Over the years I’ve heard many words that have impressed, inspired and stuck with me. A couple I remember hearing fondly from my mother Ronna Waller and always recycle are “Better safe than sorry” and “Be careful what you wish for.” The first time I heard the phrase “People in hell want ice water – that don’t mean they get it,” was a brilliantly delivered line from Jessica Lange as Patsy Cline in the movie “Sweet Dreams.” Here’s another bakers dozen…
“In reality all men are sculptors constantly chipping away the un-wanted parts of their lives, trying to create their idea of the masterpiece.” – Eddie Murphy.
It was hearing this quote today, while watching an interview with Murphy, that brought to mind something that I’ve been saying about myself for the past 20 years. Whenever someone asks me “How’s it going?” — I’ll reply, “Chipping away like a sculptor, I’m a work in progress.” Murphy wrote his words in his High School year book over 30 years ago. The other twelve are…
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“There’s no deadline on your dreams.” – James Todd Smith aka LL Cool J
“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.” – The Dalai Lama
“FIGHT ALL YOUR LIFE! And when you die, have a good rest.” – Danny Nagashima
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” – Oscar Wilde
“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because some day in life you will have been all these.” – George Washington Carver
“Sometimes you have to be Blacker than others.” – Oprah Winfrey
“The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.” – James Baldwin
“In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, we will understand only what we are taught.” – Baba Dioum
“Follow your Curiosity.” – Albert Einstein
“Going up fool’s hill at 100 miles an hour.” & “You can have a pity party, but don’t stay long.” – Cynthia Dix (Rufen-Blanchette as my Mother-In-Law) by way of Grandma Matti Pearl Dix 🙂
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin
The last quote compelled me to record some of my own statements. Every so often something comes to mind, or I’ll express something to a friend, that they or I feel will be worth repeating. I’ve taken note of words I’ve spoken that have encouraged others, or an expression of annoyance or delight, that I’ve shared with friends over the past few years. I hope these words can be motivating or maybe a source of confirmation for others – What the FUNK…
“Creativity is the Path to Innovation.”
“Ignorance is Bliss… until One is Educated.”
“Averting Persecution due to Incompetence is a Blessing.”
“Fools will be fools and a Bodhisattva बोधिसत्त्व will always rise.”
“Better To Dare and Dig In, Than To Yearn and Regret.”
“Going through life without living just isn’t worth it.”
“Failure is Not An Option When Victory is Your Destiny.”
“There’s Nothing Like the Gratification of Actual Proof.”
“Keep Going For That Brass Ring and Eventually You’ll Get It.”
“Homemade is 9 Times Out of 10 Better than Instant.”
“Don’t be a slave or a victim of another’s indecision – MOVE ON.”
“Challenges may endure, but Victory is Certain.”
“Metaphors are expressions of reality, believe.”
“Never make someone your priority when you are only their option.”
“The road to Largeness is traveled upon by many, but only a few acquire greatness.”
to be continued…
for the love of words that inspire
c-dub
