1. “A loving relationship is one in which the loved one is free to be himself -- to laugh with me, but never at me; to cry with me, but never because of me; to love life, to love himself, to love being loved. Such a relationship is based upon freedom and can never grow in a jealous heart.”
2. “Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, "Did you bring joy?" The second was, "Did you find joy?"”
3. “A single rose can be my garden...a single friend, my world.”
4. "A wonderful realization will be the day you realize that you are unique in all the world. There is nothing that is an accident. You are a special combination for a purpose-and don't let them tell you otherwise, even if they tell you that purpose is an illusion. (Live an illusion if you have to). You are that combination so that you can do what is essential for you to do. Don't ever believe that you have nothing to contribute. The world is an incredible unfulfilled tapestry. And only you can fulfill that tiny space that is yours."
5. "Change is the end result of all true learning. Change involves three things: First, a dissatisfaction with self -- a felt void or need; second, a decision to change to fill the void or need; and third, a conscious dedication to the process of growth and change -- the willful act of making the change, doing something."
6. "Change. It has the power to uplift, to heal, to stimulate, surprise, open new doors, bring fresh experience and create excitement in life. Certainly it is worth the risk. "
7. “Don't smother each other. No one can grow in the shade.”
8. “Don't spend your precious time asking "Why isn't the world a better place?" It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is "How can I make it better?" To that there is an answer.”
9. “Happiness and love are just a choice away.”
10. "I believe that you control your destiny, that you can be what you want to be. You can also stop and say, No, I won't do it, I won't behave his way anymore. I'm lonely and I need people around me, maybe I have to change my methods of behaving and then you do it"
11. "If you don't like the scene you're in, if you're unhappy, if you're lonely, if you don't feel that things are happening, change your scene."
12. “If we wish to free ourselves from enslavement, we must choose freedom and the responsibility this entails.”
13. "I have a very strong feeling that the opposite of love is not hate -- it's apathy. It's not giving a damn."
14. “In life and in love, there is only that moment, the NOW. The only reality we know is what we experience this very second. Reality is not what has passed or what has yet to come into being. Grabbing hold of this simple idea makes life magical because it brings love alive.”
15. “I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things.... I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.”
16. “Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here right now. Don't miss it.”
17. “Life is a paradise for those who love many things with a passion.
18. “Life is uncharted territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time.”
19. ”Life lived for tomorrow will always be just a day away from being realized.”
20. “Like everyone I know, my life, too, has been a long series of interwoven relationships, both good and bad. I value them all. For it was mainly through these relationships that I survived my infancy, completed my childhood, ended my adolescence and moved toward a dynamic state of growing to maturity. They have been living lessons in meeting defeat, letting go and overcoming fear. They have helped to free my spirit and irradicate my fear of loving. My relationships are still my major source of stimulation, causing me to remain open, curious, eager to learn and challenged by change. Now I understand more than ever the poet W.H. Auden's remark, "We must love one another or die!"”
21. “Love always creates, it never destroys. In this lies man's only promise.”
22. “Love can never grow old. Locks may lose their brown and gold. Cheeks may fade and hollow grow. But the hearts that love will know, never winter's frost and chill, summer's warmth is in them still.”
23. “Love is always open arms. If you close your arms about love you will find that you are left holding only yourself.”
24. "Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life."
25. “Love is not some complex, mystical abstraction. It is something accessible and human that we learn through our everyday experience, as often at times of failure as in moments of ecstasy.”
26. “Love withers with predictability; its very essence is surprise and amazement. To make love a prisoner of the mundane is to take its passion and lose it forever.”
27. “Most of us are pawns in a game of love we don't understand.”
28. “Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations. Don't over-analyse your relationships. Stop playing games. A growing relationship can only be nurtured by genuineness.”
29. “No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch.”
30. “Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.”
31. “Perfect love is rare indeed - for to be a lover will require that you continually have the subtlety of the very wise, the flexibility of the child, the sensitivity of the artist, the understanding of the philosopher, the acceptance of the saint, the tolerance of the scholar and the fortitude of the certain.”
32. “The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position.”
33. “The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises.”
34. “The hardest battle you’re ever going to fight is the battle to be just you.”
35. "There are two big forces at work, external and internal. We have very little control over external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, disasters,illness and pain. What really matters is the internal force. How do I respond to those disasters?"
36. "Time has no meaning in itself unless we choose to give it significance."
37. “To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.To weep is to risk being called sentimental.To reach out to another is to risk involvement.To expose feelings is to risk showing your true self.To place your ideas and your dreamsbefore them is to risk being called naive.To love is to risk not being loved in return.To live is to risk dying.To hope is to risk despair, and to try is to risk failure.But risks must be taken,because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.The person who risks nothing,does nothing, has nothing,is nothing and becomes nothing.He may avoid suffering and sorrow,but he simply cannot learnand feel and change and grow and love and live.Chained by his certitudes,he is a slave,he's forfeited his freedomOnly the person who risks is truly free.”
38. "To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing."
39. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
40. "We are no longer puppets being manipulated by outside powerful forces: we become the powerful force ourselves."
41. “We often consider that joy is essential. I don't know of any other culture so bent on pleasure. We are lost in the pursuit of pleasure so much that we forget there are other things. Joy is a great teacher, but so is despair. Hope is a great teacher, but so is disillusionment. To deny yourself any of these is not experiencing life totally.”
42. “We seem to gain wisdom more readily through our failures than through our successes. We always think of failure as the antithesis of success, but it isn't. Success often lies just the other side of failure.”
43. "What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life."
44. "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. And swing!"
45. ”Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.”
