I love quotes! Love, love, love them! There are many that resonate with me in my purpose and dealings with any given situation. As I have aged, the quotes that speak to me have evolved, but I often look to an author's words for inspiration. This prompt calls for one quote, but there is no way I could choose just one, so I'll give you a smattering of my favorites:-)
A professor I met going through my reading specialist degree used this one frequently. She was not much older than I and close to the end of her dissertation when she used this quote. It has hung with me as I have dabbled in the idea of going back to school, and I think it just has so much truth in it!
"Before the gates of excellence, the high gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when the heights are reached, then there is ease, though greviously hard in the winning." ~Hesiod
I adore Oprah Winfrey! Not because she has a great deal of money, or
that she has been influential in the lives of many women, but because
she has worked incredibly hard to be where she is. See quote one:-)
She built herself from an almost impossible beginning, and I find that to be incredibly commendable. Truth be told, there are things in this life that just seem unfair and cruel, and I often use this quote in my healing.
"I trust everything happens for a reason, even when we're not wise enough to see it." ~Oprah Winfrey
And then we have the fact that I teach small children 177 days a year. There are days that seem unfair and cruel and when you feel under appreciated and beaten down. It is on those days that I turn to Emerson. He is eloquent and peaceful in his writing, and this quote helps me focus on my purpose instead of the negative.
"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
My most recent find for inspiration... I'm not certain where I found this one, but I have fallen back on it as I work at identifying my gifts and talents. We all have so much to offer, if we just give of ourselves and our talents to the greater good of humanity. I use this as my life verse, and I'm still identifying my talents at 31:-)
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would have not a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck
There are more that I frequently visit and recite, but these are at the core of my purpose in life. I have a list behind my desk at school that I refer to on those particularly grueling days, and I find they can bring great peace to a wounded spirit.
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