Catalyst Quotes

“The Beginning of a New Dream”

“There comes a time for healing no matter how broken you are right now; no matter how heavy your heart is right now.  There comes a time when you will go outside and let the sun shine on your face and let the wind touch your hair and you will not be tired by just simply being awake.
There comes a time when you will be happy to be alive again and that day you will appreciate your own being because now you know the other side.  Now you know the opposite.
Now you know what it’s like to not be sure if you really are; who you really are; if you simply are, anymore.
And that day will be the beginning of everything.”    (Charlotte Eriksson, Empty Roads & Broken Bottles; In Search for the Great Perhaps)

“Things change, so I have to change too.”    (Adam Scythe, Immortals, Vol. III)

“Any new beginning is forged from the shards of the past, not from the abandonment of the past.”    (Craig D. Lounsbrough)

“Where should I start?  I texted my old Jiko this question, and she wrote back this: You should start where you are.”    (Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being)

“What about the rest of your life?” She shrugged.
“What about it?”

“Aren’t you worried about, like, forever?”
“Forever is composed of nows,” she says.”    (John Green, Paper Towns)

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be.  There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want.  You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing.  We can make the best or the worst of it.  I hope you make the best of it.  And I hope you see things that startle you.  I hope you feel things you never felt before.  I hope you meet people with a different point of view.  I hope you live a life you’re proud of.  If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”    (Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

“Follow your bliss.
If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living.
When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you.
I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.
If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.”    (Joseph Campbell)

“Today is the beginning of a new dream.”    (Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom)

“Here’s to new beginnings,” Stuart says and raises his bourbon.
I nod, sort of wanting to tell him that all beginnings are new.”    (Kathryn Stockett, The Help)

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“Create an Original Thought to Begin Each Day”

“There is something wonderfully bold and liberating about saying yes to our entire imperfect and messy life.”    (Tara Brach)

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“If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been.”    (Robert Schuller)

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“You always do what you want to do.  This is true with every act.  You may say that you had to do something, or that you were forced to but actually, whatever you do, you do by choice.

Only you have the power to choose for yourself.”    (W. Clement Stone)

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“Each day we wake in the morning with a thought in our minds.  This thought, whatever it may be, sets the tone for the rest of the day.  This is not always a good thing as we may wake up in a rush for work or school, with a hangover, feeling depressed or generally in a state of confusion

Therefore, it is a good idea to learn how to create an original thought to begin each day, and to make the day a perfect expression of your original thought.”    (The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking)

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“Be great in little things.”    (St. Francis Xavier)

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“Be great in little things, and you will be given opportunity to do big things.” (Richard Shivers)

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“When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.” (Tom Robbins)

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“Each child can always teach an adult three things:  to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.”    (Paulo Coelho, The Fifth Mountain)

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“Believe in Yourself … Create Miracles”

“Everything you’ll ever need to know is within you; the secrets of the universe are imprinted on the cells of your body.”   (Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives)

“In today’s rush, we all think too much — seek too much — want too much — and forget about the joy of just being.”    (Eckhart Tolle)

“Our bodies have five senses:  touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing.  But not to be overlooked are the senses of our souls: intuition, peace, foresight, trust, empathy. 
The differences between people lie in their use of these senses; most people don’t know anything about the inner senses while a few people rely on them just as they rely on their physical senses, and in fact probably even more.”    (C. JoyBell C.)

“You cannot trade the courage needed to live every moment for immunity from life’s sorrows.  We may say we know this but ours is the culture of the deal-making mind.  From infancy, we have breathed in the belief that there is always a deal to be made, a bargain to be struck.  Eventually, we believe, if we do the right thing, if we are good enough, clever enough, sincere enough, work hard enough, we will be rewarded.  …

My invitation, my challenge to you here, is to journey into a deeper intimacy with the world and your life without any promise of safety or guarantee of reward beyond the intrinsic value of full participation.”   (Oriah Mountain Dreamer, The Invitation)

“I’d like to repeat the advice that I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing or been too hesitant to attempt.  So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.  The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.  The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.  …

You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships.  …

My point is that you do not need me or anyone else around to bring this new kind of light in your life.  It is simply waiting out there for you to grasp it, and all you have to do is reach for it.  The only person you are fighting is yourself and your stubbornness to engage in new circumstances.”   (Jon Krakauer, Into the Wind)

“Motivational quotes and speeches are not about becoming an astronaut, brain surgeon, 1st place athlete or making a certain amount of money.  It’s about excitement, excitement from realizing the absurdity of existence and appreciating that you’re part of it.  And then inspiring others to follow, until we’ve all found that appreciation and the inner peace that comes with it.”   (Aiden Hall)

“If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.”  (Marvin Gaye)

“You’re never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.” (Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah)

“Once you believe in yourself
and see your soul as divine and precious,
you’ll automatically be converted
to a being who can create miracles.”   (Wayne W. Dyer)

“If You Are a Dreamer Come In”

“If you are a dreamer come in
If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar
A hoper a pray-er a magic-bean-buyer
If youre a pretender com sit by my fire
For we have some flax golden tales to spin
Come in!
Come in!”    (Shel Silverstein)

“The untrained mind keeps up a running commentary, labeling everything, judging everything.  Best to ignore that commentary.  Don’t argue or resist, just ignore. Deprived of attention and interest, this voice gets quieter and quieter and eventually just shuts up.”    (Plato, Conversations with Plato)

“Confronting problems is choosing to suffer now in the hope of future gratification rather than choosing to continue present gratification in the hope that future suffering will not be necessary.”    (M. Scott Peck)

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”    (Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night)

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.”  (J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan)

“There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a person being themselves.  Imagine going through your day being unapologetically you.”    (Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience)

“Imagination is the voice of daring.  If there is anything godlike about God, it is that. He dared to imagine everything.”    (Henry Miller, Sexus)

“Make big plans … that’s the best way to make big things happen.
Write down your plans.  Share them with trusted colleagues.  Seek out team members and accomplices.
Shun the non-believers.  They won’t be easily convinced, but they can be ignored.
Is there any doubt that making big plans increases the chances that something great will happen?
Is there any doubt that we need your contribution?
Why then, are you hesitating to make big plans?”    (Seth Godin)

“The difficult can be done immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.”    (The Army Corp of Engineers)

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”    (Walt Disney)