I could browse Pinterest for hours, pinning quote after quote, reposting on social media, sharing with friends and family, words of wisdom and motivational pictures. This post is a short list, in no particular order, of some of my favorite quotes. I’m also including my thoughts and how I interpret or make meaning of each one.

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I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen.–John Steinbeck

A good friend and fellow educator told me a story about a student that went to the high school where we teach. This student shared with her that he had walked the halls of the school, day in and day out, for several years almost completely unnoticed. No one made an effort to say hi, no one made eye contact, no one smiled…he just plugged along, going from one class to another, totally unconnected. Take a look around, pay attention, can you connect with someone who might be otherwise ignored?

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Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don’t bother trying to be someone you aren’t. Focus on you, DO YOU, and do it well!

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I know it seems hard sometimes but remember one thing. Through every dark night, there’s a bright day after that. So no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out, keep ya head up…. and handle it.–Tupac Shakur

There’s a lot of bad stuff that happens in life. We all struggle. The mind is a powerful thing and to persevere, we need to look for the bright days. My husband always told our kids to “man up” and “handle” business…it’s hard but necessary. Tupac tells you to do it with style.

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Enjoy the little things in life, because one day you will look back, and realize they were the big things.—Kurt Vonnegut

What are the little things? Blowing bubbles on the porch with my grandkids. Lunch with my friends. Reading a good book with a drink in my hand. Driving down the street, music bumpin’, window down. Celebrating birthdays. Playing board games with the family…there are so many little things. Don’t ignore them, in the end they might be the only thing that matters.

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Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience—Mark Twain

Unfortunately, I have had MANY opportunities to argue with stupid people and I can promise you that every time I did, I didn’t gain anything. You can’t argue the stupid out of someone and you’re never going to convince them that you are smarter than them, it’s just the way it works. Let it be, move on, focus on the people at your level. 

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Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t—Steve Mazaboli

My family and I have faced many challenges, even more in the last three years or so. Some of them have been small but many of them have been enormously difficult to understand and overcome. I have managed to move forward ONLY because I stopped trying to control things I have no power over. I have to continually remind myself to focus on the things that I actually CAN control but it is true, amazing things happen when you stop worrying about things you have absolutely NO power to control.

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Love what you do.
Help & inspire others around you.
Kick ass and make today amazing.

I have no idea where this quote originated but I love it! So simple yet it says so much. I think if you’re doing what you love, it is easier to help and inspire others. Kicking ass might be a little more difficult but I like to aim high.

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We all die, the goal isn’t to live forever…the goal is to create something that will—Chuck Palahniuk

It’s going to happen to all of us. Our lives will come to an end. But rather than just waiting for it to be over, make it matter. Don’t get so caught up in the day-to-day that you forget about the real meaning of life. What will you leave behind? Me…I’m leaving my art and my story.

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Do not take life to seriously, you will never get out of it alive–Elbert Hubbard

Let’s just state the obvious…we all die, period. Have a little fun, go a little crazy, take risks, be silly, laugh at yourself. Dr. Suess said that nnonsense wakes up the brain cells and if you can see things out of whack then you are better equipped to see them IN whack AND you’ll have more fun!

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In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life…it goes on–Robert Frost

Simply stated, life goes on. It doesn’t matter what you do, what happens or doesn’t happen…it goes on. Sometimes you’ll think that it is impossible for it to keep going BUT it does. Sometimes with us, sometimes without us, but it definitely goes.

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 Do you have a favorite quote? Post, share, inspire others…