The news has been distressing lately. I’ve started hearing people speaking in terms of nihilism, and even despair.
History is full of moments like these. Moments when there seems to be little to no hope. Moments when people rise to the occasion of the impossible tasks before them.
Ask yourself this: When do you make the best decisions? When you are feeling confident, or when you are feeling depressed?
We think our best when we are in a peak state of mind.
And rather than retreating into ourselves, we are living in times that call on us to live in that state.
The words of other who’ve survived and thrived in dark times often inspire me. So here are thirty quotes that I hope can inspire you to overcome whatever challenges you might be facing today.
- “I hated every minute of training, but I said ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” ~ Muhammad Ali
- “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr
- “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” ~ Milton Berle
- “No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” ~ Aesop
- “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” ~ Robert Browning
- “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” ~ Robin Williams
- “A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.” ~ Jack Dempsey
- “Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” ~ Francis of Assisi
- “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” ~ Aristotle Onassis
- “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr
- “What lies behind you, and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” ~ Maya Angelou
- “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” ~ Tony Robbins
- “Memories of our lives, of our works, and our deeds will continue in others.” ~ Rosa Parks
- “Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow’s reality.” ~ Malala Yousafzai
- “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ~ Desmond Tutu
- “I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings.” ~ Gustave Flaubert
- “And when I breathed, my breath was lightning.” ~ Black Elk
- “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
- “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” ~ Anne Frank
- “I said to the almond tree, ‘Friend, speak to me of God,’ and the almond tree blossomed.” ~ Nikos Kazantzakis
- “If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” ~ Thomas A Edison
- “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” ~ Thomas Paine
- “Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” ~ e.e. cummings
- “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Your heart is full of fertile seeds, waiting to sprout.” ~ Morihei Ueshiba
- “Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I accomplish.” ~ Michelangelo
- “Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.” ~ Mary Ann Radmacher
- “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore
- “I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine.” ~ Neil Armstrong
Even as I compiled this list together, I could feel myself becoming more and more inspired to tackle the day. Wherever you are, whatever you might be doing today, know that we believe in you.
If you still find yourself feeling down, we’re here to help. There are many exercises that we use to help people break that pattern.
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Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash