Favorite/Motivating Quotes...

[MyBrokenJeep]

Do you guys have any favorite and/or motivating quotes that you use whether for motivation or reality setting or etc. etc.? Share them here, if you don't mind. Thanks.

One of mine is:

"To busy oneself with what is futile when one can do something useful, to attend to what is simple when one has the mettle to attempt what is difficult, is to strip talent of its dignity. It is a sin not to do what one is capable of doing." Jose Marti

[MyBrokenJeep]

Another favorite...

Desiderata

GO PLACIDLY AMID THE NOISE & HASTE, & REMEMBER WHAT PEACE THERE MAY BE IN SILENCE. AS FAR as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story. ¦ Avoid loud & aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter; for always there will be greater & lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. ¦ Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. ¦ Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity & disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. ¦ Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. ¦ You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees & the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. ¦ Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors & aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. ¦ With all its sham, drudgery, & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

FOUND IN OLD SAINT PAUL’S CHURCH, BALTIMORE; DATED 1692

[Russ Chung]

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step---Lao Tzu

Just do it!! -- Nike ad

[Old Fart]

I prefer National Lampoon's version of Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the waste and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.

Avoid quiet & passive persons unless you are in need of sleep. Rotate your tires. Speak glowingly of those greater than yourself & heed well their advice, even though they be turkeys; know what to kiss & when.

Consider that two wrongs never make a right, but that three do. Wherever possible, put people on hold. Be comforted that in the face of all aridity & disillusionment & despite the changing fortunes of time, there is always a big future in computer maintenance. Remember the Pueblo. Strive at all times to bend, fold, spindle & mutilate.

Know yourself; if you need help, call the FBI. Exercise caution in your daily affairs, especially with those persons closest to you -- that lemon on your left, for instance. Be assured that a walk through the ocean of most souls would scarcely get your feet wet. Fall not in love therefore; it will stick to your face.

Gracefully surrender the things of youth, birds, clean air, tuna, Taiwan; & let not the sands of time get in your lunch. Hire people with hooks. For a good time, call 555-4311; ask for Ken. Take heart amid the deepening gloom that your dog is finally getting enough cheese; & reflect that whatever misfortune may be your lot, it could only be worse in Milwaukee.

You are a fluke of the universe; you have no right to be here, & whether you can hear it or not, the universe is laughing behind your back.

Therefore make peace with your God whatever you conceive Him to be -- Hairy Thunderer or Cosmic Muffin.

With all its hopes, dreams, promises, & urban renewal, the world continues to deteriorate. Give up.

[RAT]

"We're on a mission from God"

[Jason]

Your call can't be completed as dialed...
...Can't you do anything right? - 9/13 Ziggy cartoon

[nwoods]

Here's a few I've collected regarding my architectural industry, or life generally:

"The two most important tools an architect has are the eraser in the drawing room and the sledge hammer on the construction site.” —Frank Lloyd Wright

"A good plan executed now is better than the perfect plan next week."
—General George S. Patton


"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing is the wrong thing; and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” —Theodore Roosevelt


“The first requisite for success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to one problem incessantly without growing weary.” —Thomas A. Edison


"We write frankly and fearlessly but then we "modify" before we print.” —Mark Twain
Life on the Mississippi


“The Navy is a master plan designed by geniuses for execution by idiots. If you’re not an idiot, but find yourself in the Navy, you can only operate well by pretending to be one. All the shortcuts and economies and commonsense changes that your native intelligence suggests to you are mistakes. Learn to squash them. Constantly ask yourself, ‘How would I do this if I were a fool?’ Throttle down your mind to a crawl. Then you’ll never go wrong.”
—Herman Wouk
The Cain Mutiny

" Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.”
—Frank Lloyd Wright

" I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters.”
—Frank Lloyd Wright

" The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his client to plant vines - so they should go as far as possible from home to build their first buildings.”
—Frank Lloyd Wright

" My ideas have undergone a process of emergence by emergency. When they are needed badly enough, they are accepted.”
—Buckminster Fuller

" When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”
—Buckminster Fuller

[Roger]

Press one for English...

[spearheadbill]

"git your ass out there and mow the lawn or else!" .... Dad

[Old Fart]

Quite a few of my favorites are from Robert Heinlein, who I had the fortune to actually meet in the late 70's

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss"

"I never learned from a man who agreed with me"

"One man's theology is another man's belly laugh"

"The difference between science and the fuzzy subjects is that science requires reasoning while those other subjects merely require scholarship"

And my all time favorite:

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects"

[nwoods]

Nice Jeff!

[RAT]

"Man's GOT to know his limitations" Dirty Harry

[Materdaddy]

"Never lie to someone who trusts you. Never trust someone who lies to you."

It was on the Dexter fan-page and will be in next week's episode. Not sure of the origin.

[Schmo]

“Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid.” - John Wayne

[dirtman13]

“Get the bathroom remodeled or else” - The wife.
It was pretty motivating.