We are our thoughts. We cannot change anything
if we cannot change our thinking.
You have a train of thought on which you ride when you are alone and quietly thinking. The self-worth you feel, as well as the happiness your life brings, depends upon the direction in which this train is moving, the baggage it carries and the emotional space through which it travels. Between life’s stimulus and your reaction is where this space exists; within it is your power to choose how you react, and in your reaction lies your growth, freedom and happiness.
If you truly want to change your life, you must first change your mind. You must free it from the restrictive thinking that holds you back.
Here are 50 thought-provoking quotes gathered from our sister site, Everyday Life Lessons, and from our blog archive that will help tweak your thinking and set your mind free.
- You are only destined to become one person – the person you decide to be.
- Do good and feel good. Do bad and feel bad. It’s that simple.
- You are what you do today, not what you say you’ll do tomorrow.
- We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.
- Ultimately, it’s not what you do every once in a while; it’s what you dedicate yourself to on a regular basis that makes the difference.
- Stay true to yourself. Never be ashamed of doing what feels right. Decide what you think is right and stick to it.
- If you don’t stand for anything, you will remain forever on your knees.
- No amount of money will make you happy if you aren’t happy with yourself.
- You know you’ve made the right decision when there is peace in your heart.
- Don’t worry if your goals seem crazy to other people; oftentimes the crazy ideas are the ones that have the greatest impact.
- If you’re thinking like everyone else, then you aren’t thinking. (Read Thinking, Fast and Slow.)
- Control your own destiny or someone else will try for you.
- Sometimes standing up to your friends can be just as difficult as standing up to your enemies.
- The unhappiest people in this world are the people who care the most about what everyone else thinks.
- When people undermine your dreams, predict your doom, or criticize you, remember, they’re telling you their story, not yours.
- There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.
- No one in the world was ever you before, with your particular gifts and abilities and possibilities.
- Your greatest task isn’t to find love, but to discover and destroy all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
- A loving, happy person lives in a loving, happy world. A hateful, miserable person lives in a hateful, miserable world. The world around you reflects YOU.
- Worry gives small things a big shadow.
- Focus your conscious mind on things you desire not things you fear. Doing so brings dreams to life.
- It’s not the mistakes and failures you have to worry about, it’s the opportunities you miss when you don’t even try that hurt the most.
- It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one over and over again.
- To get something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done.
- The harder thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing.
- Our problems are really our blessings if we use them to grow stronger. (Read 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)
- Anyone can run away; it’s super easy. Facing problems and working through them, that’s what makes you strong.
- When you have two good options, always go with the one that scares you the most, because that’s the one that’s going to help you grow.
- Courage is being scared to death, and then taking the next step anyway.
- Sometimes our greatest insight comes from our failure, not from our accomplishments.
- You need to screw up to learn. You need to experience it all to create greatness.
- Just because you don’t understand something now doesn’t mean the explanation doesn’t exist.
- Not knowing everything about your future is a good thing.
- Don’t worry about what you can’t control and you may liberate yourself.
- People of average ability often achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most people succeed simply because they are determined to.
- Temporary happiness isn’t worth long-term pain.
- Patience can be bitter, but the seeds you plant now will bear sweet fruit.
- The less you expect, the more pleasant life gets.
- The more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract things to be grateful for.
- The things you take for granted, someone else is praying for.
- It usually isn’t what you have or where you are or what you’re doing that makes you happy. It’s how you think about it all.
- Do not dwell so much on creating your perfect life that you forget to live.
- You are not in competition with anybody except yourself; plan to outdo your past not other people.
- To admit that you were wrong is to declare that you are wiser now than you were before.
- Humans see what they want to see.
- If you spend too much time judging yourself, you won’t have any time to love yourself or anyone else. (Read The Mastery of Love.)
- At the end of the day, you can either focus on what’s tearing you apart or what’s holding you together.
- Look through the front windshield and not the rearview mirror.
- You don’t get to choose how you are going to die, or when. But you can choose how you are going to live, right now.
- Be done with regrets; they are an excuse for people who have failed. You still have a chance.
Your turn…
What’s one quote or personal thought that has helped free your mind from negativity and restrictive thinking? Please share it with us by leaving a reply below.
Photo by: Martin Gommel
Anastasia says
“It’s just a bad day, not a bad life!”
on days when it’s hard to hold my head up and not just break down into tears I repeat this over and over in my head.
My second favorite is from a small blue fish…..JUST KEEP SWIMMING! ~Dori Finding Nemo
when all else fails this quote and visualizing that little fish at least make me smile 🙂
Your posts have helped me so much since I started following y’all about a year ago. There have been days that I was ready to give in and up and by some coincidence in the universe one of your emails will appear in my inbox and lighten my soul.
I sincerely thank you both Mark and Angel!
Keep it up and be proud b/c you make a difference to many.
~ Anastasia
melanie says
Rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive meaning think for yourself and don’t conform.
Chintan says
Thanks all @ simply amazing inspiring quotes.
Here is my 2pence worth (less serious ones) –
1) The whole world is a team. Remember there is no ‘I’ in team….but without ‘me’ the team is ‘ta’.
2) Why worry? Why be afraid? This is life. At the end of it no one has ever come out alive. So leave worrying for after you die, but for now – live. Enjoy. Relish and love. Give every moment your best shot. Failure is just an experience. Fight hard. Fall fast, rise faster. Its not about how many times you fell, its about how fast you got back. Let the past be glorious(= cherish the happiness and sweetness of the past). Forgive yourself and others. Blame only ignorance, nothing else. Postpone any suicidal/negative thoughts till after you are 99.364!! Make a worry box and write down your worries in a paper and put it in the box every week. Open to read it only after 10 years, usually makes for a fun/silly evening!!
Challenge destiny says
Don’t come to me with problems. Come to me with solutions. Negative comments get no one anywhere. But solution minded people will rule the world.
Jules says
If we don’t change directions soon, we will end up where we are going.
Ines Pintos-Lopez says
Most people are good people. Their behaviour is at times unacceptable, irresponsible or inappropriate. People are generally good, their behaviour might be bad.
Klara says
Time and again you guys have helped me overcome or accept difficult situations. This latest post is another little gem that helps light my path when darkness – read negative thoughts- engulf me. Thanks …
Sheila Bergquist says
One of my absolute favorite’s is:
Your power is your own.
I love your site…thanks for all the inspiration and comfort it brings.
Diana says
For me its realizing you CANNOT please everyone! This totally set me free.
Divya says
Life is all about balance. Balance between good and bad, right and wrong, fun and work, dreams and reality. Keep everything in balance and presevere, that’s gonna get you through any challenge life offers.
Shelly says
We are each made for goodness, love and compassion. Our lives are transformed as much as the world is when we live with these truths.
Desmond Tutu
Dean says
Setbacks set you up for comebacks….
Sj says
The greatest surprise of my life has been in my endeavour to motivate a class. I gave it all I had, the students loved it, soaked it in. But to my surprise, I ended up having motivated myself the most, I guess!
You are always finding a new you. That’s how wonderful life is. Thank you.
Sonia says
Thank you Marc, Angel and commenters! I agree with Deone that every one of these quotes are truth with a capital T, especially this one for me right now:
18. “Your greatest task isn’t to find love, but to discover and destroy all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
And here’s one of my personal favorites: “Uncertainty is the fertile ground of pure creativity and freedom” Deepak Chopra
Yvonne says
God put us here. It’s up to us to happy.
Frank Criddle says
Remember the past, Live in the present, dream of the future.
Bon says
Never give up. And NEVER, under ANY circumstances, face the facts. Ruth Gordon
Kate says
I love this one. Printed it out and taped it on my wall. Any plans for an Android phone App for your site? I’d buy it! 😉
Jesse Kaellis says
It good to be nice and it’s nice to be good. The Dalai Lama
alistair says
29 is THE one!!!
lila says
It’s been my hardest years recently, and still struggling…
Thank you for sharing this. It helps.
Antaeus says
“I don’t care how rough the water is boys, at the end of the day, you bring the ship in.” Steve Stone
Bottom line is no excuses, just get it done.
iMan says
Perfect!
Angel says
I just wanted to stop in once more and say, “THANK YOU” to all of you.
Marc and I spent a pleasant Sunday evening reading and discussing the inspiring quotes and positive sayings you all left here. We are so grateful that you continue to share your insights and ideas with us.
Tricia says
The words “I am” are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to. The thing you’re claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you.
-AL Kitselman quotes
AJ says
‘Well behaved women seldom make history.’
Caroline says
Got chill bumps multiple times while reading this list (first, second, and third time). So grateful for your website <3
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. “
Rami says
“There are no ordinary moments.”
Dan Millman
Lisa says
Bloom where you are planted.
Stefan Pavlov says
If you’re thinking like everyone else, then you aren’t thinking.
My favorite one 🙂
Reyna says
You know you’ve made the right decision when there is peace in your heart.
I love this one.
Rami says
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man” – George Bernard Shaw
Cody says
Belief is a funny system, you have to believe in it for it to work.
Ginny Miranda says
I am a creative writer and I love this quote from Einstein ‘I am the absolute ruler of the netherworld of my imagination’, so apt for a writer.
I also love this from The Monk who sold his Ferrari’, ‘life’s purpose is a life of purpose.’
So many beautiful quotes, very inspiring.
Jason Salem Properties says
#2 is my favorite by far 🙂
#45 has a lot of wisdom
#36 is one to live by
Chris says
I got my favorite quote here from marcandangel.
“Be the best version of yourself, not the second best version of someone else.”
Jenny Gregory says
Great list, all very meaningful. One of my favourites is “The best way to predict the future is to create it”
Dave Crippin says
My father used to tell me “no matter what you are doing, pretend someone is watching you, because they probably are.”
Leke T says
Never let discrimination be an excuse for not being successful.
Nancy says
A few of the ones I have tacked on my bulletin board:
If you worry, you didn’t pray. If you prayed, don’t worry.
Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.
Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.
Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.
And last by not least…
It’s all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you’re done.
Josh says
Don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing is gonna be alright.
– the legend Bob Marley
Tkim says
“When you know better, you do better”
Ged says
It’s not what we’ve done that defines us, rather what we do next.
Almarie Burton says
When your mind is backed by will, miracles happen.
rashmi says
Life is too short to be ANYTHING but HAPPY… 🙂
Tamara says
Your beliefs don’t make you a better person, your behavior does.
Lene says
It’s not the things we choose to put in – it’s the things we choose to leave out.
(Austin Kleon, Steal like an artist)
paul owoyemi says
If all you ever exercise is caution, you have reached stagnation.
Johnny King says
“Whenever we are thinking, we are meditating. Whatever we meditate on, We Become.”
kushmoor says
It’s not how you die that’s important, but how you live.