Index
Favorite quotes & thoughts
Whenever I read or hear a good quote, I try to remember to write it down. If you have one that’s changed your perspective or life and you'd like to share it with me, I'd love to hear from you! If I like it, I might just add it to this page.
“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.”
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.”
“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.”
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
“A man’s errors are his portals of discovery.”
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
“The recipe for great work is: very exacting taste, plus the ability to gratify it.”
“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.”
“Don’t ignore your dreams; don’t work too much; say what you think; cultivate friendships; be happy.”
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
“Remember when you see a man at the top of a mountain, he didn’t fall there.”
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
“Much of the beauty that arises in art comes from the struggle an artist wages with his limited medium.”
“That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.”
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the crater of true art and true science.”
“You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. Begin it now.”
“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us.”
“The enemy is a very good teacher.”
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”
“Life happens at intersections.”
“The battle of life is already half won by the young man who is brought in contact with high officials; and the great aim of every boy should be to do something beyond the sphere of his duties— something which attracts the attention of those over him.”
“I hate it when people call themselves “entrepreneurs” when what they’re really trying to do is launch a startup and then sell or go public, so they can cash in and move on. They’re unwilling to do the work it takes to build a real company, which is the hardest work in business. That’s how you really make a contribution and add to the legacy of those who went before.”
“Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me.”
“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
“A sage is not afraid of lack of knowledge: he is not afraid of hesitations, or hard work, but he is afraid of only one thing—to pretend to know the things which he does not know. You should study more to understand that you know little.”
“A man is a product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
“Good artist copy. Great artists steal.”
“He who has a strong enough why can endure almost any how.”
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
“When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.”
“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.”