quotes that inspire you

You are all stardust - Lawrence Krauss.

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. –Maya Angelou

Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start. - Nido Qubein

Any dog related ones usually!!

"dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole" not sure who by but they are a pretty big part of mine, and sometimes when I have had a particularly sh!te day at work, when I come home to a waggy taily, there's not much better than that and it reminds me how fab my dogs really are and how much I adore them? there's another one along the lines of "dogs are the best therapy" which is pretty good too ?

Pretty much anything Oscar Wilde said when he opened his mouth.

"Time is only temporary"

Not especially philosophical or anything, but it's stuck with me.

Whenever things are a bit rubbish I think of it. It's temporary, it wont last forever.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning" Albert Einstein

One the lovely Pavone posted on instagram:

paraphrased a bit : I'm not telling you it is going to be easy but it will be worth it

Ooo i'd forgotten about that one! Love that one as well

A couple that have always stuck with me (though they might not be quite right):

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain

I had the blues cos I had no shoes til I met a man in the street who had no feet

i know they're silly but They just often give me the kick up the bum I need when I'm getting stressed/upset about something to remember to put it into perspective and focus on enjoying life instead of wishing it away. I'm sure there's others but I can't remember

I have the following tattooed on my ribs:

"perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim"

It's an old Latin phrase which translates to: Be patient and tough; some day this pain will be useful to you.

"When you're struggling with something, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it's just as hard as what you're going through" - Nicholas Sparks, Dear John

The serenity prayer is my main one - I have a bracelet with it on, a card in my purse and I also have SERENITY tattooed on my arm. I don't think you need to be religious to be inspired by it.

Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better.

Grief is the price we pay for love.

We use this one at work a lot. We even have it on our corporate fridge magnets! Good choice.

Inspirational favourite:

'Be kind. Every person you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.'

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” (Dr Seuss - Oh the places you'll go)

And 'others':

'There is a rumour going around that I have found God. I think this is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.' (Terry Pratchett)

'You're unique. Just like everyone else' (Unknown)

And about my desk at work I have a sign that reads;

"I'm not saying let's go and kill all the stupid people...I'm just saying let's remove all the warning labels and let the problem sort itself out" (Unknown)

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.”

Winnie the Pooh

I really like the general philosophy behind the serenity one despite the religious connotations.

And this is really cheesy, but I find I'm reminding myself of it all the time: Aim for the moon then at least if you miss you'll land in the stars.

We had this on our wedding candle so it's one of my all time faves. I love the one about walking a mile in someone else's shoes - not sure of the exact quote but it's from to kill a mockingbird. Also love the one about treating others as you want to be treated.

Mine isn't from someone famous but its my favourite nonetheless.

When we went to visit H's elderly great-nan (Little Nan) to invite her to our wedding, she was telling us stories about her marriage to her H who died 10 years previously.

She told us that they used to fight like cat and dog sometimes, but she loved him and was happy with their life. She told us, in her cockney twang, that whatever happens, whatever hardships we face that 'love'll get you there'

We both have it engraved on our wedding rings and recently, its been my motto for life.

Little Nan passed away in 2012 at the grand old age of 94, and she's gone but she will never be forgotten.

That's lovely Rod.

It reminded me that my Gran used to say 'Granddad may be the head of the house, but I'm the neck and I can turn the head any way I want'.

The serenity prayer has held me together on more than one occasion and also reminds me of my beloved nan who always had it above her bed.

But here's a few that have helped me also:

I will hold myself to a standard of grace, not perfection

Let your smile change the world, but don't let the world change your smile

Piglet: how do you spell love? Pooh: you don't spell it, you feel it

Reading gives us a place to go when we have to stay where we are (just because I love to read!)

SERENITY NOW! (that's a Seinfeld reference by the way, I'm a huge Seinfeld fan and I love that as well as the prayer, my tattoo has a humorous association.)

I've always loved "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" - Dr Seuss.

I always try and keep that one in mind.

One of my favourite quotes ever.........

I have the words 'Yossarian Lives' tattooed on my foot.

This is related to the novel Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. The novel when it first came out was a slow burner and an underground read. Stickers and posters started appearing all over New York that stated 'Yossarian Lives'.

The book is my all time favourite and the quote to me means independence, strength and fighting for what is right no matter how you have to do it. Yossarian has often been called a coward, but in my eyes, he is courageous. It also represents the fact that Yossarian will never die. He will live on and so will his beliefs. It's anti-war and pacifist. So many meanings!!

I can talk for hours on that book and in fact wrote my undergrad dissertation on it! So yeah, my favourite quote is 'Yossarian Lives'.

x

I started reading Catch 22 after the Lost writers mentioned it as an influence but for some reason I gave up after a couple chapters. I really should give it another crack. The Third Policeman was another one I read after it was cited as an influence on Lost and that was amazing.

"We are all lying in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."