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Life In General - Inspiration & Motivation

Quotes, stories, poems and one-liners about Life In General -- those wonderful words of wisdom and insight to inspire and motivate us all.

• Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be; because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want in life.
• It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
• Live a good, honorable life.  Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
• Always put yourself in another's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably does hurt that person, too.
• A careless word may kindle strife;  A cruel word may wreck a life; A timely word may level stress; A loving word may heal and bless.
• The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes their way.
• Any man who is afraid of failure will never win!  Any man who is afraid to die, will never really live!" -- General George Patton
• Your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
• Credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
• The people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
• Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
• Learn to relax and give yourself ample quality time with someone special.
• There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you want to pick them from your dreams and hug them.
• Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear.
• The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
• When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.  Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
• No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
• You shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
• People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did...but people will never forget how you made them feel.
• Make time to enjoy the good things in life, without feeling guilty, or feeling pressure to be fulfilling some obligation.
• Today is called the "present" because it is a gift from God.
• "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."  -- Mark Twain
• You can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
• Always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
• We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
• Sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
• Sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
• Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
• It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
• No matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
• Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
• You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
• Making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life".
• Life sometimes gives you a second chance.
• Whenever you decide something with an open heart, you usually make the right decision.
• Even when you have pains, you do not have to be one.
• "The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made." -- Groucho Marx (1890-1977)

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Be Free

    If you are quick to take offense, then you'll be under  the control of those who you find offensive.
    If you are easily angered, then your actions will be dictated by those who anger you.
    If you are obsessed by what other people think, then you will be imprisoned by their  thoughts.
 If you yearn for easy answers and quick solutions, you'll fall prey to people who offer you nothing but promises.
    If you find the truth too difficult to bear, you'll be enslaved to those who tell you what you want to hear.
    When you have the courage to think for yourself,  the strength to accept what is, the commitment and discipline to make a difference,
then you are free.
    You are truly free to live with purpose, joy and fulfillment.
    Let your life be defined, not by reactions to what others do, say, or think but rather your own unique vision.
    Raise your eyes above the pettiness and follow the path of the greatness that is within you.

Author Unknown
Submitted by ARareJewelNLA

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Take Time

• Take time to WORK, it is the price of success.
• Take time to THINK, it is the source of power.
• Take time to PLAY, it is the secret of youth.
• Take time to READ, it is the foundation of knowledge.
• Take time to WORSHIP, it is the highway of reverence and washes the dust of earth from our eyes.
• Take time to HELP and ENJOY FRIENDS, it is the source of happiness.
• Take time to LOVE, it is the one sacrament of life.
• Take time to DREAM, it hitches the soul to the stars.
• Take time to LAUGH, it is the singing that helps with life's loads.
• Take time to PLAN, it is the secret of being able to have time to take time for the first nine things.

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Run Through the Rain

    She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart.  She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence.  It was pouring outside.  The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to flow down the spout.
    We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall.  I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.  Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.
    Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in. “Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.
    “What?" Mom asked.
    “Let’s run through the rain!" She repeated.
    "No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.
    This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."
    "We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.
    "No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm."
    This morning?  When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"
    "Don't you remember?  When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!”
    The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.  Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.
    Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly.  Some might even ignore what was said.  But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life.  Time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.”  Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said. Then off they ran.
    We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and, yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health.  But no one can ever takeaway your precious memories.  So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day!
    To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.

Author Unknown

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11 Rules to Always Follow:

• Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

• When you say, "I love you," mean it.

• When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

• Believe in love at first sight.

• Love deeply and passionately. You may get hurt, but it's the only way to live life completely.

• Don't judge people by their relatives, or by the life they were born into.

• Marry a person you love to talk to. As you get older, his/her conversational skills will be even more important.

• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

• Don't just listen to what someone is saying.  Listen to why they are saying it.

• Don't trust anyone who doesn't close his/her eyes when you kiss.

• Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

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"Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises."
-- Samuel Butler (1612-1680)

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You shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.

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    A professor was one day walking along a very narrow street when he came face to face with a rival. The street was too narrow for two to pass. The rival, pulling himself up to his full height, said haughtily, "I never make way for fools!"
    Smiling, the professor stepped aside and said, "I always do."

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True Wisdom
Author Unknown

    A time comes in your life when you finally get it...When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out - ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on.
    And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look at the world through new eyes.
    This is your awakening. You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince Charming and you are not Cinderella and that in the real world there aren't always fairytale endings (or beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.
    You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are ... and that's OK. (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.)
    You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that it's not always about you.
    And you begin to sift through all the crap you've been fed about how you should behave; how you should look and how much you should weigh; what you should wear and where you should shop; and what you should drive how and where you should live; and what you should do for a living; who you should sleep with, who you should marry, and what you should expect of a marriage; the importance of having and raising children; or what you owe your parents.
    You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive. And that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix.
    You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a by gone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life. You learn that you don't know everything, it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing.
    You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.
    You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake. Then you learn about love. Romantic love and familial love. How to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away. You learn not to project your needs or your feelings onto a relationship. You learn that you will not be more beautiful, more intelligent, more lovable or important because of the man on your arm or the child that bears your name.
    You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes.
    You learn that just as people grow and change so it is with love...and you learn that you don't have the right to demand love on your terms...just to make you happy.
    And, you learn that alone does not mean lonely...
    And you look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10 and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over how you "stack up."
    You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less. And, you allow only the hands of a lover who cherishes you to glorify you with his touch...and in the process you internalize the meaning of self-respect.
    And you learn that your body really is your temple. And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and taking more time to exercise.
    You learn that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create doubt and fear. So you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.
    You learn, that for the most part, in life you get what you believe you deserve ... and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
    You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different from working toward making it happen.
    More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it's OK to risk asking for help.
    You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people.
    On these occasions you learn not to personalize things. You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers.
It's just life happening. And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal state-the ego.
    You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to building bridges instead of walls.
    You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about; a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.
    Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and to make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever settle for less than your heart's desire.
    And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.
    And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility. Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your side you take a stand, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

Author Unknown

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Something to Ponder...The Paradox of Our Time
This piece was written by Dr. Bob Moorhead, former pastor of Seattle's Overlake Christian Church (now retired). The essay appeared under the title "The Paradox of Our Age" in Words Aptly Spoken, Dr. Moorehead's 1995 collection of prayers, homilies, and monologues. (It was not written by George Carlin. Carlin very explicitly denies having anything to do with "Paradox of Our Time," and his comments regarding the matter can be found on his own web site (Carlin on "Paradox"). (Thanks Vee!)

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more,  but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.  We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.  We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.  We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've split the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less.  We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait.  We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.  These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.   These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Submitted by Seps32

Please!  If anyone knows who wrote any of the items on this page, will you tell us please?  We think these are all wonderful writings and we'd love to thank the authors and give credit where credit is due!

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This page was last edited 03/25/05.