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“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”
This quote, by John Powell, reminds us to see mistakes as learning opportunities. In fact, the biggest mistake is not learning from a mistake. Imagine the person you would be today if none of your past mistakes had taught you a single thing. You most likely wouldn’t have experienced as…
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“A night can never defeat the sunrise.”
Even after the longest night of the year, the sun rises. And even on a dark and cloudy morning when its light can hardly be seen, it still rises. This quote, by Sumit Sharma, serves as a reminder that your darkest and longest days should not stop you from rising…
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“Knowledge comes from learning. Wisdom comes from living.”
You have to live life to become wise. Yes, you can gain wisdom from other people’s lived experiences. But your own lived experiences are where most wisdom comes from. This quote, by Anthony Douglas Williams, helps us consider the fact that living life is a progressive journey in wisdom. This…
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“Happiness is not a goal. It’s a by-product of a life well lived.”
This quote, by Eleanor Roosevelt, addresses whether you’re looking at happiness at a micro or macro level. At a micro level, happiness becomes the end goal of every action. It becomes a constant effort–a never-ending pursuit. It means when something bad happens or you’re sad, one or more actions follow.…
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“If you want light to come into your life, you need to stand where it is shining.”
All plants need varying levels of sunlight to grow and thrive. It’s part of a process called photosynthesis wherein sunlight, along with water and oxygen, is converted into carbohydrates, i.e. energy. Light plays a key role in this process. Without it, a plant will eventually wither and die. This is…
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“A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”
This quote comes from Albert Einstein. Take note, it doesn’t say that “the pursuit of success” is a bad thing. It’s good to have aspirations and pursue success in various endeavors. That’s one of the many things that give hope for the future. However, you can look at what comes…
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“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.”
Of the three bones mentioned in this quote by singer and actor Reba McEntire, only the backbone (i.e. spine) actually exists in the human body. The wishbone (furcula) is found in birds. Meanwhile, the funny bone isn’t really a bone but a nerve that runs along the arm. Clearly, this…
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“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Imagine swimming in the middle of the ocean with nothing but water around you. There is no shoreline in sight. If you’re not a great swimmer or can’t swim at all, this is a terrifying thought. But even the world’s best swimmer might have a twinge of anxiety in such…
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“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
This quote comes from Zig Ziglar. A similar version of it (You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.) comes from Les Brown. There’s the obvious irony in this quote of already wanting to be great at something before beginning…
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“A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.”
Life has many detours. There are times things don’t “go our way.” So we have to go in a different direction with the hope of getting back on track. This quote (author unclear) reminds us that when things aren’t going as planned, we can either be miserable about it or…