively hold to be the best interests of your community.
Susan Sontag
Quotes about grit, determination and what is expected of us as humans
“Be the change you want to see happen” is such a great quote. It was ascribed to Gandhi, although probably not his quote
Song lyrics also have the power to speak straight into our heart. These from Michael Jackson remind me of what is expected of me as a participant in the human race:
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could’ve been any clearer
If they wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change.” Man in the Mirror
The process of difficult change can feel lonely. But many others have navigated this journey and have left us books, quotes and their work as a legacy and a reminder that the human experience is partly falling flat on your face, and partly soaring with the angels.
Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.
Oscar Wilde
I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.
Pablo Picasso
It takes great strength to be vulnerable enough to put your ass on the line, in public, and work toward a dream that feels like it’s slipping away.
David Goggins
I knew that the confidence I’d developed didn’t come from a perfect family or a God-given talent. It came from personal accountability which brought me self-respect, and self-respect will always light a way forward.
David Goggins
Being Strong
When you hear someone say something about a person’s strength you know they have probably come through a hard time themselves. Eleanor Roosevelts, ‘A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water’ quote has helped me through a difficult time in my life.
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.
Helen Keller
All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.
Walt Disney
Inspirational quotes about creativity and imagination
As a creative person I have welcomed this shift we have seen in recent years towards acknowledging the power of creativity. Creativity is not a detrimental term for what people are when they are not bright, intelligent and earning lots of money. Creativity is the key to everything. Creativity is brightness and intelligence. And these days the money does follow
If you are creative and feel sidelined in any way, don’t feel that any longer! You are in great company. The little details of your everyday life that only you notice, but that you want to recreate, your interest in beautiful things and what makes life better, your desire to create where there was nothing before. These are all high value skills.
Not only that, but creativity in whatever form is also key to our mental health. No-one every said, ‘Make a spreadsheet, it’s good for your mental health’, or ‘Sit in that chair for eight hours, work on those papers and you will feel much better.’ No! People say, ‘Keep a daily journal’, ‘Go for a walk’, ‘Be in nature’, ‘Draw’, ‘Paint’, ‘Sew’. These are all vital skills.
Ok, my lecture is over, here are some great quotes about creativity and imagination. Let them be a new beginning for you if you have neglected yourself recently. This new beginning is probably the most cost-effective therapy you can invest in, because you are investing in yourself, and learning to believe in yourself.
The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.
Albert Einstein
It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
Albert Einstein
Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.
Steve Jobs
You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.
Maya Angelou
There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.
Edward de Bono
Adults are bad at remembering how powerful they can be because somewhere along the line, they were shamed for their imagination.
Stephen Chbosky
I hope this has inspired you to create your own quote journal ideas, and either put them in poster form or print them out or create a journal.
To your inspiration! And creativity! And your own quotes!
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