Quotable Inspirations

“You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.”  

That’s a quote by American author and Nobel Prize in Literature winner John Steinbeck.

And it’s one of several quotes I share during my “ Value Others" keynote in order to highlight a specific point.  

After hearing this keynote address, a professional speaker offered this advice, “You shouldn’t use other people’s quotes.  Make up your own.”

While I truly value suggestions and critiques of my abilities (without them I could never improve), I think finding inspiration from others is a great way to “lower the heat” as we explored in my last blog.

So for this entry, we’re going to explore People, Human Connection, Diversity, Civility, and Personal Growth by hearing from others.  I hope you find them as inspiring as I have.

And someday, maybe, just maybe, someone will deliver a presentation or write a blog that includes a quote from Darren K. Ford!

On helping and understanding and caring for others
“To handle yourself, use your head.  To handle others, use your heart.”
            - Eleanor Roosevelt

“Remember this.  Hold on to this.  This is the only perfection there is, the perfection of helping others.  This is the only thing we can do that has any lasting value or meaning.  This is why we’re here.”
           - Andre Agassi

On connecting with others
"As unique as we all are, an awful lot of us want the same things.  We want to shake up our current less-than-fulfilling lives.  We want to be happier, more loving, forgiving, and connected to people around us."
           - Brené Brown

“Even a brief interaction can change the way people think about themselves, their leaders, and the future.  Each of those many connections you make has the potential to become a high point or a low point in someone’s day.”
           - Douglas Conant

Each of us is special and unique
"As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has – or ever will have – something inside that is unique to all time.  It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.”
           -   Fred Rogers

“There are two statements about human beings that are true:  that all human beings are alike, and that all are different.  On those two facts all human wisdom is founded.”
           -   Mark Van Doren

Civility
“Show respect even to people who don’t deserve it; not as a reflection of their character, but as a reflection of yours.”
           - Dave Willis

“Civility costs nothing, and buys everything.”
           - Mary Wortley Montagu

Diversity
“When we’re talking about diversity, it’s not a box to check. It is a reality that should be deeply felt and held and valued by all of us.”
           - Ava DuVernay

"We have no hope of solving our problems without harnessing the diversity, the energy, and the creativity of all our people.”  
           - Roger Wilkins

Always be growing -- be open to change
"If we are learning each day, then today is the dumbest day of the rest of our lives. Remain open to other perspectives to ensure you are smarter tomorrow.”
           - Lee J. Colan, Ph.D.

“The minute that you’re not learning I believe you’re dead.”
          - Jack  Nicholson

I hope you find these quotes inspiring and words you commit to living each and every day.  I’m confident that these statements, if applied to our lives, would heal our country, bring us back together, and make live more enjoyable for all.  

To close out this blog entry, let me leave you with possibly my favorite quote by Carl Rogers: 

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​“People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be.  When I look at a sunset, I don’t find myself saying, 'Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner.'  I don’t try to control a sunset.  I watch with awe as it unfolds.”