Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Inspiring Quotes from Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme started on the Broke and the Bookish blog.
They set the topic, we make the lists. Visit their site to see more on this topic

These are quotes and lines that just jumped out at made and made me say, “Hey, that’s right.” These quotes challenged me, inspired me, and make me stop and think, and maybe some of them will do the same for you.

“Sometimes, a fight you cannot win is still worth fighting.” 
–Gene Luen Yang, The Shadow Hero

You can’t win them all, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t stand your ground on what matters to you. You can’t change everyone’s mind, and there will always be people stronger and tougher than you, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put in the effort to try and fight for what you believe in.

“It’s amazing how much one person can change the world, 
even if they don’t know they’re doing it.”
 –Jenn Marie Thorne, The Wrong Side of Right

This is why I think it’s important to encourage everyone to do their best and do what they love. The outcome can be incredible; we just might now know it yet.

“So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.”
 –Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

It’s easy to tell someone that they can’t do something, or that they may face difficult obstacles along the way. I believe it is important to be honest to others. Yet by telling people that they can’t do something, we prevent them from going into it wholeheartedly. I think it’s important to know that the only limit is your imagination.

“I step through the door anyway, knowing that the hard thing and 
the right thing are usually the same thing.”
 –Matthew Dicks, Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

Doing the right thing isn't always easy. It can involve having tough conversations and doing things that make you uncomfortable. But you will feel so much better for having done it. You just have to take the first step.

“Saying ‘yes’ doesn't mean I don’t know how to say no, and saying ‘please’ 
doesn’t mean I am waiting for permission.”
 –Amy Poehler, Yes Please

I’ll admit it, I have a very difficult time saying no to people because I don’t want to disappoint anyone. And I could really stand to listen to Amy’s advice more often.

“Disappointment in others is tough. Disappointment in yourself is far worse.”
 –Alessandra Torre, The Girl in 6E

Speaking of disappointing people…it’s rough. But it’s even more difficult to let yourself down. You only have control over yourself and knowing that you tried so hard and feeling like you didn’t do enough can be rough. But to me, it means never allowing that to happen again, and doing better the next time around.

“Meaning to send a thank-you note but then not doing it is exactly the same as never thinking to send one – that person is still receiving zero thank you notes.”

Sometimes, it’s the thought that counts. Sometimes. But in my experience, you can never say “thank you" too often. Everyone likes to hear it, and they will remember when you don’t send a note.

“There’s really not honor in proving that you can carry the 
entire load on your own shoulders. And…it’s lonely.”

This one hit me hard. Sometimes it’s really hard to ask for help, lest we risk looking weak or vulnerable. And oftentimes that’s when we need it the most. You aren't helping yourself by making it harder when there are plenty of people who are more than willing to help, and who won’t think any less of you for it.

“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” 

Malala is an incredible young lady, and so I had to put her somewhere on this list. I often take for granted a lot of the advantages I have. It’s important that I use the voice I've been given,often and responsibly.

“I shiver, thinking how easy it is to be totally wrong about people – to see one tiny part of them and confuse it for the whole, to see the cause and think it’s the effect of vice versa.” 
– Lauren Oliver, Before I Fall

Everyone is fighting their own personal battles, and you will never know about most of them. You could be seeing someone on the worst day of their life, and you might never know it. That’s why it is important to treat others with respect, and give them the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully they would do the same for you.

Okay, now which quotes do you find inspirational?

~Marilyn

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