Words To Live By

Over the years, I’ve collected a large number of quotations from prominent figures – out of history and in our current society. Quotes can often help to serve as a rock – or an anchor for us, to keep us grounded & focused on a constructive perspective. Here are a handful of great words to live by to help us get through the hard times…

We have a choice in our actions – always.

“The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” ~Charles Swindoll

Choose humility instead of argument. Pride injures. Sometimes, silence is better.

“Cruelty hardens and degrades, kindness reforms and ennobles. If the reason I give is a good one, you will act upon it. If it is a bad one I cannot make it better by piling epithet upon epithet. There is no logic in abuse; there is no argument in an epithet.” ~Robert Ingersoll

“Of all the manifestations of power, restraint impresses men the most.” ~Thucydides

“Humility and inner peace go hand in hand. The less compelled you are to try to prove yourself to others, the easier it is to feel peaceful inside.” ~Richard Carlson

“Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.” ~Thomas Merton

Find a middle ground and exercise moderation.

“Let him know how to choose the mean and avoid the extremes on either side, as far as possible. For this is the way of happiness.” ~Plato

“A good supply of resignation is of the first importance in providing for the journey of life.” ~Arthur Schopenhaur

Be responsible and accountable for your actions and words – even as you are your own thoughts.

“Even if I am not responsible for my situation, I am responsible for my reaction to it.”

Allow others to be what they will. Realize what you truly have control over.

“There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” ~Epictetus

Know when to let go. When to rest. Pick your battles. Be at peace with what will be.

“When we have done our best, we should wait the result in peace.” ~J. Lubbock

“Do the best that can be done and then . . . be resigned.” ~Robert Ingersoll

“Care is no cure, but rather corrosive,
For things that are not to be remedied.” ~Shakespeare

“Things without all remedy,
Should be without regard: what’s done is done.” ~Shakespeare

A more peaceful way to live is to decide consciously which battles are worth fighting and which are better left alone. . . . Is it really important . . . that you confront someone simply because . . . he or she has made a minor mistake? Does a small scratch on your car really warrant a suit in small claims court? These and thousands of other small things are what many people spend their lives fighting about. If you don’t want to ‘sweat the small stuff,’ it’s critical that you choose your battles wisely.” ~Richard Carlson

In the end, we control only ourselves – our choices, thoughts, words and actions. Peace can truly be enjoyed by making responsible choices in these areas.