Picking quotes to live by is a tall order. I’m constantly stumbling across sayings that I find inspirational, amusing, and/or insightful. Since I couldn’t possibly list every quote I’ve ever liked, I’ve selected a few that provide solid guidelines for life.
William Edward Hickson once said, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.” This quote never goes out of style. I tell my kids this constantly, when they get frustrated playing a game or building a Lego structure and want to quit. Mind you, they really don’t appreciate when I tell them to keep trying, but I’m hoping that if I start early, they’ll learn not to give up too soon. The advice is just as useful for grown-ups, too, especially in the book industry. Writers might receive dozens of rejections before they ever get a book published. If authors gave up after the first rejection, book
shelves would be pretty darn empty.
“It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.” And if Mark Twain had any idea Twitter would one day exist, he’d definitely agree that this remark especially applies to Twitter.
Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Not only will you get run over by all the people passing you by, but if you’re sitting there, you’re not moving any closer to your goals. It’s easy to become complacent when life is good, but continued success takes hard work and focus.
Abraham Lincoln has many great quotes, and I especially like this one: " Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." I’ve known several people at one time or another who are continually dissatisfied with everyone and everything. They grumble and complain their way through life like unhappiness is an Olympic sport and they’re competing for the gold. I have no idea why some people spend these short years on earth not even trying to be happy, but a positive attitude tends to make life a lot more enjoyable.
There are many more quotes worth noting, but I’ll stop here. Abraham Lincoln was such a wise man that he should have the last word.
Great quotes, Mysti. There are definitely many people in our current tell-the-world-everything culture who would do well to remember Mark Twain's wisdom. And I have a friend who sadly (double meaning intended) is competing for that Olympic gold in unhappiness. And Will Rogers's message is one I should keep in mind myself. Thanks.
Posted by: Margaret Lucke | July 14, 2012 at 04:33 PM
My favorite: "There are 3 things you need to know about writing, but nobody knows what they are." I think it was Somerset Maugham. Too lazy to look it up.
Posted by: penny warner | July 16, 2012 at 05:21 PM
Mark Twain would have had a field day with our 24/7 culture, but I agree that Lincoln should have the last word even over Twain. Great post!
Posted by: Priscilla | July 17, 2012 at 12:59 PM