Inspirational Quotes

Advice in the form of quotes can be found all around us, in books, movies, songs and messages or interviews with inspirational people. Whilst many pass by, there are some that have an impact on us because we are able to relate to them, or they convey a message that we need to hear. As someone who loves words and word play, here are a few quotes that I have picked up and used as a means of reminding me of my own aims in life. Enjoy!

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." - William Shakespeare

This quote is from Shakespeare's play All's Well That Ends Well and is advice given by a mother to her son. I feel like this is a great quote to live your life by, in the interest of your own happiness. The idea that we should open our hearts to everyone can be a difficult one, especially if we feel they have wronged us, but harboring negative feelings towards others will have little impact on them and only cause ourselves upset. The second part of the quote, 'trust a few', shows how valuable your trust is and that only a few people will earn it. Those whom we wrongly trust, or who betray our trust, cause us the most hurt and therefore we shouldn't give our trust to people lightly. The last part, 'do wrong to none' points towards our own actions and behaviours suggesting we should aim to live in a morally responsible way promoting good-will to others. 

"Baby, we were born to run." - Bruce Springsteen

I am a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen and many of his lyrics hold special places in my heart for various reasons. From about the age of ten these lyrics from the song Born to Run have stuck with me and inspired me - I even have them tattooed on my foot! I love the idea that we were all 'born to run', no matter who we are or where we come from. The idea of being 'born to run' was never (in my eyes) about physically running, but rather a metaphor for our life expectations. We shouldn't be content walking or feel like we are being held back or forced to walk through life as we are all 'born to run'. If you haven't listened to this song I would recommend you do so!

 "Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." - Anne Frank

A quote from Anne Frank that I always find inspirational and eye-opening. Anne was a young Jewish child hiding away in nazi-occupied Holland facing persecution. She had every reason to be thinking negatively about the world and to constantly feel hopeless. Yet, despite the terrible things going on in the world around her at that time she was still able to advise the readers of her diary to remember the beauty that is left in the world and be happy. This quote comes to me when I am feeling hopeless or thinking negatively and really helps me to be mindful and puts my difficulties into perspective. It is also great advice for daily living. We could all do with remembering to look for the beauty around us and be appreciative of it. 

I'd love to know which quotes have inspired you in life so please do let me know in the comments.

Take care,

Michaela x