Monday, April 7, 2014

For Mondays: 12 Motivating Quotes to Start the Week

photo courtesy Bergadder at Pixabay.com
"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

A few thoughts on the power of the word one, as in: one thing leads to another. You find a quote that inspires, a beautiful photo (hats off to this photographer, isn't it a beautiful scene?), more quotes and you're off on a quest. What have others said on the subject of "one"?
 
"Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall." --Oliver Goldsmith

"Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea." --Jim Rohn

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." --Thomas A. Edison

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time." --Abraham Lincoln

"Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music." --Ronald Reagan

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret to getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one." --Mark Twain

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." --Robert Brault

"Growth is an erratic forward movement: two steps forward, one step back. Remember that and be very gentle with yourself." --Julia Cameron

"One song can change a moment, one idea can change a world, one step can start a journey, but a prayer can change even the impossible." --Unknown

In the same spirit of the word one:

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." --Martin Luther King Jr.

And: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." --Lao Tzu, Chinese Philosopher (604 BC-531 BC).

[Wordsense suggests that this familiar quote might also be interpreted: "The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet."]

Anything here speak to where you are at the moment in your work? Any favorite inspirational thoughts you might add? What is one thing that helps you stay the course?
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6 comments:

  1. The one thing is the realization that it's all about commitment, regardless of our fleeting thoughts or feelings.

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  2. Love these! Especially the Twain one: "The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret to getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one." So true. Sometimes a task can seem so overwhelming until you break it down.

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  3. Cathy, I agree that commitment is the key, otherwise we let the writing slide. A good idea we can't let go of doesn't hurt either :-)

    And Jess, would the Twain quote also be special to you because your book is about Becky Thatcher of Tom Sawyer fame? Ha! Love the premise of it: "The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher." Looking forward to reading it :-) (congratulations btw for the upcoming release)

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  4. Here's a quote that goes around our house from time to time: "The only way to avoid making a mistake is not to do anything." My husband's neighbor told him that when he was a little kid. It still gets me past the inertia stage.

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  5. Peggy, what a great quote--thanks for sharing :-) It's one to remember when we are tempted to talk ourselves out of trying something new. I'm writing this one down!

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  6. How about this one? Seems
    “The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.” ― Leo F. Buscaglia
    I honestly don't agree with it [it is a bit harsh to say someone who risks nothing is nothing!] but there is truth in that we need to make effort and take risks.
    I have a quote website too: Quotes About Moving On

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