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“The Sun himself is weak when he first rises and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on.”
This quote is from the novel, The Old Curiosity Shop, by Charles Dickens (1841). It appears as three characters in the story are having a conversation. At first, the attitudes of everyone present are focused on the negatives. Therefore, their conversation is a bit sad and depressing. But in the end, their…
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“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”
This quote is often misattributed to Winston Churchill. However, it’s from a 1981 book by Liane Cordes, titled “The Reflecting Pond: Meditations for Self-Discovery”. It’s about how to reach your potential. Sometimes the person we are today and the person we are capable of becoming (i.e. our potential) are one…
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“Sometimes, when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place.”
What has to be broken before you can use it? This riddle has a logical and indisputable answer, which is: an egg. An egg must be broken before you can possibly eat it. The same logic is true for an orange, a coconut, etc. The quote, “Sometimes, when things are…
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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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Life’s Simple Equation: Number Lines, Arithmetic, and Five Life Lessons
When you were in math class during elementary/primary school, you probably weren’t thinking about how the lessons on addition and subtraction could be applied to life. But yes, life lessons can be found in basic arithmetic. Because life is like a number line accompanied by one long equation of plus…
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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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“Failure is a delay but not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end street.”
A dead-end sign and a detour sign communicate two completely different things. One is telling you that you can’t go any further–To turn around. Meanwhile, the other is telling you to take a different route. And that you will get to your destination in due time, just in a way…
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“Mistakes are proof that you are trying.”
In every sport, a team or individual is “trying” to win. To this end, many attempts are made to have the highest score–from shots on a basketball court to games on a tennis court and goals on a football/soccer field. Invariably, not every attempt is successful. This anonymous quote brings…