If you want to succeed in the world you must make your own opportunities as you go on. The man who waits for some seventh wave to toss him on dry land will find that the seventh wave is a long time a-coming. John B. Gough
Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. Japanese proverb
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas Edison (1847-1931) Inventor
Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out. James Bryant Conant (1893-1978) Chemist and educator
Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) Writer
Don’t get complacent. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and set higher standards of achievement for yourself. Once you’ve achieved a standard of excellence, never let it rest - push yourself even higher. Dave Anderson Restaurateur
Fear of failure and fear of the unknown are always defeated by faith. Having faith in yourself, in the process of change, and in the new direction that change sets will reveal your own inner core of steel. Georgette Mosbacher Business executive
Treat your friends as you do your pictures, and place them in their best light. Jennie Jerome Churchill (1854-1921) Mother of Winston Churchill
One person with a belief is a social power equal to ninety-nine who have only interests. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) Philosopher and economist
The most powerful thing you can do to change the world is to change your own beliefs about the nature of life, people and reality to something more positive ... and begin to act accordingly. Shakti Gawain Writer
Nothing is more important to the future of an idea than the first step you take to try it out. O A Battista Scientist
The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive. Joe Batten Motivational speaker and consultant and writer
The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour. Japanese Proverb
Happiness is not a state to arrive at but, rather, a manner of travelling. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) Essayist and lexicographer
Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars. Serbian Proverb
The time for extracting a lesson from history is ever at hand for those who are wise. Demosthenes (384-322 B.C.) Orator and statesman
Almost everything is more complicated than it seems, but almost nothing is hopeless. Vincent Barnett Former president of Colgate University
What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. Zig Ziglar Motivational speaker
If you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm. Yiddish proverb
The future is not there waiting for us. We create it by the power of imagination. Pir Vilayat Khan Writer
Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely. Karen Kaiser Clark Educator
Trust but verify. Russian proverb
Notice the difference between what happens when a man says to himself, “I have failed three times", and what happens when he says, “I am a failure". S Hayakawa (1906-1992) Politician
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. John Maxwell Leadership consultant
Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just as empty as a bucket that is deliberately kicked over. Paul J Meyer Self-improvement expert
Worry is interest paid on trouble before it falls due. William Ralph Inge (1860-1954) Clergyman
Follow through on all your generous impulses. Epictetus (c 55-135) Philosopher
The past gives us experience and memories; the present gives us challenges and opportunities; the future gives us vision and hope. William Arthur Ward (1921-1994) Journalist
Good character…is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece--by thought, choice, courage, and determination. John Luther
All things at first appear difficult. Chinese proverb
People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. H Jackson Brown, Author of 'Life's Little Instruction Book' series
Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory. Betty Smith, American Novelist
We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy. Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) writer
Everything is always impossible before it works. Hunt Greene Businessman
Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. Henry Ford (1863-1947) Founder of the Ford Motor Company
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) Pilot and author
He who is outside his door already has a hard part of his journey behind him. Dutch proverb
Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. William Morris (1834-1896) Craftsman and designer
The mind is like the stomach. It is not how much you put into it that counts, but how much it digests. Albert Jay Nock (1870-1945) Philosopher
The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity. Francis Maitland Balfour (1851-1882) Embryologist
True love does not come by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. Jason Jordan
Dwell on the positive. Diane Mottier Spiritualist
If you’re not enjoying the journey, you probably won’t enjoy the destination. Joe Tye Motivational speaker and coach
A problem well stated is a problem half solved. Charles F Kettering Inventor
You have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror every day and say, 'I did the best I could'. Bonnie Reitz Airline executive
Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed. Corita Kent (1918-1986) Artist
Ideas are great arrows, but there has to be a bow. Bill Moyers Journalist
There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few we can solve by ourselves. Lyndon B Johnson (1908-1973) US President
The only safe ship in a storm is leadership. Faye Wattleton Journalist
One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. Euripides (484-406 BC) Playwright
The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. Allan K. Chalmers Writer
Success never rests. On your worst days, be good. And on your best days, be great. And on every other day, get better. Carmen Mariano Educator and writer
Sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands. Clint Eastwood Politician and actor
If you do not think about the future, you cannot have one. John Galsworthy (1867-1933) Writer
One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things. Henry Miller (1891-1980) Writer
We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can always control how we react to it. Robert Urich (1946-2002) Actor
Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open. Elmer G Leterman Business executive
The door to opportunity is marked 'push'
Assumption is the mother of screw-up. Angelo Donghia (1935-1985) Interior designer
What we see depends mainly on what we look for. John Lubbock (1834-1913) Financier and writer
Like heroes in a mythic journey, we are meant to struggle to make the right choices. Caroline Myss Founder of the Caroline Myss Education Institute
Always borrow from pessimists. They never expect to get it back.
The best time to make friends is before you need them. Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959) Actor
Our faces contain thousands of muscles. And our faces can communicate thousands of different emotions, feelings, and attitudes. Determine to wear positive expressions on your face. Terry Felber Communication expert
Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. Demosthenes (384-322 BC) Orator and statesman
What counts is not the number of hours you put in, but how much you put in the hours.
Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Playwright
Pessimists calculate the odds. Optimists believe they can overcome them. Ted Koppel News anchor
There’s a difference between what you do and what you can do. Mark McCormack Business executive
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal. Hannah More (1745-1833) Writer and educator
Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them. John Updike Writer and critic
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements. Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) Writer
Do more than you are paid for. There are never any traffic jams on the extra mile. Brian Tracy Motivational speaker and writer
Energy follows thought; we move toward, but not beyond, what we can imagine. Dan Millman Speaker and writer
A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities; an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties. Reginald B Mansell
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Author unknown
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Franklin D Roosevelt (1882-1945) US President
I tell people: If you don’t want to get into positive thinking, that’s OK. Just eliminate all the negative thoughts from your mind, and whatever’s left will be fine. Bob Rotella Sports psychologist
Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. Vince Lombardi (1913-1970) Professional football coach
Life is not a dress rehearsal. Quit practicing what you’re going to do, and just do it. In one bold stroke you can transform today. Marilyn Grey Motivational speaker
Remember, all the answers you need are inside of you; you only have to become quiet enough to hear them. Debbie Ford Personal growth coach
The brain is like a muscle. When we think well, we feel good. Understanding is a kind of ecstasy. Carl Sagan (1934-1996) Astronomer
Do things to make your day precious. Bernie Siegel Physician
When you talk, you repeat what you already know; when you listen, you often learn something. Jared Sparks (1789-1866) Historian and editor
Do something. If it doesn’t work, do something else. No idea is too crazy. Jim Hightower Social critic
Possibilities do not add up. They multiply. Paul Romer Scholar and educator
Each one of us can work for a small change in the world around us. Lamar S. Smith Politician
I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up, and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom. Rosa Parks Civil rights activist
Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. Samuel Ullman 'Youth'
Endurance pierces marble. Moroccan proverb
There is no old age. There is, as there always was, just you. Carol Matthau (1925-2003) Actor
What is the use of running when we are on the wrong road? Bavarian proverb
It’s not what you are, it’s what you don’t become that hurts. Oscar Levant (1906-1972) Musician and actor
We need to learn to set our course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship. Omar N Bradley (1893-1981) US General
You may fail a thousand times, but success may be hiding behind the next step. You never know how close the prize is unless you continue. Bob Tyler Football coach
Dig the well before you are thirsty. Chinese proverb
One realises the full importance of time only when there is little of it left. Every man’s greatest capital asset is his unexpired years of productive life. P W Litchfield (1875-1959) Industrialist
Press on. Obstacles are seldom the same size tomorrow, as they are today. Robert H Schuller
If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere. Frank A Clark
Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have. Norman Vincent Peale
Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing, it's when you've had everything to do and you've done it! Margaret Thatcher, Former Prime Minister
It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about. Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955, American Author and Trainer
Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier. Mother Teresa, 1910-1997, Roman Catholic Missionary
Personal excellence can be achieved by a visionary goal, thorough planning, dedicated execution and total follow-through. Gerald Ford, former US President
Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back. Chinese proverb
When you walk your talk, people listen. German proverb
We all need encouragement. We can live without it just as a young tree can live without fertilizer, but unless we receive that warm nurturing, we never reach our full potential, and like the tree left to itself, we seldom bear fruit. Florence Littauer Inspirational speaker
It is a sign of strength, not of weakness, to admit that you don’t know all the answers. John P Lougbrane