Wisdom Quotes Work Wonders

What are "wisdom quotes?" They're not arguments or philosophies. They are simple statements that point at the truth.

"What does it profit a man to have gained the whole world, and to have lost his soul?" - Jesus Christ

You don't need to be Christian to see wisdom in the words of Jesus. Simple quotes from men and women around the world, from present day or milleniums past, inspire and instruct us, regardless of the religious or spiritual tradition they come from. Nor do spiritual and religious people have a monopoly on wisdom. Quotes that touch on the truth of a matter can come from scoundrels, saints, and ordinary people.

Why Wisdom Quotes?

"There are two great disappointments in life: Not getting what you want, and getting it." - George Bernard Shaw

Philosophies and arguments try to "capture" truth in a net of words. This is often to build systems of knowledge, or to satify egos. Wisdom quotes use words to point at truth, so that you can look and see it for yourself. Let me give you an example.

A man hesitates to do what he loves for a living, because he may fail. Outside of mathematics, virtually all reasoning is tainted with rationalization, so whatever his choice, he will support it with "logical arguments." No wonder he's confused and demotivated! He can't trust his own reasoning, if it just finds a logical construct for whichever fear, desire or other feeling is strongest!

Then Wayne Gretzky points out the obvious: "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take." This hockey metaphor touches him, precisely because it's not a logical argument. It simply points out a truth he can see for himself. He won't get anywhere without "taking that shot." Seeing the truth is more motivating - and productive - than arguing it. That's the value of wisdom quotes.

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." - Shunryu Suzuki

Top 15 Goals Quotations

Examine your own personal goals and find methods to achieve your desires with these valuable quotations about setting goals...

1. "The most important thing about having goals is having one."
   -- Geoffrey F. Abert
2. "It takes a little courage, and a little self-control. And some grim determination, If you want to reach the goal. It takes a deal of striving, and a firm and stern-set chin. No matter what the battle, If you really want to win. There's no easy path to glory, There's no road to fame. Life, however we may view it, Is no simple parlor game; But it's prizes call for fighting, For endurance and for grit; For a rugged disposition and don't know when to quit."
   -- Anonymous
3. "No set goal achieved satisfies. Success only breeds a new goal. The golden apple devoured has seeds. It is endless."
   -- Bette Davis
4. "A goal is a dream that has an ending. "
   -- Duke Ellington
5. "The timid and fearful first failures dismay, but the stout heart stays trying by night and by day. He values his failures as lessons that teach The one way to get to the goal he would reach."
   -- Edgar A. Guest
6. "Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal."
   -- Elbert Hubbard
7. "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."
   -- Thomas Jefferson
8. "It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal."
   -- Helen Keller
9. "A goal properly set is halfway reached."
   -- Abraham Lincoln
10. "It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy of life lies in having no goal to reach."
    -- Benjamin E. Mays
11. "Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in life to find it and to keep it lit."
    -- Mary Lou Retton
12. "Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal."
    -- Ralph Vaull Starr
13. "We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success."
    -- Henry David Thoreau
14. "Goals are your personal statements of what you are truly willing to do to achieve what you really want to achieve."
    -- Denis Waitley
15. "What you get by achieving your goals is to as important as what you become by achieving your goals."
    -- Zig Ziglar

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp