Phenomenal Quotes to Take into the New Year

♥♥♥“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Attributed to Nelson Mandela's Inaugural Speech and via Marianne Williamson

Quotes are like bright sunflowers, adding color and wit to our day

What's your favorite quote, and why?
I regularly add quotes from all over the planet to both of my blogs, here and here, and I enjoy finding new ones to add and learn from. I do love quotes because they express, succinctly, much wisdom about the human condition. When I recently re-read the blog prompt above from Wordpress' Plinky, I thought it would be impossible to find one quote that tops them all; even one quote that embodies all the powerful wisdom that I find in quotes.

I started sifting through my blogs and added several below. I added the quote above because it has always resonated powerfully with me and encapsulates every thought, word of wisdom, and encouraging advice we can share with each other... What do you think of that long quote above? There are more...

I must confess that I do have favorite authors/poets/mystics that I reference more often than others. People like Kahlil Gibran, Rumi, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Martin Luther King Jr, Eleanor Roosevelt, and a handful of others. But I am hard-pressed to say, this one or that one tops them all. Below, I have added several that I love. Add yours to the list and start the year with some wise words... The New Year awaits.

As I mulled over the exercise today, I decided to offer you several of my favorites and to, at least, start with a beautiful speech/quote/body of wisdom that has always encouraged me to live with purpose and grace; see a few of my favorites below for your enjoyment. Please add yours in a comment

♥♥♥“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.” Kahlil Gibran
“It is wrong to think that love comes from long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be created for years or even generations” Kahlil Gibran
“When you love you should not say, “God is in my heart,” but rather, “I am in the heart of God.” And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.” Kahlil Gibran♥♥♥

♥♥♥“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King, Jr
"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Martin Luther King, Jr♥♥♥

♥♥♥“This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment, first to let go of life, finally, to take a step without feet.” Jalal Ad-Din Rumi
“The roads are different; the goal is one. When people reach the goal, all quarrels or disputes that flared along the road are resolved … There all hearts sing in unison.” Rumi♥♥♥

♥♥♥"To leave the world a better place... to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. this is to have succeeded."  Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Every great and commanding moment in the annals of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm.” Ralph Waldo Emerson♥♥♥

♥♥♥“One single grateful thought towards heaven, is the most perfect prayer.” Minna von Barnhelm
“There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives – the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it…” Mother Teresa
“Many of the problems that arise in life are due to our having said ‘yes’ in situations where we should have said ‘no.’ Life is like a game of cards. No matter what cards we are dealt, we should use them to try to win the game.” Amma♥♥♥

♥♥♥"Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less." Rick Warren
“No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.” Alice Walker
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt♥♥♥

♥♥♥“The only way to reach the mountain peaks of life is to forget about self and help other people reach greater heights.” Zig Ziglar
“Everything can be taken from a man but … the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Viktor E. Frankl
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” Albert Einstein♥♥♥

♥♥♥”Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” Susan B. Anthony
"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito." Anita Roddick OBE
"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." Edith Wharton♥♥♥

♥♥♥“Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power.” Stephen Covey
“To attract attractive people, you must be attractive. To attract powerful people, you must be powerful. To attract committed people, you must be committed. Instead of going to work on them, you go to work on yourself. If you become, you can attract.” Jim Rohn
"Succession plan. Mentor, mentor, mentor. Encourage and cultivate the next generation of leaders." Tom Peters♥♥♥

♥♥♥“Creative ideas do not spring from groups. They spring from individuals. The divine spark leaps from the finger of God to the finger of Adam.” A. Whitney Griswold
"Tell a person they are brave and you help them become so." Thomas Carlyle
"Success is a journey, not a destination. It requires constant effort, vigilance and re-evaluation." Mark Twain♥♥♥

Do you like quotes and have a favorite? What quotes come to mind for you... Do you use them regularly in your communications? Do share!  
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

PHOTO CREDITS:
Picture of Sunflowers via ars.usda
Post it notes via SuperStickies 

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank