Catalyst Quotes

“The Voice That Speaks Inside”

“Do not say, ‘It is morning,’ and dismiss it with a name of yesterday.  See it for the first time as a newborn child that has no name.”    (Rabindranath Tagore)

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“If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy.  If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem.  But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world, and a desire to enjoy the world.  This makes it hard to plan the day.”    (E. B. White)

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“Edward James Olmos, speaking at a commencement address, said, ‘Chase your passion, not your pension.  Be inspired to learn as much as you can, to find a cause that benefits humankind – and you’ll be sought after for your quality of service and dedication to excellence.  This passion will make you oblivious of quitting time and to the length of your workday.  You’ll awake every morning with the passion of pursuit, but not the pursuit of money.  Those who do more than they’re paid for are always sought for their services.  Their name and work outlive them and always command the highest price.  Chase your passion, not your pension.’”    (Page a Day Calendar)

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 “The Voice –

 There is a voice inside of you

That whispers all day long,

‘I feel this is right for me,

I know that this is wrong.’

No teacher, preacher, parent, friend

Or wise man can decide

What’s right for you — just listen to

The voice that speaks inside.”    (Shel Silverstein)

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“A disciple once complained, ‘You tell us stories, but you never reveal their meaning to us.’  The master replied, ‘How would you like it if someone offered you fruit and chewed it up for you before giving it to you?”    (Anonymous)  

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“The meaning of things lies not in the things themselves, but in our attitude towards them.”   (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

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“I’ve Learned That …”

“What in your life is calling you,

When all the noise is silenced,

The meetings adjourned…

The lists laid aside

And the wild Iris blooms

By itself

In the dark forest…

What still pulls on your soul?”     (Rumi)

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“The choices you make now, the people you surround yourself with, they all have the potential to affect your life, even who you are, forever.”     (Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever)

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“How many slams in an old screen door?  Depends how loud you shut it.  How many slices in a bread?  Depends how thin you cut it.  How much good inside a day?  Depends how good you live ’em.  How much love inside a friend?  Depends how much you give ’em.”    (Shel Silverstein)

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“I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.  I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.  I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.  I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a ‘life.’  I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.  I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.  I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.  I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.  People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.  I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”     (Maya Angelou)

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“Anything is Possible”

“If there is a book you want to read but isn`t written yet, write it.”   (Shel Silverstein, Roger Was a Razor Fish and Other Poems)

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“Take up one idea.  Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea.  Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.”    (Swami Vivekananda)

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“The self-confidence of the warrior is not the self-confidence of the average man.  The average man seeks certainty in the eyes of the onlooker and calls that self-confidence. The warrior seeks impeccability in his own eyes and calls that humbleness.  The average man is hooked to his fellow men, while the warrior is hooked only to infinity.”    (Carlos Castaneda)

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“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)

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“Anything is possible.  Anything can be.”    (Shel Silverstein)

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“Want to Take a Chance and be Great?”

“Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy.  Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that dis-empowers them or one that can literally save their lives.”     (Tony Robbins)    

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“The greatest battle is not physical but psychological.  The demons telling us to give up when we push ourselves to the limit can never be silenced for good.  They must always be answered by the quiet steady dignity that simply refuses to give in.  Courage.  We all suffer. Keep going.”    (Graeme Fife)

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“Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.”    (Michael Jordan)   

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“When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”    (Audre Lorde)

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“Really it comes down to your philosophy.  Do you want to play it safe and be good or do you want to take a chance and be great?”    (Jimmy Johnson)

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“You Cannot Defeat Me”

“There’s no way to excite or motivate or inspire people that’s not grounded in their own perceived self-interest. That’s the way it should be.

So if you want to effectively influence others, the process is simple:  You’ve got to talk about what they want (their future) and you’ve got to show them how to get it (the path).  Then get out of their way and let nature take its course.  If they’re engaged and excited about their prospects, their projects and their futures, they will create far more compelling and comprehensive justifications for working their butts off than you ever could. Each of them knows exactly what’s important to them.  You’d have to be a mind reader to even try to guess.”    (Howard A. Tullman, ‘Trying to Motivate Your Employees?  Forget It.”, Inc. Magazine)

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“The shortcut that’s sure to work, every time:

Take the long way.

Do the hard work, consistently and with generosity and transparency.

And then you won’t waste time doing it over.”     (Seth Godin)

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“Live, so you do not have to look back and say: ‘God, how I have wasted my life.’”    (Elisabeth Kubler-Ross)

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“If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and when it comes, hold you head high, look it squarely in eye and say, ‘I will be bigger than you.  You cannot defeat me.’”    (Ann Landers)

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“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.”    (Henry David Thoreau)

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“Forget past mistakes.  Forget failures.  Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.”      (William Durant)      

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