Greet its Flow

May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

I would like to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding. ~ John Donohue

My day shall be filled to overflowing; yet I shall not haste the day, nor shall I waste the day. ~ Walter Russell

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate. ~ Zhuangzi

For this is Wisdom; to love, to live. To take what fate, or the Gods may give.
To ask no question, to make no prayer,
To kiss the lips and caress the hair,
Speed passion's ebb as you greet its flow
To have, -to hold -and -in time, -let go! ~ Laurence Hope

Quotes about flow

Never Gets Opened

Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up.  ~ Ann Bradford

Positive anything is better than negative nothing.  ~ Elbert Hubbard

I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.  ~ Abraham Lincoln

Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power.  ~ Shirley  MacLaine

I've tucked those negative thoughts in a drawer and for the most part it never gets opened.  ~ K. Martin Beckner

Quotes about negativity

Cleanse and Cool

Humor brings insight and tolerance.  ~Agnes Repplier

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs, jolted by every pebble in the road.  ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Humor is an  antidote to isolation.  ~ Elizabeth Janeway

If it's sanity you're after; there's no recipe like Laughter.  Laugh it off.  ~ Henry Rutherford Elliot

Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air, and you.  ~ Langston Hughes

Quotes about humor

Sing Anyway

Patient endurance attends to all things.  ~ Teresa of Avila

Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty.  ~ John Ruskin

We must endure what fortune sends.  ~ Greek proverb

The first and final thing you have to do in this world is to last in it, and not be smashed by it.  ~ Ernest Hemingway

Some day there won't be a song in your heart.  Sing anyway.   ~ Emory Austin

Quotes about endurance

All We Need

The place to be happy is here. The time to be happy is now.  ~Robert G. Ingersoll

The future is always beginning now.  ~Mark Strand

If you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly those moments.  ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.  ~Mother Teresa

Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.    ~Eckhart Tolle

Quotes about mindfulness

Sharp Tools

Acceptance is the universal currency of real friendship. . . .It does not warp or shape or wrench a person to be anything other than what they are. ~Joan Chittister

Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. ~J. K. Rowling

I let it go. It's like swimming against the current. It exhausts you. After a while, whoever you are, you just have to let go, and the river brings you home. ~ Joanne Harris

Tolerance, compromise, understanding, acceptance, patience- I want those all to be very sharp tools in my shed. ~ Cee Lo Green

Quotes about acceptance

The Eternal Quest

Finding the center of strength within ourselves is in the long run the best contribution we can make to our fellow men.   ~Rollo May

Man must be arched and buttressed from within, else the temple crumble to dust.   ~ Marcus Aurelius

When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.   ~ African proverb

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.   ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

We may stumble, but always there is that eternal voice, forever whispering within our ear, that thing which causes the eternal quest, that thing which forever sings and sings.    ~Ernest Holmes

Quotes about within

Less traveled

Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.  ~Jane Goodall

One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.   ~ John F. Kennedy

We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more.   ~Bill Clinton

It's amazing the difference
A bit of sky can make.   ~Shel Silverstein

Two roads diverged in the wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.  ~ Robert Frost

Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.  ~ William James

Quotes about difference

Our Ultimate Freedom

To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Energy is contagious: either you affect people or you infect people.  ~ T. Harv Eker

The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.  ~Bob Marley

It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.   ~William James

Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.  ~ Stephen Covey 

Quotes about affect (have an effect on; make a difference to; touch the feelings of someone; move emotionally)

Different, yet the Same

Diversity is the most basic principle of creation.  No two snowflakes, blades of grass or people are alike.  ~ Lynn Maria Laitala

Your significance is not in your similarity to others. It is in your differences.  ~ Mike Murdock

We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.  ~ Anne Frank

Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.  ~ Malcolm S. Forbes

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.  ~ Maya Angelou

If we cannot end our differences at least we can make the world safe for diversity.  ~ John F. Kennedy

Quotes about diversity

The Fairest Blossom

When you plant a seed of love, it is you that blossoms.  ~Ma Jaya Sati

Rather than turning over a new leaf, prune your tree so that new leaves continue to blossom.    ~Feroz Bham

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls happy.  ~ Marcel Proust

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.  ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Quotes about blossom

With Each Step

Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.   ~David Lloyd George

But you can build a future out of anything. A scrap, a flicker. The desire to go forward, slowly, one foot at a time.   ~Lauren Oliver

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.   ~ Lao Tzu

It is important to expect nothing, to take every experience, including the negative ones as merely steps on the path and to proceed.  ~ Ram Dass

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.   ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Quotes about steps

To Enrich the World

What a miserable thing life is: you're living in clover, only the clover isn't good enough.   ~Bertolt Brecht

Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.   ~Edwin Way Teale

Even Socrates, who lived a very frugal and simple life, loved to go to the market. When his students asked about this, he replied, "I love to go and see all the things I am happy without.  ~Jack Kornfield

It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else that prevents us from living freely and nobly. ~Bertrand Russell

The be-all and end-all of life should not be to get rich, but to enrich the world.   ~B. C. Forbes

Quotes about materialism

Always a Frontier

Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.  ~ Chinese proverb

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.   ~Galileo

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.   ~Albert Einstein

The job of an educator is to teach students to see the vitality in themselves.  ~ Joseph Campbell

Where there is an open mind there will always be a frontier.  ~ Charles F. Kettering

Quotes about teaching, learning

From all over the Place

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant; there is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.  ~ Johann Gottfried Von Herder

I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning.  ~ Peter De Vries

Method is much, technique is much, but inspiration is even more.  ~ Benjamin Cardozo

Better beware of notions like genius and inspiration; they are a sort of magic wand and should be used sparingly by anybody who wants to see things clearly.  ~ Jose Ortega Y Gasset

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web.  ~ Pablo Picasso

Quotes about inspiration

Striving for Authenticity

The foundations of a person are not in matter but in spirit.  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are not separate from spirit; we are in it.  ~ Plontius

Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.  ~e.e. cummings

No machine can replace the human spark: spirit, compassion, love and understanding.  ~ Louis V. Gerstner Jr.

What we're all striving for is authenticity, a spirit-to-spirit connection.  ~ Oprah Winfrey

Quotes about human spirit

The Price of Success

Find a need and fill it.  ~ Ruth Stafford Peale

Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.  ~ Henry Ford

The first step towards success is to become interested in it.  ~ William Osler

Always aim for  achievement, and forget about success.  ~ Helen Hayes

Success is blocked by concentrating on it and planning for it...Success is shy- it won't come out while you're watching.  ~ Tennessee Williams

I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.  ~ Frank Lloyd Wright 

Quotes about success

Benefit of All

There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.  ~Denis Waitley

Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.  ~ Dietrich Bonhoffer

Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.  ~ Henri-Frédéric Amiel

We've gotten to the point where everybody's got a right and nobody's got a responsibility.  ~ Newton Minow

I believe that to meet the challenge of the next century, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for his or her own self, family or nation, but for the benefit of all mankind.  ~ Dalai Lama

Quotes about responsibility

Do It On Purpose

The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself. ~Lao-Tzu

You are you. Now, isn't that pleasant?   ~Dr. Seuss

Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.   ~Judy Garland

Find out who you are and do it on purpose.   ~ Dolly Parton

Be yourself, but always your better self.  ~ Karl G. Maeser

Quotes about self

Who I Am

He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away. ~Raymond Hull

Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand-break on. ~Maxwell Maltz

Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable. ~Wendy Wasserstein

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself. ~ Michel de Montaigne

I was once afraid of people saying, "Who does she think she is?" Now I have the courage to stand and say, "This is who I am." ~Oprah Winfrey

Quotes about self esteem

This is Enough

'Just living isn't enough,' said the butterfly. 'One must also have freedom, sunshine, and a little flower.' ~ Kahlil Gibran

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never ever have enough. ~ Oprah Winfrey

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do. ~ Goethe

Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. This is enough. ~ John Adams

There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle. ~ Robert Alden

Quotes about enough

The Bridge

With self discipline most anything is possible.   ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Lack of discipline leads to frustration and self-loathing.  ~ Marie Chapian

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.   ~ Jim Rohn

When things are steep, remember to stay level-headed.  ~ Horace

The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline. ~ Bum Phillips

Quotes about discipline

Formula for Success

A true measure of your worth includes all the benefits others have gained from your success.  ~ Cullen Hightower

A strong positive self image is the best possible preparation for success.  ~ Joyce Brothers

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.  ~ Thomas Edison

The only failure is not to try.  ~ George Clooney

Formula for success: underpromise and overdeliver.  ~ Tom Peters

Quotes about success

Successful Outcome

Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results.  ~ James Allen

We should work on our process, not the outcome of our processes.  ~ W. Edwards Deming

To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the obstacles.   ~T. F. Hodge

Success is a journey not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.  ~ Arthur Ashe

It is the Baby Steps you take, the everyday things you do, that eventually lead to the manifestation of your outcome.   ~David Emerald

It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.   ~ William James

Quotes about outcome

Your Gift Back

Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?   ~Benjamin Franklin

True happiness involves the full use of one's powers and talents.    ~John W. Gardner

A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.   ~Larry Bird

Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.   ~ Leo Buscaglia

I have no particular talent. I am only passionately curious.   ~Albert Einstein

No one can arrive from being talented alone; work transforms talent into genius.  ~ Anna Pavlova

Quotes about talent

Makes you Eager

Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.  ~Simone Weil

The best way to get somebody's attention is to stop giving them yours.  ~ unknown

You learn something every day if you pay attention.   ~ Ray LeBlond

Marketing is a contest for people's attention. ~ Seth Godin

Attention is vitality.  It connects you with others.  It makes you eager.  Stay eager.  ~ Simone Weil

Quotes about attention

Successfully Survived

Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings. ~ Samuel Johnson

Skill and confidence are an unconquered army. ~ George Herbert

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. ~ Goethe

When your confidence goes up, your competence goes up.. ~ Zig Ziglar

Confidence must be monitored so that it does not spoil or rot and turn to arrogance. ~ John Wooden

Self-confidence is the result of a successfully survived risk. ~ Jack Gibb

Quotes about confidence