Inspirational Quotes




I've been collecting quotations and stories for more than 20 years.
As a very wise man once said, "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in fittings of silver." When I find a well turned phrase or a story that illustrates a universal truth, I write it down for use in my keynote speeches and other communication.
Here are a few of my favorites on a variety of themes.



New quotes added periodically...at my Team Building Speaker site.

Attitude
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's way.
Viktor Frankl

Take your mind out every now and then and dance on it. It's getting all caked up!
Mark Twain



Busyness
I live in a society in which crowded schedules and harassed conditions are evidence of importance, so I develop a crowded schedule and harassed conditions. When others notice, they acknowledge my significance, and my vanity is fed.
Eugene Peterson

People expect us to be busy, overworked. It's become a status symbol in our society- if we're busy we're important; if we're not busy, we're almost embarassed to admit it. Busyness is where we get our security. It's validating, popular, and pleasing. It's also a good excuse for not dealing with first things in our lives.
Stephen Covey



Change
All change represents loss of some kind; that’s why some of us resist it so strongly.
Engstrom/Biehl

The only person who likes change is a wet baby.
Mark Twain

The number one barrier to change is the absence of a sense of urgency.
Lyle Schaller

Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
John Kenneth Galbraith


Discipline
Discipline is the gap between mediocrity and greatness.
Daren Wride

There are two kinds of pain: the pain of discipline, and the pain of regret.
Jim Rohn

You can map out a fight plan or a life plan. But when the action starts, you're down to your reflexes. That's where your roadwork shows. If you cheated on that in the dark of the morning, you're getting found out now under the bright lights.
Joe Frazier



Encouragement
Encouragement is oxygen for the soul.
Author Unknown

Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will never forget you.
William Arthur Ward



Failure
Failure is only humiliating to the arrogant.
(I heard this great quote from Wayne Boldt- unsure if it is original to him.)

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
Bill Cosby



Goals
If you have no personal goals you will work to achieve the goals of others.
Brian Tracy

The evidence is overwhleming that you cannot begin to achieve your best unless you set some aim in life.
Henry J. Kaiser



Happiness
There are two sources of unhappiness in life. One is not getting what you want; the other is getting it.
George Bernard Shaw

Prescription for a lonely, unhappy person: "Lock the door behind you, go across the street, find someone who is hurting, and help them."
Psychiatrist Karl Menninger



New quotes added periodically...at my Team Building Speaker site.


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