“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” ~ J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

I adore quotes. Mainly because I turn the words into mantras then repeat them slowly in my mind or softly chant them when things begin to go wrong. 

Our thoughts create emotions, our emotions create our actions, our actions create our reality before continuing on to map out our destiny. Therefore, it is vital that our thoughts are leading us in the right direction.

So, whenever my mind ventures onto paths I’d rather that it did not roam, I pull it back with words that inspire, encourage and temporarily lift my state of thinking. Quotes offer a temporary distraction that shifts my focus from whatever may have momentarily brought me down and nudges me gently to a better way of thinking.

Not only do I recite and remember quotes so I can think them through every which way, I have them scattered everywhere, pinned, printed or hand written.

I scribble quotes on books, on walls, on cards that I send to friends or loved ones. I write them on the back of my hand on the days that I feel stuck. I tape them to the bathroom wall to ponder whilst soaking in the bath, or I scrawl them with a bright pink lipstick on my dressing table mirror.

It’s now quite clear to see, I am desperately and madly in love with quotes. They have long been the quickest and simplest pick-me-up I can experience.

Some of the following quotes have explained more and taught me more than what I’ve learned from reading an entire book:

“Look at the sparrows; they do not know what they will do in the next moment. Let us literally live from moment to moment.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” ~ Rocky Balboa

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” ~ M. Scott Peck 

“If you think your whole life is going wrong just because it is going wrong then you’re wrong. Mostly when things go wrong, they’re meant to go wrong, so we can outgrow what we have to outgrow.” ~ Unknown

 “Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” ~ Jamie Paolinetti

“For every minute you are angry you lose 60 seconds of happiness.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything—anger, anxiety, or possessions—we cannot be free.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh.

“The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it.” ~ Chinese Proverb

“We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds. We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil. Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back. And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy. If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing?” ~ Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras

“The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.” ~ Carlos Castaneda

 “For just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there’s nothing else. It’s here, and you’d better decide to enjoy it or you’re going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever.” ~ Lev Grossman

 “It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.” ~ Dale Carnegie

 “You, of all people, deserve a happy ending. Despite everything that happened to you, you aren’t bitter. You aren’t cold. You’ve just retreated a little and been shy, and that’s okay. If I were a fairy godmother, I would give you your heart’s desire in an instant. And I would wipe away your tears and tell you not to cry.” ~ Sylvain Reynard

 “Happiness comes from within. It is not dependent on external things or on other people. You become vulnerable and can be easily hurt when your feelings of security and happiness depend on the behavior and actions of other people. Never give your power to anyone else.” ~ Brian L. Weiss

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~ Viktor Frankl

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” ~ Dalai Lama XIV

“Courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering ‘I will try again tomorrow’.” ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” ~ Lao Tzu

“You have everything you need for complete peace and total happiness right now.” ~ Wayne W. Dyer

“Happiness does not come from without, it comes from within” ~ Helen Keller

 “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” ~ Robert Frost

“Everything is okay in the end, if it’s not ok, then it’s not the end.” ~ Unknown

Sometimes, we can say all that needs to be said, with only a few very truthful and beautifully simple words.

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Relephant read:

25 Spiritual Quotes to Write on your Wall.

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Author: Alex Myles

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Flickr/Ally Mauro